The $449 Petzval 55mm f/1.7 Mark II Bokeh Control Art Lens from Lomography is the first Petzval lens designed specifically for full-frame mirrorless camera systems like the Nikon Z, Canon RF, and Sony E. It's also fantastic.
Just over a year ago, Lomography launched the 180th Anniversary Edition of the Petzval 80.5mm f/1.9 MKII Bokeh Control Art Lens which promised a bevy of improvements over its 85mm predecessor. It looked as though it would put a historic lens back in the hands in creatives at an affordable $549 price. So does it?
Photographer Markus Hofstaetter has been looking for what he calls his "dream lens" for some time, visiting flea markets and using his contacts to try and locate the Dallmeyer 3B Petzval lens, circa 1876. Thanks to one of his friends, he finally found one in shockingly-good condition.
Lomography has launched its 12th Kickstarter campaign, unveiling its latest Petzval portrait lens to the world: the 180th Anniversary Edition Petzval 80.5mm f/1.9 MKII Art Lens for Canon and Nikon DSLRs.
It was a normal Saturday afternoon in November when I walked into a flea marked. I met some friends there, looked around a little bit, and in the end I bought this Gasc and Charconnet 500mm Petzval lens in the hopes that I could bring it back to life.
Lomography has announced the new Petzval 55mm f/1.7 lens, its first Petzval Art lens created for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
Lensbaby has announced the new Burnside 35, a creative 35mm f/2.8 lens that's the first-ever wide-angle adaptation of the Petzval lens design.
We could just let the swirly bokeh of the photo above sweep us away, but alas, we have a new lens to tell you about. It's Lensbaby's exciting new Twist 60, and in case the portrait didn't already clue you in, it's Lensbaby's take on the iconic Petzval lens.
Back in June, Lomography raised nearly $1 million on Kickstarter to launch its new Petzval 58 Bokeh Control lens. It's a lens that takes a classic design and adds a new twist: a bokeh control ring for adjusting the look of out-of-focus areas in your shots.
Today we have some exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of how Lomography's Petzval lenses are manufactured by the skilled optical technicians at the Zenit factory in Russia.
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.
Back in 2013, Lomography resurrected the 19th century Petzval lens for Canon and Nikon DSLRs, creating a modern 85mm version of the classic portrait lens. Today, the company one-upped itself by announcing a followup, the new Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art lens.
It looks like this new lens is going to be a home run: the company reached its $100,000 goal on Kickstarter in just 3 hours after announcing this lens.
Want to shoot with the oldest looking lens on the block? Lomography today announced that it has brought an old school lens back from the dead. It's the Petzval lens, originally introduced by optic inventor Joseph Petzval back in 1840. Lomo has reinvented and reengineered the lens for modern day Canon and Nikon SLR cameras.
Artistic cinematographers will soon have another tool for creative shots in their toolkits, thanks to a new series of Tokina cinema lenses.
Lomography's latest art lens has been announced on Kickstarter. The Nour Triplet 64mm f/2 follows the company's trend of releasing incredibly distinct lenses that providing users something perfectly imperfect to chase their creative visions.
Astrophotographer Bray Falls recently posted a series of striking images on Instagram that instantly caught PetaPixel's eye. Falls' photos aren't just visually stunning; they represent a brand-new discovery, a significant accomplishment for any astrophotographer.
The Meyer Optik Görlitz 35mm f/2.8 Trioplan II is a unique lens that performs its best when the bokeh is specifically integrated into a shot and not just a coincidence of the defocus area. That means it's not for everyone, but it has its place.
Venus Optics recently released the $299 Laowa 10mm f/4 "Cookie" lens, a super-compact prime for APS-C cameras that is practically small enough to fit in your pocket even when mounted on a camera.
Tintype Photographic Studio, Silver and Cedar, has exploded in popularity over the last three years, largely thanks to an enthralled TikTok audience.
Photographer Corrine Gretton-West booked a wet plate workshop with me before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Two years later we were finally able to do it.
The Z9 takes a massive leap forward in technology and levels the playing field between Canon and Sony both in its construction and capabilities. While Nikon may have been late delivering a professional mirrorless system, the 120 frames per second (FPS) burst, 8K video, impressive battery life, and "always-on" EVF more than make the wait worth it.
Every Sunday, we bring together a collection of easy-reading articles from analytical to how-to to photo features in no particular order that did not make our regular daily coverage. Enjoy!
A little over a year ago, Kolari Vision released its lineup of high-end and ultra-rugged drop-in filters for Canon's EF-to-RF mount adapter with a built-in filter slot, making the company the first to come to market for such a product. But does getting to market first make them any better than the competition? Is the price worth it?
Photographer Markus Hofstätter -- known for his collodion wet-plate photography expertise -- decided to try something different and used the 170-year old shooting process to capture incredibly detailed high-end food photos.
For those who shoot with antique lenses but are missing Waterhouse stops, photographer Markus Hofstätter has put together a tutorial that shows a couple of ways that shooters can create their own.
Kolari Vision has developed a filter that works with Canon's EF to RF adapter with support for drop-in filters that can add a swirly bokeh effect to any EF lens. This would theoretically let those who enjoy the unique bokeh of lenses like the Petzval 80.5mm or 55mm achieve that effect with any EF lens.
Photo organizing software Mylio (which stands for "My Life Organized") has re-emerged after nearly seven years thanks to a recent wave of updates and partnerships with influencers like iJustine. After a tepid launch back in 2014, is the service worth revisiting?
Toward the end of November, I went back to one of my favorite places in the desert. A spot out in the middle of nowhere, with the nearest significant human population well over an hour drive away.
On November 21st, the 37th Annual Leitz Photographica Auction will take place in Vienna and online. And while the full catalog hasn't been published yet, Leica has unveiled a few "highlights" for collectors to drool over between now and the big day.
Photographer Markus Hofstaetter just completed an ambitious project in which he spent 6 months working to shoot stereo 3D photos on large format wet plates.
Modern Collodion has just announced the winners of the 2019 Wet Plate Competition, the second annual contest for wet plate collodion photographers around the world after launching last year.
Is it too good to be true? A cheap M mount lens that goes all the way to f/1.1? Does the $369 7artisans 50mm f/1.1 lens belongs in the bargain bin or on your camera?
Episode 256 of the PetaPixel Photography Podcast.
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Featured: Olympus Visionary, Laura Hicks
Once a year for the past 12 years, people descend upon Governor's Island in New York City to experience the sights and sounds of the 1920s through the Jazz Age Lawn Party. And for the past 4 years, the Penumbra Tintype Studio has been on hand shooting tintype portraits of the attendees.
I've been shooting tintypes for almost six years now and love to push the boundaries of what is possible with this slow and difficult photographic process. Taking a tintype from the air was an idea that, years ago, I had shelved as the technology wasn't there yet. Drones were pretty scarce and the ones I had seen were extremely limited in payload and stability. But this spring I decided to revisit the idea.
Bjarke Ahlstrand, the so-called "Managing Dictator" of Copenhagen, Denmark-based photography company One of Many Cameras, is extremely well connected in Denmark's photography scene. So when it came time to get married (again), he asked 12 of Denmark's best photographers to shoot his wedding photo.
Plenty of photographers these days try their hands at making their own cameras, but Swedish photographer, inventor, and camera maker Mats Wernersson recently did something a little more unusual: he made his own 90mm f/2.8 lens from scratch.
This article aims to provide you with key tips, techniques, and hacks that, if followed correctly, should practically guarantee nailing pin-sharp manual focus shots in no time.
Photographer Manuel Ortiz went out and did something many of us have been considering a lot lately: he bought himself a cheap, vintage Soviet lens. And now, we get to join him to see how this awesome old portrait lens performs when it's attached to the very modern Sony A7R II.
If you enjoy playing around with selective focus effects in post, Lensbaby just released a lens that's just for you. It's called the Trio 28, and the mirrorless camera lens is actually three different lenses in one.
LA Times photographer Jay L. Clendenin is one of our favorite photographers. Incredibly creative, he frequently manages to surprise and delight us with his unusual portrait assignments. His recent 8x10 portraits of US Olympic athletes are a perfect example.