MS Sonnetar m 50mm 1.1
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Chris Bail
Regular Guy
Great shots uhoh. I really like what this lens can do.
Chris Bail
Regular Guy
Mine showed up today. I like it.
uhoh7
Veteran
uhoh7
Veteran
White Creek by unoh7, on Flickr
DSC00485 by unoh7, on Flickr
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a7m_st_f1c4 (1 of 1) by unoh7, on Flickr
Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
What's the feeling on this from people who have also used the ZM Sonnar?
Thanks!
Thanks!
The ZM Sonnar is a far more refined and user friendly lens IMO. I tried one of the very first pre focus tab Sonnetars, and it was ummm quirky to use. Still, interesting image quality. Here's some of the shots I took with it.
MS Optical Sonnetar 50mm f/1.1 test shot @ f/1.1 by jonmanjiro, on Flickr
MS Optical Sonnetar 50mm f/1.1 test shot @ f/1.1 by jonmanjiro, on Flickr
MS Optical Sonnetar 50mm f/1.1 test shot @ f/1.1 by jonmanjiro, on Flickr
MS Optical Sonnetar 50mm f/1.1 test shot @ f/1.1 by jonmanjiro, on Flickr
Chris Bail
Regular Guy
The lens surely isn't for everyone. It's a bit quirky, but I like it. I'd much rather carry this lens around than my Nokton 50/1.1 or Canon 50/1.2.
L1010401 by Chris Bail, on Flickr
L1010419 by Chris Bail, on Flickr
L1010415 by Chris Bail, on Flickr
L1010413 by Chris Bail, on Flickr
L1010401 by Chris Bail, on Flickr
L1010419 by Chris Bail, on Flickr
L1010415 by Chris Bail, on Flickr
L1010413 by Chris Bail, on Flickr
krötenblender
Well-known
I agree. I also had the Nokton, and if I had to choose, I would prefer the Sonnetar in any case. Since it has a focusing pin, I even prefer it for better handling, not only weight an size.
Pioneer
Veteran
Nice photos uhoh7. This is a terrific lens. Someday, when I am finally able to shake the spell the M-A has over me, I'll pull out my M9 again and share some of my own. 🙂
Chris Bail
Regular Guy
furcafe
Veteran
I would agree w/jonmanjiro that the Sonnar is more "refined & user friendly". Even w/the focus tab/pin in the production version, the user experience w/the Sonnetar is much quirkier. On the plus side for the Sonnetar, it's much shorter/lighter than than the C Sonnar (both lenses with & without their hoods) & the coma adjustment is pretty nifty, especially since you have the M 240. As far as optical "character", the Sonnetar at f/1.1-1.4 strikes me as an update of the old 5cm/1.4 Nikkor-S in LTM.
filmtwit
Desperate but not serious
I haven't used the lens much till recently.
David Murphy
Veteran
These are nicely composed photos, but technically many of them, frankly, look soft - similar to results from the old Canon 50mm F1.2 used wide open (which was OK -- if necessary). I don't think any of these are shots are comparable to the better super-speed SLR lenses (e.g. Nikon 50/1.2 AIS, Konica 57/1.2), although those only work to F1.2 so the comparison is not exactly equivalent and yes they can be a little heavy. I am also certain the CV 50/1.1 outperforms the Sonnetar, but of course it's a fairly heavy prime (I love it though).
Performance per unit cost also matters in these evaluations. How much does a Sonnetar cost and can they still be purchased? I seem to remember that MS Optical was difficult to deal with and purchase from - at least for those outside Japan.
Performance per unit cost also matters in these evaluations. How much does a Sonnetar cost and can they still be purchased? I seem to remember that MS Optical was difficult to deal with and purchase from - at least for those outside Japan.
Pioneer
Veteran
The Sonnetar is a very compact lens for the speed. I own, and love, the Nokton 50/1.1 but it looks like a hippo in comparison to a gazelle. This is a very good lens!
I picked mine up early on, as a result I don't remember the cost but as I recall it was not much different than the Nokton. I had no difficulty purchasing mine ,unless you consider pre-ordering something that is built by hand, one at a time, difficult.
As for softness, it really is no different then many other similar lenses and, since depth of field is very thin, focus can be very difficult to achieve. But the most telling issue is that the spot I focused on may be different than what you expect to be in focus, so whether I hit it dead on or not it will always look a "touch soft" to you and others.
I do prefer the out of focus blur, as well as the transition between focus and blur, between this lens and the Nokton. The only other fast lens I like better in this regards is my Tomioka 55/1.2 M42 lens, but that is a different lens altogether.
I picked mine up early on, as a result I don't remember the cost but as I recall it was not much different than the Nokton. I had no difficulty purchasing mine ,unless you consider pre-ordering something that is built by hand, one at a time, difficult.
As for softness, it really is no different then many other similar lenses and, since depth of field is very thin, focus can be very difficult to achieve. But the most telling issue is that the spot I focused on may be different than what you expect to be in focus, so whether I hit it dead on or not it will always look a "touch soft" to you and others.
I do prefer the out of focus blur, as well as the transition between focus and blur, between this lens and the Nokton. The only other fast lens I like better in this regards is my Tomioka 55/1.2 M42 lens, but that is a different lens altogether.
Jacques M.
Established
Yes, the Sonnetar is always available.
I have just received mine from the USA.
Very well made, light, and so on. But not so easy to use for me for the moment. Impossible to correct the diaph after the the distances: all turns in the same time...
I will say more in a while: it is on my MP and the film is not finished...
Amitiés. Jacques.
I have just received mine from the USA.
Very well made, light, and so on. But not so easy to use for me for the moment. Impossible to correct the diaph after the the distances: all turns in the same time...
I will say more in a while: it is on my MP and the film is not finished...
Amitiés. Jacques.
jingles_97
Established
Certainly a fidgety lens to use for sure, but then when I put it on an A7R with the hood reversed, the whole thing still fit in the pocket of my winter jacket. Optically with the A7R, I'd say its challenged in the corner due to color shift and smearing especially at infinity, but it's great for portraits.
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