MS-Optics Perar 24mm f/4

The Lens

The MS Optics 24mm f/4 Perar is a manual focus pancake lens produced by Miyazaki Optical (MS Optics) in Japan. Released around 2014, it sits in the middle of the famous "Perar" triplet trilogy (alongside the 21mm and 28mm). Many enthusiasts consider the 24mm iteration the "sweet spot" of the series: it retains the wafer-thin profile of the 21mm but offers a slightly more natural perspective and improved optical behavior on digital sensors.

Optical Design and Character

The lens utilizes a triplet design (three elements in three groups), a formula famous for its simplicity and high contrast. Miyazaki-san calls this a "Super Triplet" because he utilizes premium Tantalum glass and advanced multi-coatings to push the performance beyond what historical triplets could achieve.

• Sharpness vs. Mood: Center sharpness is excellent, even wide open at f/4. The corners, however, show significant softness and smearing until stopped down to f/8 or f/11. This is not a defect but a characteristic of the design.
• Vignetting: Like its siblings, the 24mm exhibits strong light falloff (vignetting) in the corners. This draws the viewer's eye to the center of the frame and eliminates the need for adding artificial vignettes in post-production.
• Color Shift: While the wider 21mm Perar is notorious for turning corners pink or green on digital sensors (Leica M240/M10), the 24mm focal length is less prone to this issue. Some color casting may still occur on older sensors, but it is generally much easier to correct.

Mechanical Construction

The lens is machined from aluminum and weighs approximately 43 grams. When mounted, it protrudes only 5.2mm from the camera body, making it one of the smallest interchangeable lenses in existence.

• Aperture: The 10-blade aperture is controlled by rotating the front hood of the lens. It is a stepless mechanism, which is great for video but requires care in still photography to ensure you haven't accidentally shifted the f-stop while pulling the camera out of a bag.
• Focus: The focus is controlled by a small, tabbed lever. It is rangefinder coupled from infinity down to 0.8 meters (with the ability to decouple and focus closer on mirrorless adapters).
• Filters: The lens takes 19mm filters, which usually screw into the inside of the hood. Due to the scarcity of this filter size, many users leave the lens naked or rely on the hood for protection.

Comparison to Alternatives

The 24mm focal length is somewhat rare in the M-mount system, positioning the Perar against very different competitors.

Voigtländer 25mm f/4 Color-Skopar (Snapshot)

The practical, budget-friendly alternative.

• Coupling: Note that the older "Snapshot" version of the 25mm Skopar is not rangefinder coupled (it relies on zone focusing), whereas the Perar is coupled. (The newer Type II Skopar is coupled).
• Optics: The Skopar is a modern, sharp, distortion-free lens. It renders a "clean" image. The Perar renders a "vintage" image with more character and flaws.
• Size: The Skopar is small, but the Perar is essentially two-dimensional.

Leica Elmar-M 24mm f/3.8 ASPH

The technical masterpiece.

• Performance: The Leica Elmar is one of the sharpest wide-angle lenses ever made. It has zero distortion and perfect corner sharpness.
• Physicality: The Elmar is significantly larger and heavier. It feels like a serious tool, whereas the Perar feels like a discrete accessory.
• Price: The Leica lens commands a price multiple times higher than the MS Optics.

MS Optics 21mm f/4.5 Perar

The wider sibling.

• Perspective: The 21mm is significantly wider, offering a more dramatic, architectural look, but it comes with heavier distortion ("mustache" distortion).
• Usability: The 24mm is generally easier to compose with for street photography and suffers less from the extreme digital sensor color shifts that plague the 21mm.

Sources:

• The Phoblographer
• Japan Camera Hunter