A quick 1st look video on the Petzval Art Lens!
Received this gem yesterday from Cameraquest.com and upon opening the package I was surprised at the quality of the packaging, and then the gorgeous hefty all brass lens inside. For me, at $600, this lens is priced JUST RIGHT as you are getting not only a unique lens for those times when you want that classic look and wild bokeh, but you are also getting a piece of art in the lens itself, which is a huge conversation starter. Go out shooting with it and you will be stopped throughout the day asking what you are shooting with.
Besides being an 85mm f.2.2 lens, it is a classic formula and will give you a classic look. The original Petzval lens was created by Joseph Petzval and this one is sort of a replica though not quite the same of course. Even so, this lens will give you some crazy unique portraits with bokeh that is out of this world. My full review will be up within 2-3 weeks but for now, check out my 1st look video below! I will state that it is easy to focus using focus peaking on my Sony A7s, no issues at all, and quite easy to nail/hit focus.
You can order this unique lens at CameraQuest.com HERE.
A great lens, but also way expensive, i do love MF lenses way much, but changing apertures by aperture blades nowadays is a little bit too much nostalgia for myself, no offence. 😉 that lens delivers, as a portrait lens. very much cheaper, for almost nothing, you can get a similar effect, for instance…if you’d use a M42 Helios 44-2 lens, and keep the aperture to F2.8 maximum..it gives you this swirley bokeh. 🙂
That look like a very interesting lens indeed. The rendering reminds me a lot of my late edition OM 50f1,4 on my em1 :
https://www.flickr.com/photos/95479878@N02/13786341003/
Hi Steve,
Is there a tripod mount collar ring available for the lens?
I can’t find any information on their website about it.
However you can get it also in black 😉
Thanks a lot
awesome…you’re getting me addicted too
Poison !
When you do the a more in depth review, I would really love to see what the images look like when you don’t use any aperture piece in there at all. Will it mean that the lens becomes even faster than f2.2? Is it unusably soft that way, or even MORE dreamy? How bad will this flare without the lens hood, and does the flare add to the character? If it becomes faster and even dreamier without the aperture tool or lens hood, then I’m even more interested.
My coat pocket is my camera bag, so that lens hood will be off if I ever get this.
Thank you!
Thanks Judd! Without the aperture in place you will get a teeny but faster speed, a teeny but more shallow DOF look and according to Lomo, you could get some light leak type of effect. You can remove the hood and according to them get even more effects such as artistic flare and so forth. I will be trying it all out 🙂
Cool, looking forward to seeing this extreme art lens notched up even more extreme!
I like 50mm and wider focal lengths because I shoot as I socialize, and don’t usually look at anything slower than f1.8 as I’m often in lower light environments, but THIS is really interesting. I love the surreal, so this might be something cool for me to create some truly unique shots. Thank you Steve for checking this out for us!
that thing looks like it just came out of Baz Luhrmann’s set!
Steve it looks fantastic and I love that brass but feels too much hassle putting those aperture rings etc. Of course more photos might convince me.
Well, I will only shoot it wide open at 2.2, so I would never need to change them. On the rare occasion that I do, it will take 3 seconds.