p.25 #1 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Mayasan wrote:
Thanks Fred. the silver chrome is perhaps more durable while the BP will fade over time. It is difficult to source a 34mm silver uv, lol.
I don't think it would be silver chrome since the lens isn't brass.
Most of my MS Optics lenses are silver anodized, which I like for both the look and how well the finish holds up over time. The matte black versions don't seem to be anodized but painted, and they tend to show wear faster than the silver ones.
@Juha Kannisto could probably confirm this, since he was the one who first introduced me to MS Optics.
I have an MS Optics 35mm f/1.4 Apoqualia on order in black paint, but I'm thinking of switching to the silver version if it is anodized. From what I've seen with other MS Optics lenses, the silver ones still look like new while the black ones show more signs of use.
p.25 #2 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
I'm on the waitlist for both the 35 and 36 in silver. I've looked through the thread and I'm wondering if I'm crazy for buying both when I already have six other 35's... If anyone has both of these, how would you describe the difference between the two? Through the samples I'm leaning towards the 36 if I had to pick one, but on the other hand I might just end up with both to try to see which resonates with me.
p.25 #3 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
I had both lens before. 35mm has better shaprness wide open to f2.0 with busier bokeh. While 36mm has smoother bokeh, but lack of f1.3 sharpness. I decided to keep 35mm f1.4 because it is a rarer lens at that moment. The 36mm got the benefit to focus closer, which is nice on mirrorless body and digital M as well.
endergemini wrote:
I'm on the waitlist for both the 35 and 36 in silver. I've looked through the thread and I'm wondering if I'm crazy for buying both when I already have six other 35's... If anyone has both of these, how would you describe the difference between the two? Through the samples I'm leaning towards the 36 if I had to pick one, but on the other hand I might just end up with both to try to see which resonates with me.
p.25 #4 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
According to MS-Optics, both lenses are actually very close to 36mm, so the Apollon is simply more precise in its stated focal length.
35mm f/1.4 Apoqualia = 35.9mm f/1.47, so in reality it't roughly a 36mm f/1.5 lens.
36mm f/1.3 Apollon = 36.2mm f/1.38, so effectively about a 36mm f/1.4 lens.
The Apollon also shows more spherical aberration wide open, which makes sense since it is actually the faster lens. It also focuses much closer at 0.3m vs 0.6m.
p.25 #6 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Mayasan wrote:
I had both lens before. 35mm has better shaprness wide open to f2.0 with busier bokeh. While 36mm has smoother bokeh, but lack of f1.3 sharpness. I decided to keep 35mm f1.4 because it is a rarer lens at that moment. The 36mm got the benefit to focus closer, which is nice on mirrorless body and digital M as well.
I appreciate the info on your experience. I think I'll continue with ordering both and then if I really don't resonate with one or the other just post it up in the B&S section for someone else to enjoy. There is a very real possibility I just end up keeping both as well...
I also asked if they plan on bringing back any of their green finishes in the future and they said no plans as of now haha
p.25 #7 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
endergemini wrote:
I appreciate the info on your experience. I think I'll continue with ordering both and then if I really don't resonate with one or the other just post it up in the B&S section for someone else to enjoy. There is a very real possibility I just end up keeping both as well...
I also asked if they plan on bringing back any of their green finishes in the future and they said no plans as of now haha
You’re not the only one here, I can’t decide and also preordered both….while having 4 other 35s lol
p.25 #8 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
I have both 35 and 36. I prefer the 36 on my Leica only because it's better calibrated to the rangefinder and with no focus shift compared to the 35. Sounds obviously better, right? Well, even without filters it vignettes at small apertures, so it's one half of a 2-lens setup, the other lens being the 40mm 6.3 for small aperture needs. I like them both, the 36 and 40, but they're each impractical without the other, and carrying two lenses no matter how small is more impractical than just one. Also the 35 is obviously sharper wide open, pixel peeping is not required. I ordered a new 35 and am hoping they changed the design for less focus shift, but if not, oh well.
Edit: a pretty dark vignette, maybe even a hard one. Can't remember, it's been some time since I shot the 36 at a small aperture, for obvious reasons.
p.25 #9 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
endergemini wrote:
I'm wondering if I'm crazy for buying both when I already have six other 35's...
what other 35's do you have, and are you a collector or do you actually use all of them and if so for what purposes.
I'm not being critical, but am curious thinking about my situation. I've currently got the lux 35 steel rim reissue and cron 35 APO, both wildly different lenses, and I use both of them often for different purposes.
I've been sorely tempted by the LLL 35 "11873" but felt like in real world use it would be scratching the itch that I already use the 35 APO to scratch, and so I've held back.
Similarly years ago when shooting Sony before I knew anything about Leica I had the Zeiss 35 ZM which I loved, and I've been tempted to get it, but again felt in real world use it would be scratching the itch that my 35 APO scratches, so I held back.
All this is to say if I had five 35 lenses already, I can't imagine thinking about getting another one which is why I'm so curious whether you're simply a collector or if you more than rarely use all five of those lenses (and now possibly a sixth that you're considering).
p.25 #10 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
brick33308 wrote:
what other 35's do you have, and are you a collector or do you actually use all of them and if so for what purposes.
I'm not being critical, but am curious thinking about my situation. I've currently got the lux 35 steel rim reissue and cron 35 APO, both wildly different lenses, and I use both of them often for different purposes.
I've been sorely tempted by the LLL 35 "11873" but felt like in real world use it would be scratching the itch that I already use the 35 APO to scratch, and so I've held back.
Similarly years ago when shooting Sony before I knew anything about Leica I had the Zeiss 35 ZM which I loved, and I've been tempted to get it, but again felt in real world use it would be scratching the itch that my 35 APO scratches, so I held back.
All this is to say if I had five 35 lenses already, I can't imagine thinking about getting another one which is why I'm so curious whether you're simply a collector or if you more than rarely use all five of those lenses (and now possibly a sixth that you're considering)....Show more →
I'm using most of them but also very much a collector as well. I've only been in the Leica ecosystem for around a year and mostly shoot car content in parking lots, garages, or staged shows so the 35mm length tends to work out the best for capturing the car + a little bit of background with minimal distortion. My favorite lens is the Voigtlander 40 1.2 but I find the 35s tend to offer me a little bit extra when I need it.
Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 ASPH. FLE II Safari - I typically like the rendering of this lens the most and have the most amount of pictures that stand out to me using this lens. The main problem with using it is it suffers from pretty bad purple fringing wide open and when shooting cars this can appear very often. It can be mitigated with editing but is also annoying due to me being an Android user and the LR app for Android lacking a defringe tool forcing me to wait until I am home to correct the images that suffer a lot of fringing. I really like the close focus of this for interior detail shots of the steering wheel/gauges etc.
Light Lens Lab 35mm f/1.4 Aspherical "11873" Titanium - My workhorse lately. I love the rendering and seems to have less fringing than the FLE II. My copy still has a little bit of an inconsistency in the focusing ring where long throws feel mostly smooth but small adjustments suffer from some sections being stiff enough to where I apply force and it hits a smooth section and moves past where I'd like. I prefer to bring this to events/scenarios that are very crowded where I might be worried about someone smacking the FLE II.
Peace Lens Optics / Atelier 35MM f/1.4 Olive - Basically a Steel Rim clone that might even be more extreme wide open. I like this lens but for car content cannot use it unless I am going for a very stylized look. The flares and reflections and spherical aberration are pretty crazy. I'd like to use this on more non-car related photo walks.
Mandler 35mm F2 “7 elements” (Chrome-plated Brass) - Still need to use this one more. I like the rendering but the filter threads make using my current 39mm CPL impossible with it so I haven't shot it as much due to preferring a CPL for car photography. Will probably end up using this more for non-car shooting where I like a vintage look.
Light Lens Lab 35mm f/2 Eight Element Safari - I love the rendering of this lens but the infinity lock annoys me so much. I had a day where many of my shots were right up around infinity and would constantly engage the lock. I have told myself I would spend more time with this lens but it just hasn't happened yet.
Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.2 Aspherical Silver MAP Camera limited edition - This was a pure collectors purchase due to finding it at a store in Japan right before leaving for the airport so a quick decision had to be made. It's huge, the fringing wide open is insane, but the separation at 1.2 is really lovely. The size and fringing makes it incompatible with most of my photo outings. Will probably let this pass to someone else who will use it (or shelve it for the collection).
I look at the 36/1.3 as offering a combination of some glow/character combined with close focus. The 35/1.4 is to check against the rendering of the LLL and FLE II (and to lesser extent the Peace Lens) to see if it speaks to me more so than the others, and with the rarity I don't want to go searching for one later to find that answer out for myself.
p.25 #11 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
brla-brla wrote:
I have both 35 and 36. I prefer the 36 on my Leica only because it's better calibrated to the rangefinder and with no focus shift compared to the 35. Sounds obviously better, right? Well, even without filters it vignettes at small apertures, so it's one half of a 2-lens setup, the other lens being the 40mm 6.3 for small aperture needs. I like them both, the 36 and 40, but they're each impractical without the other, and carrying two lenses no matter how small is more impractical than just one. Also the 35 is obviously sharper wide open, pixel peeping is not required. I ordered a new 35 and am hoping they changed the design for less focus shift, but if not, oh well.
Edit: a pretty dark vignette, maybe even a hard one. Can't remember, it's been some time since I shot the 36 at a small aperture, for obvious reasons. ...Show more →
We do not know every change coming to the MS Optics 35mm f/1.4 Apoqualia 'reissue', but according to MS Optics it will focus down to 0.4m (from 0.6m previously), which is a meaningful improvement. That alone makes it more versatile.
The Apollon also has a more circular aperture when stopped down because of the higher blade count (14 vs 12). That is something I genuinely appreciate about the Apollon. I can stop it down to f1.6 or f2 and the highlights stay nicely rounded. That is not the case with the older Apoqualia, unless that has been revised as well.
Another interesting point is size. The Apollon is actually smaller than the Apoqualia even though it is technically faster at f/1.38 versus f/1.47 (real apertures reported by MS Optics). On the other hand, many people prefer the aperture ring design on the Apoqualia. I didn't know the Apoqualia had focus shift as I never tried it but I don't see much with the Apollon.
Optically, the designs are very similar, but there are practical and handling differences. I think that from MS Optics' perspective, the Apollon felt like the upgraded evolution. Still, the Apoqualia remains highly desired, partly because it was discontinued before the Apollon appeared. Now that both are potentially available again, choosing between them is not exactly an easy decision.
p.25 #12 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
endergemini wrote:
My favorite lens is the Voigtlander 40 1.2 but I find the 35s tend to offer me a little bit extra when I need it.
thanks for explaining all that. Similarly regarding the Voigt 40/1.2, I recently got version 2 of it and it's fast becoming my favorite lens. Yesterday I took it for a spin with my M11P and posted images here: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1512530/312#16997506
Since you've already got a nice collection of 35's, for what it's worth, maybe you should consider getting the 35 steel rim reissue. I've got one and it's one of my favorite most used lenses. It's lightweight (200g), small and renders dreamy beautiful images wide open, while stopped down to f4 it becomes tack sharp across the frame. Absolutely love it.
p.25 #13 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
The thing about MS Optics lenses is that they are truly one of a kind. They are highly desired in the asian market, especially in Japan, with the workshop located just outside Tokyo. These lenses are hand crafted rather than mass produced, and you can feel that individuality in both the handling and the rendering. Production numbers are very limited, so if you miss a batch, prices in the used market can become absurdly inflated.
There is great variety but even the ultra fast ones weigh almost nothing, even though they are built of metal. For example, the Apollon 36mm f/1.3 weighs just 80 grams. Their 24mm f/2 Aporia has a total length of 5.8mm and weights 45 grams!
When you think about what it delivers, that size/weight is almost unbelievable.
p.25 #14 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Fred Miranda wrote:
The thing about MS Optics lenses is that they are truly one of a kind. They are highly desired in the asian market, especially in Japan, with the workshop located just outside Tokyo. These lenses are hand crafted rather than mass produced, and you can feel that individuality in both the handling and the rendering. Production numbers are very limited, so if you miss a batch, prices in the used market can become absurdly inflated.
There is great variety but even the ultra fast ones weigh almost nothing, even though they are built of metal. For example, the Apollon 36mm f/1.3 weighs just 80 grams. Their 24mm f/2 Aporia has a total length of 5.8mm and weights 45 grams!
When you think about what it delivers, that size/weight is almost unbelievable....Show more →
My favorite lens of theirs, at least with regard to rendering, is the varioprasma. Handling is very clunky though and the image circle is too small, even at the optimal SA setting, for anything other than portraits if you open the aperture wider than f/10, so they're almost too easy to find second hand. Aside from that lens, which doesn't need to be re-released because they're so easy to find, their best lenses that I hope they'll reissue are the 24, which I own one of but would love a spare so I don't have to baby my current copy, and the 50 f/1.0. Those are such obvious best-sellers they'd be foolish to not reissue.
p.25 #15 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
I have few lenses, but at the moment I seem to be most fond of the Petz, then my new 75 1.5, the Petz with a truly ancient lens formula can produce vintage imagery that harkens back before the 1950s line of more modern lenses (advent of summicron for instance).
This the Petz and Leica M11P in Anchorage the aircraft is WW2 era owned by the aviation museum. My father left scrap books of photos of WW2 era and his service and while this is still too modern and sharp with 60 mp Leica I like this lens and want to make a project with it to capture some imagery that harkens to WW2 and before........ before modern photography (film) and perhaps this cannot be done with dig, I might well have to shoot film........ and maybe I have to learn to hand color-to really embrace the concept I have seen many truly amazing hand colored prints.
p.25 #16 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
brla-brla wrote:
My favorite lens of theirs, at least with regard to rendering, is the varioprasma. Handling is very clunky though and the image circle is too small, even at the optimal SA setting, for anything other than portraits if you open the aperture wider than f/10, so they're almost too easy to find second hand. Aside from that lens, which doesn't need to be re-released because they're so easy to find, their best lenses that I hope they'll reissue are the 24, which I own one of but would love a spare so I don't have to baby my current copy, and the 50 f/1.0. Those are such obvious best-sellers they'd be foolish to not reissue. ...Show more →
I am glad you mentioned the 50mm f1.5 Vario Prasma. It is a lens I have always wanted to try, mainly because of the SA ring. I just checked Japan Exposures and they had a black version in stock. I am not sure how many are available, but it is definitely worth taking a look. https://www.japanexposures.com/shop/camera-lens/ms-vario-plasmat-50-1.5.html
It reminds me of the Petz, with that distinctive aperture lever
p.25 #17 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
Fred Miranda wrote:
I am glad you mentioned the 50mm f1.5 Vario Prasma. It is a lens I have always wanted to try, mainly because of the SA ring. I just checked Japan Exposures and they had a black version in stock. I am not sure how many are available, but it is definitely worth taking a look. https://www.japanexposures.com/shop/camera-lens/ms-vario-plasmat-50-1.5.html
It reminds me of the Petz, with that distinctive aperture lever
The lack of sample images online before I got my own were absolutely maddening. I could count on one hand the number of sample sets I found, and they were all either low res or wide open, so I really didn't know what I was getting before I got it. If you're curious about normal performance, I have two albums on flickr using the lens on a gfx camera: https://www.flickr.com/photos/203956166@N02/albums/72177720331188152/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/203956166@N02/albums/72177720330856791/with/54978523531
You can tell it isn't popular based on how many there are on eBay, but I'm in love it with. I bought a spare and I'm even considering buying a third, though that might be a bit extreme, no matter how much I love it. I'm sure there are many great 50s, but there is something so magical about this one to me.
p.25 #18 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
brla-brla wrote:
The lack of sample images online before I got my own were absolutely maddening. I could count on one hand the number of sample sets I found, and they were all either low res or wide open, so I really didn't know what I was getting before I got it. If you're curious about normal performance, I have two albums on flickr using the lens on a gfx camera: https://www.flickr.com/photos/203956166@N02/albums/72177720331188152/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/203956166@N02/albums/72177720330856791/with/54978523531
You can tell it isn't popular based on how many there are on eBay, but I'm in love it with. I bought a spare and I'm even considering buying a third, though that might be a bit extreme, no matter how much I love it. I'm sure there are many great 50s, but there is something so magical about this one to me. ...Show more →
I am not sure if that shot was taken wide open, it looks like it might be, and I do not know which SA setting was used. If I understand correctly, "6" is the normal setting for rangefinder use, and as you move toward "2", spherical aberration is progressively less corrected.
I am not sure if that shot was taken wide open, it looks like it might be, and I do not know which SA setting was used. If I understand correctly, "6" is the normal setting for rangefinder use, and as you move toward "2", spherical aberration is progressively less corrected.
Actually 6 is the worst performance, gets better and better up to 3, then gradually gets slightly worse again. That said, on my spare the SA markings are different and 2 is optimal on that one, so each will be a little different and finding the optimal setting requires pixel peeping. I do wish I could change the rangefinder coupling to pair with the optimal setting, I'd adore using this lens with film, but I find rangefinder-coupled 6 rather unusable, which is probably why the lens is so unpopular.
p.25 #20 · MS-Optics lenses Image and Discussion Thread
brla-brla wrote:
Actually 6 is the worst performance, gets better and better up to 3, then gradually gets slightly worse again. That said, on my spare the SA markings are different and 2 is optimal on that one, so each will be a little different and finding the optimal setting requires pixel peeping. I do wish I could change the rangefinder coupling to pair with the optimal setting, I'd adore using this lens with film, but I find rangefinder-coupled 6 rather unusable, which is probably why the lens is so unpopular.
That's really interesting! From the reviews I've seen, everyone says setting '6' provides the most correction for SA and is the only one suitable for RF focusing, which the User Manual also confirms. Your copy might not be aligned with the RF to start with, which is fairly common with MS Optics lenses in my experience. Have you tried using Live View to focus and see if the RF lines up when set to P6?
Here is what I gathered as to how this lens should work:
At P6 (the highest/standard/default position on the SA ring), the MS Optics Vario Prasma 50mm f/1.5 operates at its most corrected setting for spherical aberration -- effectively near-neutral (minimal residual SA) rather than over-corrected -- delivering the sharpest wide-open performance at f/1.5 with crisp center resolution, good contrast and detail in the focus plane, more defined/structured bokeh highlights that can show light outlining or crisp edges on specular highlights, minimal glow/haze/veil, relatively clean background transitions, and the best rangefinder coupling accuracy without significant focus shift.
As the SA ring is moved toward P2 (progressively increasing under-correction of spherical aberration down to the lowest position), the lens introduces more positive SA, resulting in softer subject focus with increasing halo/glow/veil around highlights and in-focus areas, smoother and creamier bokeh transitions that suppress outlining on specular highlights, stronger cat's-eye vignetting, more pronounced dreamy haze, and an overall artistic, diffused Plasmat-like character with reduced sharpness and definition.
