Homemade Petzval Swirl Bokeh with a 50mm Lens

18063245250_baf92435bd_k

Here’s a quick look at how I created some homemade “petzval swirl” bokeh that mimics photos taken with the new Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art lens.

Basically, on my 50mm 1.8 prime lens (yes, changing the focal length will mess this up!) I cut a small hole in light-proof paper over my lens hood, and taped it together, to produce some cheapo Petzval bokeh that swirls the background at wide apertures.

DSC_0145

DSC_0144

IMG_20150613_102831605_HDR

Vignetting is a problem, however. You may have to change the size of the hole in the paper to remove this. It’s cheap, works pretty well… but at the cost of looks.

18224496166_d0f9c74b1f_k

It’s dumb, I get that, but anything to get that image though, right? Here are some more example photos:

18252347651_1a781074d5_k

18224608846_6f16baf335_k

18224585976_7ace13981e_k


About the author: Sam Luyk is a photography enthusiast and a SUNY Polytechnic Institute student at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. You can connect with him through Twitter and his website. This article also appeared here.

Discussion