MS-Optics Apollon 36mm f/1.3

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.

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. 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. 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. 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. As a hand-made, small-batch product there is some sample-to-sample variation in weight and assembly, which Miyazaki himself acknowledges. 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. 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. 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.

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. It was sold through MKdirect and specialist dealers such as Japan Exposures, in keeping with Miyazaki's direct, small-volume distribution. 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.

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. 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. 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.