New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Basic Art Lens

New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Basic Art Lens

A reinvention of the original 19th century Joseph Petzval portrait lens. Designed for modern-day analogue and digital SLR cameras and optimized for video.
  • Capture vintage aesthetics with contemporary SLR cameras
  • Broad spectrum of beautiful swirly bokeh effects
  • Helicoid focusing mechanism and stopless aperture diaphragm
  • Dual aperture system with special shape aperture plates
  • Optimized for still and motion photography
Focal Length: 80.5 mm
SKU: z805

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Highlights

The key aspect which makes the lens ideal for portrait photographers is the use of a stopless aperture and helicoid focusing mechanism. […] It is also the perfect option when shooting video as focus and f/stop can be seamlessly altered whilst a clip is being recorded.
— Digital Camera World
Sweep from sharp to soft with small apertures rendering razor sharpness and large ones rendering stunning swirly bokeh effects.

Sweep from sharp to soft with small apertures rendering razor sharpness and large ones rendering stunning swirly bokeh effects.

Designed for full-frame sensors but will also give great results when used on crop sensor cameras.

Designed for full-frame sensors but will also give great results when used on crop sensor cameras.

Strong characteristics including rich color saturation and artful vignetting.

Strong characteristics including rich color saturation and artful vignetting.

Compatible with analogue and digital cameras. These Art Lenses were designed for Canon EF or Nikon F bodies but boast further compatibility with Sony E mount, Fuji X, Micro 4/3, Canon RF, Nikon Z cameras and more when using an adapter.

The new aperture ring is so helpful in the field. You’re able to adjust it on the fly, you’re able to stop it down, you’re able to open it up. So I was able to go in and out of shadowy areas or really brightly lit areas and I had that control with the aperture ring right there in place.
Richie Duque
Capture authentic vintage aesthetics from the 19th century with your contemporary SLR cameras.

Capture authentic vintage aesthetics from the 19th century with your contemporary SLR cameras.

Optimized for still and motion photography with a helicoid focusing mechanism and stopless aperture diaphragm that enables you to focus and f-stop whilst the camera is rolling.

Optimized for still and motion photography with a helicoid focusing mechanism and stopless aperture diaphragm that enables you to focus and f-stop whilst the camera is rolling.

Not only did working with this lens force me to adjust my subject framing mindset, it actually got me incredibly inspired to get out and shoot more as a whole. I found myself capturing more images of things I would have never even looked at previously as subject matter, all because of how the bokeh patterns can do such wild and interesting things.
— Petapixel
So another cool thing about the Lomo Petzval lens is that you have the ability to use their aperture plates which you drop right in there…almost like you’re putting a piece of toast in a toaster and that affects your Bokeh […] It’s cool because it adds unpredictability to what you’re shooting, I mean, who else does that?
Marcus Russell Price
Get velvety swirly bokeh across the frame thanks to the unique Petzval optic design which is unlike any other lens out there.

Get velvety swirly bokeh across the frame thanks to the unique Petzval optic design which is unlike any other lens out there.

Prime lens with 80.5 mm focal length perfect for natural-looking portraits.

Prime lens with 80.5 mm focal length perfect for natural-looking portraits.

A dual aperture system lets you choose between a stopless aperture diaphragm or the Waterhouse Aperture System – produce rich and patterned backgrounds through the insertion of special shape aperture plates.

A dual aperture system lets you choose between a stopless aperture diaphragm or the Waterhouse Aperture System – produce rich and patterned backgrounds through the insertion of special shape aperture plates.

Super-large f/1.9 aperture for excellent low-light performance and beautiful foreground and background blur.

Super-large f/1.9 aperture for excellent low-light performance and beautiful foreground and background blur.

It’s just so different from the norm that in this day and age of black zoom lenses and iPhones, the Petzval really stands out with its striking looks and design.
— Steve Huff Photo
Retro design with contemporary finish boasting a cool black anodized aluminum body.

Retro design with contemporary finish boasting a cool black anodized aluminum body.

When you’re traveling the Petzval lens is amazing, because you can switch it from your digital SLR to your film and that’s incredible…that’s just a photographer’s dream.
Julia Khoroshilov
Available in three gorgeous finishes. Choose between satin brass or black painted brass for a vintage look and black anodized aluminum for a more contemporary feel.

Available in three gorgeous finishes. Choose between satin brass or black painted brass for a vintage look and black anodized aluminum for a more contemporary feel.

Story

Designed for still and motion photography and boasting beautiful swirly bokeh effects, this extraordinary Art Lens is ready for all kinds of cinematic and photographic adventure. It sports a new helicoid focusing mechanism, stopless aperture diaphragm and a Waterhouse Aperture System for endless creativity.

Lomography Art Lens Family

Lomography Art Lenses feature the finest glass to produce photos that astonish with saturated colors and unique character. As well as being designed and assembled by hand, these lenses have been engineered using modern techniques and multi-coated glass elements to produce vibrant, strong, wonderful photos with a whole range of contemporary cameras. Each Lomography Art Lens brings a wide variety of creative possibilities with it, no two are the same.

Lomography Petzval Art Lenses

In 1840, in Vienna, Professor Joseph Maximilián Petzval invented the very first portrait lens. His groundbreaking design became the most widely used in the 19th century. We have been reinventing this amazing original since 2013. Our quest to translate this unique optical design into lenses that would work with modern-day cameras has resulted in four extraordinary Art Lenses to date. The New Petzval 85, the New Petzval 58 Bokeh Control, the New Petzval 55 f/1.7 MKII and the New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII.

Who was Joseph Maximilian Petzval?

Joseph Petzval was born on 6 January 1807 in the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – modern-day Slovakia. In 1835, at the tender age of 28, his reputation as an exceptional mathematician earned him the title of Professor. He also founded his own glass-sharpening workshop, where he acquired a reputation for being a skilled lens sharpener and precision mechanic. It is here where his acclaimed brainchild – the Petzval lens – was born.

On 9 January 1839, the French Academy of Sciences announced the daguerreotype process, the invention of French artist and physicist Louis Daguerre. It was the first-ever photographic process and involved photos being printed on silver plates. But, with exposure times needing to last half an hour or more, portraits were impossible.

A little further east, Vienna was also a fruitful place for science and innovation at this time. Petzval was affected by a great hope among scientists to discover previously unseen things in the world and he specifically believed that math had a higher calling, namely to uncover nature. By May 1840, Petzval finished his latest lens calculations and handed them over to the company Voigtländer & Sohn. This new lens design was the first to be based on scientific calculations, not just the experience of the optician. This first lens sealed the company’s global reputation as a leading camera manufacturer. It won awards with Voigtländer and Petzval both receiving standing ovations for the precision of the camera’s shots, which took just a few seconds to take.

Joseph Petzval’s Legacy

While Petzval may have gained significant recognition for his work on the Petzval lens he, unfortunately, did very little to protect his intellectual property rights. Peter Wilhelm Friedrich Voigtländer manufactured the Petzval lens as part of the conical Voigtländer camera and thus made a fortune off the sales of the camera and Petzval lens.

In the 1850s, Petzval was approached separately by the Military Geographic Institute to develop his previously attempted landscape lens. By 1854 he had finalized his invention and collaborated with Viennese optician Carl Dietzler, who manufactured the lens to fit onto a suitable camera. Petzval’s former business partner Voigtländer had also started production of a landscape lens called “Orthoskop.” Though equal in sharpness, Petzval’s lens was three times faster and significantly smaller. Despite this victory, it turned out that Carl Dietzler was bankrupt and his company had to be dismantled. To top it all off, the rights for Petzval’s landscape lens were eventually handed over to Voigtländer, who became the main provider for the military.

Joseph Petzval passed away on 19 September 1891. While his later years were plagued by the tumultuous unraveling of his original lens design, his legacy in the photographic world rightfully lives on today.

Bokeh or Not Bokeh

The word Bokeh describes one of the most important optical features of the New Petzval Lenses. But what does the word actually mean? Bokeh is the visual quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photographic image, especially as rendered by a particular lens.

The New Petzval lenses don’t just give you a basic Bokeh, you can get what we like to call “Swirly Bokeh”. Unlike modern lenses designed to minimize field curvature, thus eliminating any curve across the focal surface, the Petzval lens design embraces the curve and renders photos with a totally different optical effect. This lens renders crystal clear in-focus images that seamlessly transition to silky-smooth out-of-focus areas. It provides velvety watercolor bokeh when shot wide open. When stopped down to smaller apertures, the lens displays extreme sharpness across the frame. Combined with versatile focal lengths, they creates three-dimensional portraits, evoking the style of the earliest photographs.

Question & Answers

Does my New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Basic Art Lens work on my mirrorless camera?
Yes.

Will the Aperture Plates of my other Lomography Petzval Art Lens fit this lens?
Sadly not. The New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Basic Art Lens plates are much wider than those of our other Petzval Art Lenses.

How is the New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Basic Edition different from the New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Bokeh Control Edition and will I get the same amount of swirl from both?
The New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Basic Edition will deliver 4 to 5 levels of swirl whereas the New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Bokeh Control Edition will deliver 7 levels of swirl together with advanced control over the bokeh effect through the unique Bokeh Control Ring.

Package Contents

  • New Petzval 80.5 f/1.9 MKII Basic Art Lens
  • Front and rear lens caps
  • Cleaning cloth
  • Book
  • Instruction manual
  • Special Waterhouse Aperture Plates: heart, star, diamond and a special dust protection plate