MS-Optics Hipolion 19mm f/8

MS-Optics Hipolion 19mm f/8

The Hipolion is among the most unusual ultra-wide lenses ever made for the Leica M mount, built from just two elements arranged in two groups and resolving an extreme angle of view from a body little larger than a camera cap. It is the work of Sadayasu Miyazaki of MS-Optics, the one-man Japanese workshop he established in 2006, whose lenses are known for low element counts, the avoidance of aspherical glass, and extreme miniaturization [2]. The Hipolion revives the Hypergon, a symmetrical double-anastigbat design developed around 1900 by Emil von Höegh at the Berlin firm C. P. Goerz, which used two thin, near-hemispherical meniscus elements to cover very wide angles with essentially complete freedom from rectilinear distortion [1][3]. Miyazaki adapted that century-old concept to a modern rangefinder mount, producing what reviewers have described as one of the smallest M-mount lenses in existence [2].

The optical and mechanical design is defined by extreme economy. The lens uses two elements in two groups with a ten-blade aperture, and at a diameter of 50 mm and a weight of 27 g it is exceptionally compact and light [2]. The barrel is anodised aluminium, and the seller's literature notes that all glass surfaces are multicoated [3]. Minimum focusing distance is given as 0.3 m, though published figures vary with the camera and adapter used; the manufacturer's seller materials cite 0.8 m on a Leica M body and roughly 0.5 to 0.6 m on mirrorless cameras [3]. The design is optimised for use stopped down, with the maker recommending working apertures around f/8 and f/16; the wider settings between f/2.8 and f/5.6 produce a deliberate soft-focus effect rather than conventional sharpness [3]. Because of its symmetrical, distortion-free geometry, the Hipolion is presented primarily as a lens for architecture, interiors, landscapes and panoramas rather than general photography, echoing the original Goerz product description from around 1900 [1][3].

Documented finish and configuration details vary between sources. Seller listings describe both black and silver anodised options and a 34 mm filter or hood thread, with an area provided for six-bit coding [3]. The lens is sometimes catalogued under closely related designations referencing its soft-focus behaviour and nominal focal lengths near 18.5 to 19.5 mm, reflecting the imprecision common to MS-Optics naming [1][2].

Optical qualities

Rendering The Hipolion's character is strongly aperture-dependent. Stopped down, it is praised for distortion-free rendering of straight lines, an inheritance of the symmetrical Hypergon geometry, which makes it well suited to architecture and interiors [1][3]. Wide open and through the middle apertures it is intentionally soft, with one reviewer describing the f/2.8 to f/5.6 range as producing foggy, low-contrast images, while results sharpen markedly when closed to f/11 and especially f/16 [1]. The maker frames these wide settings as a soft-focus mode rather than a fault [3].

Distortion and vignetting Rectilinear distortion is reported to be effectively absent owing to the symmetrical design [1][3]. As with the historical Hypergon, the lens shows noticeable light fall-off toward the edges, though at least one user found it not much stronger than other ultra-wides and readily corrected in post-processing [1].

Contrast and color Color rendering has been described as distinctive, tending toward pastel tones, an effect most pronounced wide open [1]. One reviewer recommended the lens particularly for use on Leica Monochrom bodies, citing how much shadow detail those sensors recover from the corners [1].

History

Development and Launch MS-Optics is the trading name of the workshop founded by Sadayasu Miyazaki, born in 1940, who designs and hand-assembles every lens in Japan [2][3]. The Hipolion was a deliberate attempt to render the Goerz Hypergon, long considered difficult or impossible to adapt for contemporary cameras, in a modern M-mount form, and it was first released in December 2020 [1][2]. It sits within a lineup of compact, low-element MS-Optics designs that includes the Perar wide-angles and the Historio Prot, several of which also draw on historical optical formulas [1][2].

Collector Notes Buyers should be aware that published specifications for the Hipolion vary between sources, including the nominal focal length, length, and minimum focusing distance, in part because MS-Optics lenses are produced in small hand-built batches [2][3]. Seller materials reference a 34 mm filter or hood thread for which a glass element is sometimes salvaged from a standard filter, a practice common across the MS-Optics range, so any supplied hood and filter parts are worth verifying [3]. Because the lens is sold in limited lots with serial numbers that cannot be reserved, originality and completeness of accessories are points to confirm before purchase [3].

Sources

• [1] Japan Camera Hunter. For the love of the lens - An ode to the Hipolion. https://www.japancamerahunter.com/2021/05/for-the-love-of-the-lens-a-ode-to-the-hipolion/
• [2] Phillip Reeve. Overview: MS-Optics Lenses. https://phillipreeve.net/blog/overview-ms-optics-lenses/
• [3] Japan Exposures. MS Optics Hipolion 19mm f/8 M mount. https://www.japanexposures.com/shop/camera-lens/ms-optics-hipolion-19mm-f-8-m-mount.html