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We've got great news—The New Petzval 85 Art Lens is now readily available in the Lomography Online Shop! It will be delivered right away don’t miss out on securing your piece of photographic history!

A Very Special Portrait Lens
Manufactured in Russia by Zenit the Lomography New Petzval 85 Art Lens is a stunning reinvention of one of the greatest lenses of all time. Each lens is crafted from brass and features high-quality glass optics that produce images with extreme sharpness strong color saturation artful vignetting and absolutely beautiful swirly bokeh backgrounds. For the first time ever you can easily get the Petzval’s photographic look with Canon EF or Nikon F mount analogue and digital cameras. The lens offers both photographers and filmmakers the chance to shoot truly unique photographs and videos.

Special Lens Design
Most modern lenses are designed to minimize field curvature so you’ll have the whole image in focus. However the Petzval lens design gives its photos a totally different optical effect. You’ll get an area which is very sharp at the focus of the photograph over a narrow field. Next there is progressive vignetting towards the non-focused areas which helps draw the viewer’s attention to the crisp and focused area of the photograph making it perfect for portraits where you want your subject to be in the center of attention.

FAQs

I have both a Canon EF and Nikon F camera. Will my lens work with both?
Unfortunately each Petzval lens is designed with either a Canon or Nikon mount so your lens will not automatically work with both. It is possible to get an adapter which allows you to shoot with a Nikon lens on a Canon camera body (but not an adapter from Canon lens to Nikon body since the flange distance is longer for Nikon than Canon).
We strongly advise however against using such adapters with the New Petzval 85 Art Lens since each lens is precisely calibrated using a collimator for perfect infinite focusing in our production factory. We cannot accept any responsibility for damage to your camera or lens caused by using such an adapter.

My DSLR isn’t a full frame image sensor. What difference will this make to my Petzval photos?
The Lomography New Petzval Petzval 85 Art Lens is totally compatible with cameras without a full-frame sensor. However on cameras with a smaller image sensor there will be a crop factor so you so you may notice a lesser effect than with a full-frame sensor camera. On a crop-sensor camera the sensor is smaller; so you effectively get a crop of the image you would have gotten from a full-frame sensor camera.

Are the Petzval Lenses coated and is the lens waterproof/weatherproof?
All Petzval lens elements are multi-coated in a special formula to protect them. However we cannot disclose the full details of the materials due to industry standards.
Like most manual lenses the Petzval is not weather/waterproof. However to prevent dust particles getting into the aperture slots there is a lining material to cover the Waterhouse aperture slots. The Lens also comes with a special ‘blank’ aperture ring which can be inserted to cover the aperture slot when the lens is not in use.
The lens can also be taken apart to clean inside if any dust happens to get in; however we recommend that this type of lens cleaning is only done by a qualified lens technician to avoid damage to your wonderful lens.

Package Includes

• New Petzval 85 Art Lens Brass
• Petzval Book
• 7 Standard Aperture Plates
• Cleaning Cloth
• Leather Pouch
• Brass Lens Cap

Features

• Rebirth of a Legend: The Lomography New Petzval 85 Art Lens is a reinvention of the legendary Petzval Lens first conceived of in Vienna Austria in 1840. This new lens allows both photographers and filmmakers to create unique images and videos.
• Premium Optics: The New Petzval 85 Art Lens is crafted in brass and features premium glass optics. It is manufactured in Russia by renowned lens design company Zenit.
• Lens Compatibility: This lens is compatible with all Canon EF and Nikon F mount analogue and digital cameras.
• Perfect Portraits: Photos shot with the Petzval Lens have a unique appeal because of its sharpness in the center narrow depth of field and swirly bokeh effect. This lens is perfect for portrait photography because it keeps your subject the center of attention.

Technical Specifications:

• Focal Length: 85mm
• Maximum Aperture: f/2.2
• Apertures: Waterhouse aperture set up to f/16
• Image Circle: 44mm
• Field of View: 30 degrees
• Lens Mounting Profile: Canon EF or Nikon F
• Electronic Contacts: No
• Closest Focusing Distance: 1m
• Focusing Mechanism: Gear Rack Focusing
• Filter Thread: 58mm
• Image Circle: 44mm

Press Quotes

Some of the best colors we’ve seen from a lens.—Phoblographer

The Petzval Lens creates shots whose look is almost impossible to replicate with digital tools.—Wall Street Journal

Different from any other modern lens you’re going to find.—PCMag

You are also getting a piece of art in the lens itself which is a huge conversation starter.—Steve Huff

The lens is beautifully made great to use and produces images that have a unique look and feel.—Black+White Photography Magazine

Lomography’s new design has been shrunk down to fit 35mm SLR’s and DSLR’s but has retained the antique-brass appearance and focusing wheel of the original Petzval and is made by Zenit an optics company based out of Russia.—The Photo Brigade

Forget Instagram—Photographers can bling out their SLR camera and take effects-heavy pictures with the reinvented Petzval Lens from Lomography.—pcmag.com

Lomography has been making lenses and throwback lo-fi cameras for over a decade now and the Petzval is ambitious but definitely within their scope.—Tech Crunch

While Lomography’s Petzval lens is more than a little evocative of steampunk rest assured it brings with it a set of lens effects that Instagram and Hipstamatic couldn’t ever dream of replicating.—Gear Hungry

Now the retro-fanatics at Lomography have reengineered the lens from the ground up for today's Canon and Nikon cameras. And the photos are incredible.—Gizmodo

This brassy beauty captured crisp images in its center with blurry bokeh swirling around the corners a low-fidelity effect which photographers still desire today. To connect the old world of photography with the new the people at Lomography have re-built the Petzval lens in a new prototype.—The Coolist*

Long before you started throwing filters on your Instagram photos the majority of portraits were taken with a Petzval lens. […] Now Lomography is bringing the awesome looking lens back.—Cool Material

While it’s true we here at Pdexposure have given Lomography grief in the past based on some of their products it’s impossible to deny that they are very good at one thing: coming up with any wild film photography idea and getting it produced.—Pdexposure

What’s (really) old is new again in their latest Kickstarter campaign an effort to bring the centuries-old Petzval lens back into production. The ‘New Petzval’ lenses look an function much like the originals with a brass exterior and would be produced in both Canon EF- and Nikon F-mounts.—Digital Photography Review

Optically the Petzval is very interesting. The field of focus is actually curved rather than flat like it is in modern lenses which means the center of the frame will be sharp but that sharpness will fall off as you approach the sides of the frame. This also gives it a really distinct circular bokeh which looks really impressive especially when you're shooting wide open.—Pop Photo

Let the colour clashing begin.—Stuff

Lomography and Zenit combined skills and started from scratch to create a lens that functions similarly to the original but with improved speed and focus.—GizMag

Thriving on imperfections that made analog photography full of character and uniqueness the Lomography Petzval Portrait Lens brings back a bit of soul to the industry. What makes it stand out even more is its physical design. Its brass exterior makes it appear as though it were actually from the 19th century.—Trend Hunter