Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: KLaban on October 18, 2018, 12:57:14 pm
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Meyer Optik parent company insolvent (https://www.dpreview.com/news/9963188118/meyer-optik-gorlitz-is-insolvent-backers-wont-get-their-lenses-or-money-back)
Such a pity.
Thankfully, although tempted, I chose not to back the offer and order a lens. Hopefully nobody here will be effected.
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I had an order, with deposit paid, for the 75/1.5 Biotar re-creation in M mount. I knew when I ordered that the company was winging it (using deposits to fund operations as well as product development) so I'm not really upset…just disappointed that the lens won't get made. Not every investment pans out.
Finding an original both in LTM mount (most were M42) and decent shape will likely be a tall order. :(
-Dave-
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I had an order, with deposit paid, for the 75/1.5 Biotar re-creation in M mount. I knew when I ordered that the company was winging it (using deposits to fund operations as well as product development) so I'm not really upset…just disappointed that the lens won't get made. Not every investment pans out.
Finding an original both in LTM mount (most were M42) and decent shape will likely be a tall order. :(
-Dave-
Dave, sorry to hear you got caught up in this mess. As you say the bummer is that these new lenses are now lost to us.
Good luck with finding that original, you'll probably going to need it. :(
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Miyazaki-san (of MS Optical) has announced a 73/1.5 Sonnar-based lens in M mount. Handbuilt, as usual for him. I've ordered one via Bellamy Hunt (Japan Camera Hunter). Hope it works out better than the Meyer Görlitz endeavor!
-Dave-
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Dave, yes, I saw the news on DPR and instantly thought of you!
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Miyazaki-san has delivered! (After a bit of hide & seek on the part of my local post office.) His 73mm f/1.5 Sonnetar is a tiny thing. Can't be any bigger than a Leica 50mm Summicron or the current Zeiss 50/1.5 Sonnar. Very light too. My 75/2.4 Summarit is massive in comparison.
I've only had time to unpack it and take a handful of quick snaps, but image quality at f/1.5 looks real good. In typical Sonnar fashion it's sharp in the center and falls off quickly from there. The included MTF chart shows this too. Stopped down the chart shows (and I'd expect) crisp performance over most of the frame by f/2.8 and sharp sharp sharp in the f/4–5.6 range.
I've attached an example pic, taken at f/1.5 and a focus distance of ~2.5m. There's some fringing visible, which I haven't tried to correct. Contrast is very good, higher than expected.
More info, including a pic of the lens: https://www.thephoblographer.com/2018/11/01/ms-optics-new-lightweight-sonnetar-73mm/
-Dave-
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Miyazaki-san has delivered! (After a bit of hide & seek on the part of my local post office.) His 73mm f/1.5 Sonnetar is a tiny thing. Can't be any bigger than a Leica 50mm Summicron or the current Zeiss 50/1.5 Sonnar. Very light too. My 75/2.4 Summarit is massive in comparison.
I've only had time to unpack it and take a handful of quick snaps, but image quality at f/1.5 looks real good. In typical Sonnar fashion it's sharp in the center and falls off quickly from there. The included MTF chart shows this too. Stopped down the chart shows (and I'd expect) crisp performance over most of the frame by f/2.8 and sharp sharp sharp in the f/4–5.6 range.
I've attached an example pic, taken at f/1.5 and a focus distance of ~2.5m. There's some fringing visible, which I haven't tried to correct. Contrast is very good, higher than expected.
More info, including a pic of the lens: https://www.thephoblographer.com/2018/11/01/ms-optics-new-lightweight-sonnetar-73mm/
-Dave-
Hi Dave, thanks for the update on your lens, exciting times! The lens does look extremely promising and a comparative bargain when compared to the Leica equivalent. How's the rangefinder intrusion? Have you seen any focus shift? The only possible issue I've seen so far has been the fringing, it'll be interesting to see how this corrects.
Please keep us updated on your progress.
Keith
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Keith, the lens doesn't intrude at all into the 75mm framelines. It comes with a short metal hood that oddly screws over the end of the lens barrel. It's also so light that when I picked up the package at the post office I wondered if it actually contained anything other than promo/info material. :) Haven't taken a photo yet with the lens stopped down. I'll probably put the camera/lens rig on a tripod this evening and go through the aperture range…this'll reveal any focus shifting.
-Dave-
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I still haven't had the chance to properly use the MS Optical 73/1.5, but I have tested it out in the house at various apertures. I don't see any focus shifting through f/8, though Miyazaki-san's accompanying data sheet (mostly in Japanese with some English annotation) seems to say there should be a small amount of backfocus upon stopping down. It may be small enough to be covered by DOF.
At f/2 the lens performs very similarly to my 1990 (pre-ASPH) 90mm Summicron at the same aperture. From memory, not much different to a 75mm Summilux resolution-wise (though different color & contrast signatures) but at half the size and less than half the weight.
-Dave-
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Dave, thanks for the update. More discussion here (https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/292018-ms-optics-sonnetar-73mm-15/).
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Dave, thanks for the update. More discussion here (https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/292018-ms-optics-sonnetar-73mm-15/).
Yikes, seems I lucked out and got one that went through proper QC!
-Dave-