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New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

There is a new MS-Optical Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 lens for Leica M-mount. Here are the details:

Apoqualia1.7/28
Compact large aperture lens
Available in black and silver
Lens design: gauss type with 6 elements in 4 groups
Thickness: 10.2mm
Weight: 65g
Close-up focusing possible up to 0.4m
Fully multi-coated
From f/2.8, the flare is removed

Source:
https://leicarumors.com/2023/06/28/new-ms-optical-apoqualia-28mm-f-1-7-lens-for-leica-m-mount-released.aspx/

Jun 28, 2023 at 10:48 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Anyone knows if it’s already available in Japan? I am here and would love to grab one.

Jun 28, 2023 at 10:52 PM

Juha Kannisto
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Fred Miranda wrote:
Anyone knows if it’s already available in Japan? I am here and would love to grab one.

Are you now in Japan?

This lens just became available for pre-bookings via MKDirect yesterday evening and it became available for online ordering through Japan Camera Hunter 2 days ago. There is no physical store that is selling them currently and the only way I know of getting one is by ordering / booking from one of these stores:

MKDirect's blog page about the lens in Japanese which includes pre-booking information and price:
https://www.mkdirect51.com/post/%E6%96%B0%E5%95%86%E5%93%81-apoqualia-1-7-28-%E5%95%86%E5%93%81%E7%B4%B9%E4%BB%8B
(Link seems to only work if copy-pasted to browser.)

E-mail address for booking / queries at MKDirect: mkdirect51 @ gmail.com (remove the spaces to make it work)

Japan Camera Hunter's blog page about the lens which includes ordering link from JCH store:
https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2023/06/camera-geekery-new-ms-optics-apoqualia-28mm-1-7/

I have made a pre-booking via MKDirect last night. They are expected to receive their first shipment sometime in the first week of July.

JCH states that they have a lead time of approximately 2 weeks between receiving order and shipping (as they test each lens and they are made to order).

Jun 28, 2023 at 11:38 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Thank you Juha. I ordered it from Japan Camera Hunter and it will be shipped to the US.

Juha Kannisto wrote:
Are you now in Japan?

This lens just became available for pre-bookings via MKDirect yesterday evening and it became available for online ordering through Japan Camera Hunter 2 days ago. There is no physical store that is selling them currently and the only way I know of getting one is by ordering / booking from one of these stores:

MKDirect's blog page about the lens in Japanese which includes pre-booking information and price:
https://www.mkdirect51.com/post/%E6%96%B0%E5%95%86%E5%93%81-apoqualia-1-7-28-%E5%95%86%E5%93%81%E7%B4%B9%E4%BB%8B
(Link seems to only work if copy-pasted to browser.)

E-mail address for booking / queries at MKDirect: mkdirect51 @ gmail.com (remove the spaces to make it work)

Japan Camera Hunter's...Show more →

Jun 29, 2023 at 01:48 AM

Juha Kannisto
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Nice! it will be interesting to see how you like it

It'll be my 13th MS-Optics lens (excluding the ones I had before and sold). I'm really keen on them on my A7C and it's very nice to see Miyazaki-san's grandson getting into the business and continuing the work with hopefully more new lenses coming in the future.

Fred Miranda wrote:
Thank you Juha. I ordered it from Japan Camera Hunter and it will be shipped to the US.

Jun 29, 2023 at 02:00 AM

ftllens
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

hmmmmm each new lens gets more and more interesting, so this lens is a collab between his grandson and Miyazaki san.

the original one interested me but this one seemed to have touched on the qc and is also faster.

I wish hunter had more samples WO but will be keeping my eye on it!

Jun 29, 2023 at 04:22 AM

freaklikeme
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

That thing is tiny. 65g?! Amazing.

Jun 29, 2023 at 04:33 AM

bjhurley
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

I use the 28/2 Apoqualia a lot on Sony fullframe, so much so that I plan to get a Kolari mod to my Sony to reduce the corner smearing at wider apertures. It performs much better wide open on Sony APS-C and makes for a tiny pocketable package on one of the small Sony APS-C cameras even if you use a close-focus helicoid adapter, which I do because that brings out more of the lens's magic. Stopped down the corner smearing goes away on fullframe although the field curvature is always obvious.

Bastian's recent review of the 28/2 on phillipreeve.net pointed out that it has "wild" focus shift, which will be an issue for anyone using a rangefinder camera without live view. It doesn't look like the 28/1.7 would be better in that regard.

Jun 29, 2023 at 04:36 AM

Desmolicious
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Looks gorgeous! Much nicer than the Brightin Star 28 2.8.

But... how do you turn the aperture ring? And in these pics taken from JCH, the red dot - which I assume indicates aperture selected - is wildly off:

Jun 29, 2023 at 04:42 PM

bjhurley
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Desmolicious wrote:
But... how do you turn the aperture ring? And in these pics taken from JCH, the red dot - which I assume indicates aperture selected - is wildly off:

The lens comes with a tiny hood, which you normally leave attached all the time, and you can twist the hood to turn the aperture ring. Otherwise you have to use your fingernail.

The aperture is smooth (declicked). Not sure why it's so far from the 1.7 mark though; my 28/2 doesn't do that. Maybe that's a prototype version; the production lens won't be available until July 1.

Jun 29, 2023 at 04:49 PM

Desmolicious
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

bjhurley wrote..
Bastian's recent review of the 28/2 on phillipreeve.net pointed out that it has "wild" focus shift, which will be an issue for anyone using a rangefinder camera without live view. It doesn't look like the 28/1.7 would be better in that regard.

Wild focus shift? Pass. Thanks for that, saved me $1K.
Bummer.

Jun 29, 2023 at 04:52 PM

Desmolicious
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

@fredmiranda - I ordered the Brightin Star just now. If you want you can compare it head to head to the MS Optics lens that you ordered.

Jun 29, 2023 at 04:55 PM

bjhurley
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Desmolicious wrote:
Wild focus shift? Pass. Thanks for that, saved me $1K.
Bummer.

Yeah, it's a disappointment as I was looking forward to using my 28/2 Apoqualia on a Leica M2R that an old friend of mine sold me (along with three Leica lenses) for an impossible-to-refuse price. I will still give it a go for fun once I have the Leica in my hands (late July); this is mainly a lens I use either wide open or stopped down to f8, nothing in between so we'll see how focus behaves at those two extremes.

Jun 29, 2023 at 05:01 PM

Desmolicious
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Fred Miranda wrote:
Anyone knows if it’s already available in Japan? I am here and would love to grab one.

You should pick up a Brightin Star 28 seeing you are there.

Jun 29, 2023 at 07:18 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

I will keep an eye for one.

Desmolicious wrote:
You should pick up a Brightin Star 28 seeing you are there.

Jun 29, 2023 at 08:10 PM

Juha Kannisto
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

bjhurley wrote:
The lens comes with a tiny hood, which you normally leave attached all the time, and you can twist the hood to turn the aperture ring. Otherwise you have to use your fingernail.

The aperture is smooth (declicked). Not sure why it's so far from the 1.7 mark though; my 28/2 doesn't do that. Maybe that's a prototype version; the production lens won't be available until July 1.

I have a few MS-Optics lenses where the aperture can be "opened further" than the wide-open aperture mark on the lens but the blades are already fully out-of-sight when reaching the wide-open mark so it's just extra leeway that doesn't make a real difference. In real use with those when I want to shoot wide open I can either park the aperture exactly on the wide-open mark or go further and in both cases the blades are entirely out of the way. My 28/2-II is like that too, but the leeway on that is not as extensive as shown in these 28/1.7 product images though.

I think these 2 samples that are shown at JCH are not prototypes but from the regular production (although possibly delivered early to JCH for product demo purposes) as any prototypes that MS-Optics make usually have serial number 0 or something different from the regular lenses but these are Silver #21 and Black #21. Sometimes prototype versions of various MS-Optics lenses can also be found in 2nd hand market and they are usually recognized by not having a normal serial number assigned and typically in such cases they are advertised as prototypes.

Edited on Jun 29, 2023 at 08:48 PM · View previous versions

Jun 29, 2023 at 08:43 PM

ctmfoobar
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Desmolicious wrote:
the red dot - which I assume indicates aperture selected - is wildly off:

That's actually normal. On many MS Optics lenses, the aperture ring/dial can be turned past the fastest aperture value marking. It's simply because the aperture mechanism itself can open larger than the opening in the lens. Maybe they do this so that they can reuse the same aperture mechanism on different lenses and save cost. There's no difference when turning the aperture past the fastest value.

Jun 29, 2023 at 08:44 PM

Desmolicious
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

ctmfoobar wrote:
That's actually normal. On many MS Optics lenses, the aperture ring/dial can be turned past the fastest aperture value marking. It's simply because the aperture mechanism itself can open larger than the opening in the lens. Maybe they do this so that they can reuse the same aperture mechanism on different lenses and save cost. There's no difference when turning the aperture past the fastest value.

But that does not make me feel good about trusting the aperture markings. It’s not a big deal if your camera has a ttl meter, but if it is an unmetered camera like an M-A, M4 etc having accurate aperture markings is key for correct exposure.

Jun 29, 2023 at 10:56 PM

bjhurley
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

Desmolicious wrote:
But that does not make me feel good about trusting the aperture markings. It’s not a big deal if your camera has a ttl meter, but if it is an unmetered camera like an M-A, M4 etc having accurate aperture markings is key for correct exposure.

They should be pretty accurate. I tested this on my 28/2 Apoqualia at one point by putting my camera on a tripod, setting the aperture to one of the markings (since it's unclicked this is an approximate exercise anyway) and then switching out to another lens set to the same aperture, and (with the camera set to aperture priority and same ISO) the shutter speed was the same. I didn't check throughout the range but spot-checked a few and they matched. (I did this test when I was toying with the idea of using my Sony A7s as a light meter for my film camera, since it has built-in multi-metering and spot metering, and I could check exposure with it the same way you'd shoot a Polaroid on a view camera. The Apoqualia is my smallest lens, so I figured I'd use it with the Sony for the smallest form factor).

But anyway, unless you're shooting slide film, spot-on accuracy of aperture markings might not be so important. I'd worry more about the focus shift. It seems pretty clear the 28/1.7 was designed to be used on modern digital M-mount cameras with live view (since it focuses closer than rangefinder limits, and focus shift won't be an issue with live view).

Edited on Jun 30, 2023 at 06:51 AM · View previous versions

Jun 30, 2023 at 06:32 AM

BastianK
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · New Apoqualia 28mm f/1.7 released!

My experience with plenty of MS-Optics lenses is also that the aperture stops are usually quite accurate.
I have seen worse from other manufacturers.

Jun 30, 2023 at 06:50 AM

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