Lomography has introduced a new Petzval 80.5mm f/1.9 MKII SLR Art lens to its line-up over on Kickstarter. 

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The Petzval 80.5 mm f/1.9 MKII SLR lens is available in Nikon F, Canon EF and various mirrorless camera mounts (with the use of an adaptor) and comes in three finishes including brass satin, black painted brass and black anodised aluminium. An Advanced Bokeh Control Edition, where the user can adjust the bokeh level via a dedicated bokeh control ring, will also be released in black anodised aluminium.

"We started our mission to enhance the legacy of Joseph Petzval in 2013 and haven’t stopped since then," says Lomography. "The New Petzval 80.5 MKII is designed for modern photographers and videographers in need of creativity, but also flexibility."

Joseph Petzval’s original lens was created in 1840 and is well known for producing a swirly bokeh effect. The lens, which was also the first portrait lens to be introduced, could be adapted for large format cameras but Lomography wanted to introduce a version of the Petzval lens for modern (d)SLRs so back in 2013, they did just that. Since then, they've worked on improving the lens so that both photographers and videographers can use it. 

"The Lomography new Petzval 80.5 mm f/1.9 MKII not only stays true to the optics and materials of Joseph Petzval’s original lens but also allows for creative experimentation like never before, opening the doors to filmmakers too," says Lomography. 

To aid videographers, the new lens has a helicoid focusing mechanism and a stopless aperture diaphragm so focus and f-stop can be adjusted while the camera is filming. There's also a new Waterhouse Aperture System which, through the insertion of special aperture plates of different shapes, can produce patterned backgrounds. 

Petzval 80.5 mm f/1.9 MKII SLR Art Lens Tech Specs: 

• Focal Length: 80.5 mm
• Lens Construction: 4 elements 3 groups
• Dual Aperture System: Diaphragm Aperture
• f/1.9 - f/16; Waterhouse Aperture System
• Image Circle: 44 mm
• Weight: 440 g (Aluminum version)
• Field of View: 30 degrees
• Lens Mounting Profile: Canon EF / Nikon F
• Electronic Contacts: No
• Closest Focusing Distance: 0.8 m
• Focusing Mechanism: Helicoid
• Filter Thread: 67 mm
• Dimension: 109 mm (Height) x 78 mm (Diameter) for Canon EF mount, 105 mm (Height) x 78mm (Diameter) for Nikon F mount 

Pricing & Availability 

The Petzval 80.5 mm f/1.9 MKII SLR Art Lens is available now with a 35% Kickstarter discount on its retail price for 24 hours. After the discount window has closed, the lens will go from $290 to $449. The Advanced Bokeh Control edition is available for $549 ($356 during the discount offer). 

We've not reviewed the original Petzval 80.5mm f/1.9 but we have looked at the Lomography Petzval 85mm f/2.2 Art lens where we share sample photos captured with the unique lens.