MS-Optics Apollon 36mm f/1.3

The MS-Optics Apollon 36mm f/1.3 is a M-mount lens for Leica rangefinder cameras. Leica price index ↗

Reference maintained by Thomas Boots

Focal Length: 36mm

Aperture: 𝑓/1.3

Release Year (from): 2022

Diameter: 50 mm

Length: 22 mm

Minimum Focus Distance: 0.3m

Elements in Groups: 6/4

Aperture Blades: 14

Mount: M

Material Weight: Metal, 80g

Colors: Black

Japancamerahunter.com

MS-Optics Apollon 36mm f/1.3

Few fast normal-wide lenses are as improbably small as this one. Built around a six-element optical core in four groups, the Apollon 36mm f/1.3 packs an f/1.3 aperture into a barrel roughly 50 mm in diameter and 22 mm long, weighing about 80 g [1][2]. It is the work of Sadayasu Miyazaki, the one-man Japanese workshop behind MS-Optics, who designs, manufactures, and hand-assembles each lens in small lots [3]. The Apollon name follows Miyazaki's earlier Apoqualia 35mm f/1.3, and according to his own notes the 36mm was reworked to be easier to focus than that predecessor [2].

The lens reaches the unusual compactness typical of MS-Optics by stripping its mechanics to the minimum, with only three moving sections: the mount frame, the focusing core, and the aperture ring [1]. In an unusual arrangement, the whole optical core acts as the aperture ring, an aperture transmission bolt riding in a groove of the focus barrel to open and close the 14-blade diaphragm as the core is rotated [1]. The filter thread is a small M34, and minimum focus is 0.3 m, although rangefinder coupling does not extend across that full range; manufacturer and dealer information describe coupling that works to roughly 0.8 m on most bodies, while the very closest distances are intended for use with live view on digital cameras [2]. Buyers should treat the lens as one designed for occasional close focus by sensor rather than reliable rangefinder coupling throughout, since coupling accuracy depends on each individual sample.

MS-Optics has listed the Apollon as available in black and silver finishes, with a multicoated optical design [2]. As a hand-made, small-batch product there is some sample-to-sample variation in weight and assembly, which Miyazaki himself acknowledges [2]. No formally distinct optical versions or limited editions are widely documented.

Optical qualities

Rendering By Miyazaki's own account, the Apollon 36mm f/1.3 is deliberately a high-resolution but lower-contrast design wide open, a character he contrasts with the contrast-first approach of his Apoqualia 35mm and of classic Zeiss and Leica designs [2]. Reviewers and the maker describe a lens that resolves well from maximum aperture but shows reduced contrast and some flare at f/1.3, with both improving noticeably on stopping down [2]. This makes it a lens whose look changes substantially across the aperture range, soft-edged and atmospheric wide open and crisper once closed a little.

Collector and user notes Because focus optimization shifts with aperture in this family of fast Miyazaki designs, achieving best focus wide open does not guarantee best focus when stopped down, a trait users should keep in mind [2].

History

Development and Launch MS-Optics announced the Apollon 1.3/36 in late 2022, with the first lots reaching buyers around December of that year and wider coverage following in early 2023 [2][3]. It was sold through MKdirect and specialist dealers such as Japan Exposures, in keeping with Miyazaki's direct, small-volume distribution [2][3]. The lens entered a lineup of compact MS-Optics primes and was positioned as a fast 35mm-class lens that combined an unusually light body with the ability to focus close on digital bodies [2].

Collector Notes A detailed teardown by a repair specialist documents handling and service points worth knowing before purchase. The optical core is a single unit released by unscrewing a retention ring, and overtightening that ring stiffens aperture rotation, so a too-stiff or too-loose aperture ring is often an adjustment issue rather than a fault [1]. The rangefinder coupling ring is secured with a strong adhesive that makes factory rangefinder calibration very difficult to adjust, and the same source notes a sample that could not quite reach infinity due to an internal shim, a reminder to check both infinity focus and rangefinder agreement on any given copy [1]. As with all MS-Optics lenses, these are hand-built items produced in limited numbers, so condition, originality, and accurate focusing should be verified individually, and the small M34 filter size is worth confirming when sourcing filters or caps [1][3].