MS Optics Apoqualia-G 35mm f/1.4 MC (and REIROAL M35mm f/1.4)
MS Optics · Leica M · 2015 · Double Gauss, 6 elements in 4 groups
Also known as: MS Optics Apoqualia-G 35mm f/1.4 MC · MS-Optics Apoqualia 35mm f/1.4 · MS Optics Apoqualia 35mm f1.4 · MS-Optics 35mm 1.4 Apoqualia · MS Optics 35mm f/1.4 · MS-Optical Apoqualia 35mm f/1.4 · Apoqualia-G 35mm f/1.4 · Apoqualia G 35mm F1.4 · Apoqualia 35mm F1.4 · Apoqualia-G 1.4/35 · Apoqualia-G1.4/35 · APOQUALIA1.4/35 · Apoquaria 35mm f/1.4 · Apolia-G 35mm f/1.4 · MS Apoqualia-G/Apolia-G 35/f1.4 · REIROAL M35mm F1.4 · REIROAL 35mm f/1.4 · REIROAL 1.4/35 · Reirol 35mm f/1.4 · 宮崎光学 APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4 · 宮崎光学 アポクオリア 35mm F1.4 · MS-OPTICS アポクアリア 35mm F1.4 · マップカメラ REIROAL M35mm F1.4 MC プラチナクローム · 玲瓏 レイロール 35mm F1.4
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APOQUALIA-G 35mm F1.4 MC, black (2015 lot) | Leica M | 2015 | — | — |
| APOQUALIA-G 35mm F1.4 MC, silver | Leica M | — | — | — |
| APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4, gold | Leica M | — | — | 50, by one seller's account (Yahoo! Auctions, October 2026); no maker figure |
| APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4, black paint | Leica M | — | — | — |
| REIROAL M35mm F1.4 MC プラチナクローム (玲瓏), Map Camera × MS-Optics | Leica M | 2015–2015 | — | 100 (DC Watch, Leica Rumors); shige_yuki writes that remade lenses mean some carry serials above 100 |
| APOQUALIA1.4/35 reissue (2026), black or silver | Leica M | 2026 | — | — |
| APOQUALIA1.4/35 reissue (2026), uncoated | Leica M | 2026 | — | Limited to 70 (maker's post; whether the 70 is for this lens alone or shared with the Apollon 1.3/36 is not stated) |
- Specifications for the 2015 lens are from Leica Rumors (2 December 2015): Gauss, 6 elements in 4 groups, 35.9 mm f/1.47, coupled from infinity to 0.85 m and focusable to about 0.55 m on mirrorless bodies, M37 P0.75 reversible filter and hood, Ø49.5 × 23 mm, 90 g (115 g with hood), aluminium alloy barrel, every element of glass with a refractive index of 1.8 or higher. Japan Exposures gives the same weights and size, 0.8 m on a Leica M and 0.5–0.6 m on mirrorless bodies.
- Measured figures differ: Reeve measured 85 g without hood, 50 × 24 mm and 0.6 m closest focus; shige_yuki gives 85 g and 21–22.5 mm long, 0.6 m with coupling to 0.8 m.
- Blade count: 12 rounded blades by Reeve's count and on shige_yuki's Apoqualia page, 12 for the REIROAL in DC Watch; shige_yuki's comparison tables give 14 for both lenses. The maker gives 14 for the 2026 reissue.
- shige_yuki's current Apoqualia page prints the construction as 5 groups, 6 elements; every other source, including his own comparison tables, gives 4 groups.
- Release: Apoqualia announced 10 October 2015, REIROAL 20 October 2015 for early November. Reeve dates the Apoqualia's release to November 2015; shige_yuki gives REIROAL 2015 and Apoqualia-G 2016, yet writes on his REIROAL page that the Apoqualia-G came out first.
- Price status: the October 2015 ¥100,000 was stated as before tax; the December ¥130,000 carries no tax note. The REIROAL's ¥143,800 includes the 8% consumption tax of 2015 (DC Watch); shige_yuki's ¥130,000 is before tax and does not reconcile with it (¥143,800 before 8% tax is ¥133,148). Leica Rumors also reported the lens on eBay at $1,299 in May 2016, and Reeve writes that it cost about $1,000 new.
- DC Watch (20 October 2015) says MS-OPTICAL, founded in 1996, had made eight original lens types by then, and that it became MS-Optics on incorporation in February 2015.
How to tell them apart
- Very small for an f/1.4: about 49.5 mm across and 23 mm long, 85–90 g
- Reversed (male) front filter thread: filters screw on the opposite way, and a circular polariser belongs in the hood's 46 mm thread instead (Reeve)
- Clickless, non-equidistant aperture ring on the front barrel, f/1.4 to f/16; focus ring behind it with a lever, about 120° of throw (Reeve)
- Apoqualia-G lenses take 37 mm × 0.75 filters; the REIROAL takes 39 mm × 0.5
- Front ring of the Apoqualia engraved APOQUALIA 1.4/35, without the -G of the dealer name (shige_yuki's photographs); the REIROAL's reads REIROAL 1.4/35
APOQUALIA-G 35mm F1.4 MC, black (2015 lot):
- Black anodised aluminium barrel, 49.5 mm across and 23 mm long without the hood
- Front barrel is the aperture ring; the focus ring sits behind it with a small focusing lever (Reeve)
- 37 mm reversed filter thread; a small trumpet hood that screws onto it and can be mounted reversed
- Mount flange machined with an area for Leica 6-bit coding (Japan Exposures, Leica Rumors)
APOQUALIA-G 35mm F1.4 MC, silver:
- Silver barrel in place of the black anodising; otherwise as the black lens
APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4, gold:
- Gold-coloured barrel
APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4, black paint:
- Gloss black paint over the barrel instead of matte anodising
REIROAL M35mm F1.4 MC プラチナクローム (玲瓏), Map Camera × MS-Optics:
- Front ring engraved REIROAL 1.4/35 with F-MC in red (shige_yuki's photographs); sold as REIROAL M35mm F1.4 MC プラチナクローム
- Platinum-plated aluminium barrel, pale silver in colour
- 39 mm × 0.5 reversed filter thread where the Apoqualia-G has 37 mm × 0.75; slotted round hood with a 39 mm thread
- Knurling and focusing-lever shapes worked out for this lens; supplied with Miyazaki's handwritten instruction sheet (DC Watch)
APOQUALIA1.4/35 reissue (2026), black or silver:
- Sold under the name APOQUALIA1.4/35, without the -G
- Maker's specification: 14 round blades, 0.4 m closest focus, M37 reversed filter, 95 g with hood
APOQUALIA1.4/35 reissue (2026), uncoated:
- Uncoated glass: none of the coloured coating reflections of the multicoated lens
- APOQUALIA-G 35mm F1.4 MC, black (2015 lot): The standard lens. Leica Rumors announced it as "APOQUARIA" on 10 October 2015 and gave the full specification on 2 December 2015; Japan Exposures sold it as the "MS Apoqualia-G/Apolia-G 35/f1.4", describing its stock as the initial lot, hand-assembled by Miyazaki. Phillip Reeve's site dates the first release to November 2015; shige_yuki's lists give 2016.
- APOQUALIA-G 35mm F1.4 MC, silver: Offered by Japan Exposures as a finish option at ¥10,000 over the black lens. No year or batch size is given for it.
- APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4, gold: Known from a Yahoo! Auctions listing titled "宮崎光学・MS-OPTICS APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4 Gold 超希少 生産数50本", whose seller writes that only 50 were made in gold. The lens sold, without box or accessories, for its ¥200,000 starting price on a single bid on 21 October 2026. The seller's figure of 50 is not confirmed by the maker or any dealer.
- APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4, black paint: Black paint is a listed colour of the 2026 reissue, at ¥135,000 on the maker's shop. An eBay asking listing titled "MS-OPTICS APOQUALIA-G 35mm f/1.4 M mount lens in Black Paint" was offered at $2,500 or best offer; it carries the older Apoqualia-G name, but whether it is a 2015 lens or a reissue is not stated, and no source documents black paint in the first lot.
- REIROAL M35mm F1.4 MC プラチナクローム (玲瓏), Map Camera × MS-Optics: Map Camera's first original lens, planned jointly by Map Camera (run by Shuppin) and MS-Optics and made by MS-Optics, announced by Shuppin on 20 October 2015 for early November at ¥143,800 including tax. DC Watch gives the same 6/4 Gauss with eight multicoated surfaces, 12 round blades, 0.85 m coupled and 0.5 m uncoupled, 23 mm from the mount and 90 g (110 g with hood and caps). Nickel was considered before platinum plating was chosen. The name, read レイロール, was picked from about 20 staff suggestions and taken from the 玲瓏レンズ of a Miyazawa Kenji poem; DC Watch prints the poem as 「青森晩夏」, a misprint of 「青森挽歌」. Reeve and shige_yuki both say the optics are those of the Apoqualia-G in a different housing. shige_yuki gives ¥130,000 before tax, 14 blades and 0.6 m (coupled to 0.8 m).
- APOQUALIA1.4/35 reissue (2026), black or silver: Announced by MS-OPTICS on 8 July 2026 (updated 10 July), alongside the Apollon 1.3/36, with reservations taken by email and advised for anyone wanting to be sure of a lens. The post says parts were arriving a few at a time and some quantity was expected during August. Black ¥125,000, silver ¥127,000 (maker's list, tax not stated). The 14 blades and 0.4 m differ from the 12 blades and 0.85 m given for the 2015 lens; the post does not say whether anything else changed. By November 2026 the maker's shop listed it for sale at ¥125,000.
- APOQUALIA1.4/35 reissue (2026), uncoated: The maker's reissue post says that besides the fully multicoated model an uncoated model, limited to 70, is available, and its reservation form asks buyers to choose the coating. The note follows both the Apoqualia and Apollon specifications. Whether any have shipped is not known.
Serial-range notes
- REIROAL, numbers above 100
- shige_yuki writes that MS-OPTICS, then a one-man business, missed Map Camera's delivery dates, that most lenses needed individual adjustment, and that some were remade, so REIROAL lenses with serials above 100 exist although the edition was 100. He gives this as what he remembers and was told; no list of numbers has been published.
Specifications
- Formula
- Double Gauss, 6 elements in 4 groups
- Designed by
- Miyazaki Sadayasu (宮崎貞安) — optical and mechanical design
- Construction
- 6 elements / 4 groups
- Aperture range
- f/1.4–f/16
- Diaphragm blades
- 12
- Min. focus
- 0.85 m
- Dimensions
- 49.5 × 23 mm
- Weight
- 90 g
- Filter
- 37 mm (0.75 mm pitch), 37 mm reversed (male) thread on the lens; 46 mm female thread inside the hood (APOQUALIA-G 35mm F1.4 MC, black (2015 lot), APOQUALIA-G 35mm F1.4 MC, silver, APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4, gold, APOQUALIA 35mm F1.4, black paint, APOQUALIA1.4/35 reissue (2026), black or silver, APOQUALIA1.4/35 reissue (2026), uncoated) · 39 mm (0.5 mm pitch), 39 mm reversed thread, 0.5 mm pitch (REIROAL M35mm F1.4 MC プラチナクローム (玲瓏), Map Camera × MS-Optics)
- Years manufactured
- 2015
- Country
- Japan
- Coating
- Multicoated on all glass surfaces (Japan Exposures); DC Watch gives eight multicoated surfaces for the REIROAL. The 2026 reissue is fully multicoated, with an uncoated option offered
- Material
- Aluminium alloy barrel, black anodised (Leica Rumors, Japan Exposures); platinum-plated aluminium on the REIROAL
- Original price
- ¥130,000 at launch (Leica Rumors, 2 December 2015; tax not stated), after a tentative ¥100,000 before tax announced on 10 October 2015. Macfilos (Mike Evans, 28 December 2015) gave "£725 (¥130,000)", which reads as a conversion of the yen price rather than a UK dealer's price. Dealer prices: €1,220 at Taos Photographic, the EU distributor, in May 2016; ¥125,900 at Japan Exposures (silver ¥10,000 more). The REIROAL was ¥143,800 including tax at Map Camera (DC Watch). The 2026 reissue is listed by the maker at ¥125,000 black, ¥127,000 silver and ¥135,000 black paint (tax not stated). (today ¥144,000)
What reviewers say
- Bastian Kratzke (phillipreeve.net) (blog) — Glow and outlined bokeh at f/1.4 that largely clear by f/2, very little chromatic aberration, strong coma and frequent ghosts; he treats it as a tiny 35mm f/2 and bought the review copy.
- shige_yuki (Shige's hobby) (blog) — Fall-off and flare wide open, clean by about f/4; his copy had a loose aperture ring and needed its rangefinder coupling adjusted, so test any copy on the body it will be used on.
- shige_yuki (Shige's hobby) (blog) — The REIROAL draws much like the Apoqualia-G, soft at the edges wide open and corrected from f/2, but its barrel is better finished; the image circle does not stretch beyond full frame.
History
The Apoqualia-G 35mm f/1.4 is a very small fast 35 for Leica M from the Chiba workshop of Miyazaki Sadayasu, whose earlier original lenses were mostly Sonnar types and thin triplets. It is a double Gauss of six elements in four groups, one element fewer than the first Summilux 35mm f/1.4 that it was modelled on, and every element is glass with a refractive index of 1.8 or more. The maker’s figures, as Leica Rumors printed them in December 2015, are a true 35.9 mm at f/1.47, 49.5 × 23 mm and 90 g, with rangefinder coupling to 0.85 m and focus to about 0.55 m on a mirrorless body. It was announced in October 2015 at a provisional ¥100,000 before tax and sold from late 2015 at ¥130,000. Japan Exposures carried it as the “Apoqualia-G/Apolia-G”, and Taos Photographic sold it in Europe from May 2016 at €1,220.
Its twin is the REIROAL M35mm F1.4 MC, which Map Camera commissioned as its first original lens and announced on 20 October 2015. The edition was 100, at ¥143,800 including tax, with platinum-plated aluminium barrels and its own knurling and focusing lever. The optics are the Apoqualia-G’s. Its front ring reads REIROAL 1.4/35 where the other reads APOQUALIA 1.4/35, and it takes 39 mm × 0.5 reversed filters where the Apoqualia-G takes 37 mm × 0.75. shige_yuki writes that the small workshop missed Map Camera’s dates and remade some lenses, so REIROAL serial numbers above 100 exist. Beyond the black lens, Japan Exposures offered a silver finish at ¥10,000 more, and a gold lens sold on Yahoo! Auctions in October 2026 for ¥200,000; its seller says only 50 were made in gold, and nobody else has confirmed that figure.
In July 2026 the new MS-OPTICS shop announced a reissue, the APOQUALIA1.4/35, by reservation, in black (¥125,000), silver (¥127,000) and black paint (¥135,000). It is fully multicoated, with an uncoated version limited to 70 also offered, though the post does not say whether those 70 are for this lens alone or shared with the Apollon 1.3/36 announced with it. The maker gives 14 blades and 0.4 m for the reissue, against the 12 blades and 0.85 m of the 2015 lens. How the Apoqualia 35mm f/1.3 II Slim of 2021 relates to this lens is disputed. shige found the maker’s lens diagrams for the two identical and takes the f/1.3 to be the same design opened slightly by fine adjustment, in a different barrel; Bastian Kratzke, who has shot both side by side, says the optics are not similar and found the f/1.4 one to two stops better at portrait distance. The Apollon 36mm f/1.3 is another 6/4 Gauss of nearly the same size. Apoqualia titles without an aperture can mean the f/1.3, so check the engraving.
Both reviewers find it a different lens wide open and stopped down. Bastian Kratzke, reviewing it for phillipreeve.net, found heavy glow, strong vignetting, outlined highlights, very strong coma and frequent ghosts against the light at f/1.4. By f/2 most of the glow has gone, the centre looks decent and the bokeh is calm over most of the frame, and the centre is very good from f/2.8; he found longitudinal colour very nearly apochromatic and no lateral colour at all. He ended up thinking of it as an unusually small 35mm f/2 and bought the copy he tested. shige_yuki saw fall-off and flare wide open and a clean image from about f/4. The handling is unusual: the front barrel is the clickless aperture ring and tends to drag the focus ring behind it, so hold the focusing lever when changing the stop. The front filter thread is male, so filters screw on in reverse, and a polariser belongs in the hood’s 46 mm thread. Small-batch assembly shows. shige_yuki’s copy had a loose aperture ring and needed its rangefinder coupling adjusting, so check any copy on the body it will be used with, focusing wide open at close range before buying.
This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.
Example photos
More sample photos elsewhere
These photographers keep all rights to their work — enjoy it at the source.
Sample photo wanted — shot with a MS Optics Apoqualia-G 35mm f/1.4 MC (and REIROAL M35mm f/1.4)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
Live listings
The listings collector hasn't run for this family yet — check back soon, or search the marketplaces directly meanwhile.