Lomography Petzval 55mm f/1.7 Mark II 'Bokeh Control' lens review

I don't often test special effects lenses but I couldn't resist this one.
All sample pictures taken by me on a Canon EOS R5 camera.
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Equipment I use to make my videos (Amazon affiliate links):
Canon EOS R5: geni.us/CanonEOSR5Body
Canon EF-RF Adaptor: geni.us/CanonEFtoRF
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 'Art': geni.us/Sigma50mm14Art
Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM: geni.us/CanonRF35mm18Macro
Marumi Fit and Slim CPL Filter: geni.us/MarumiFitSlim77
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Music:
'Opportunity Walks', Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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[@campbells0ups]

the good ol days of "weird lens reviews"

[@golden4523]

Quite the conversation starter lens

[@amarthgul5578]

FYI „Petzval Sum“, named after Joseph Petzval, is commonly used in optics to describe field curvature. And Petzval lens is famous for having a lot of Petzval sum

[@campbells0ups]

i like the vintage tones with lower contrast but still vibrant colors

[@classic.cameras]

This 50 and the 85 are my dream "dust collector" lenses to own one day. I would love to use these things even though I know I wouldn't use them too often. They are just so amazing in what they can do.

[@DynamicLearning4u]

I bought it new after the YT hype. Used it once and it sat in the dry box for the next four years. Finally sold it a couple of weeks before. 😂

[@gregvann9630]

You just nailed where most of them ended up every youtuber under the sun got one at launch and not one video since 😂

[@classic.cameras]

@@DynamicLearning4u haha so I was right, these lenses are officially "the dust collector 50"

[@gregvann9630]

@@classic.cameras The previous gen were pains to use with the plates falling out due to gravity . The 55mk II is a much more enjoyable lens but is only sharp in the dead center making composing shots hard. Not an everyday lens by any stretch .

[@benharris3949]

I’m a simple person, I see a weird lens review and I click like.

[@WalterWhiteFromTheBlock]

Love the photos it makes!

[@idkanymore3382]

omg I been waiting for a lens like this, I have a love for the look and even want a original lens from the 19th century as a collector item

[@swistedfilms]

The movie "Poor Things" used Petzval lenses for some scenes. That could be why there's interest in the lens right now. I've owned the Mark I for years and can confidently say that it's mostly a portrait lens, and really meant for a single subject. If I'm to get the Mark II then I'm going to wait for an 85MM version.

[@funtaril]

So cool! Although I would definitely want to look at its images of your standard grid sheet and also panning video.

[@LolekBezBolkaShow]

Oh Chris, what have you done! I've literally bought one of those lenses on Saturday after watching your video 😁It's a dream come true for me since I was already considering getting some sort of a vintage lens like the Helios 44, but the mixed quality of those lenses kind of scared me away (fungus on the glass elements inside, oil on the aperture blades etc). Still waiting for my delivery though due to the long, bank holiday weekend in the UK. I have a hint for anyone trying to purchase any lenses from Lomography - since they are based in the EU, bare in mind that there is an extra tax and customs fees if you're ordering directly from Austria. For anyone who wants to save some money, there is a small family business based in London Ealing that has them in stock from time to time. They're called SJF Photographic. I've paid for my aluminium Petzval 55mm almost half the price (that is if you include the import fees from the official Lomography website). What a bargain!

[@ikoyDaPnoy]

I wish there was a modern-day lens like the Nikon AF DC Nikkor 105mm f/2D that controlled the neutrality of the bokeh instead of the swirliness.

[@shang-hsienyang1284]

You can still adapt it to a Sony camera with an autofocus adapter like the LA-FE2

[@ikoyDaPnoy]

@@shang-hsienyang1284 I know but it's already huge especially after adding an adapter.

[@RubenvanKuik]

I'm really looking forward to this review! I've had this lens since release day :) The focus does indeed change as you turn the bokeh control ring, and in quite a funky way too, so you have to set the bokeh before the focus. You get the swirliest and cleanest looking bokeh effect with organic backgrounds, such as trees and plants with the bokeh ring set to the max (7). I prefer to shoot between f/2 and f/2.8 as the centre of the image is quite soft wide open and you get just a bit more in focus. As for the build quality, it feels very solid when it's box fresh, but part of the shiny finish came off of my copy in just a few months of use and one of the screws seems to have come loose. I personally recommend the black version, but the gold version does look really cool.

[@princeharbinger]

Hey, what does the finish loss look like? Is it silver underneath? I was under the impression that it was made of brass.

[@RubenvanKuik]

@@princeharbinger It's brass. The finish just makes it shiny instead of matte. I reckon it should be easy enough to remove completely.

[@SyntheticFuture]

Even though I get the price (unique design, probably fairly small batch) for me it's too much for a "cool effect" that probably loses its cool factor quite quickly. It's easier in use than the Helios though (that one requires a fair bit of distance to the background and foreground to really get going), so if that's a look you dog this probably works out wonderfully =)

[@richardkralicek3952]

I'd recommend testing the Lomography Nour Triplet V 2.0/64 Bokeh Control Art Lens, which is 3 lenses in one, and you can even use special aperture plates. It's versatile, sharp and special depending on the settings.

[@JaredDoyle76]

I was JUST wondering today if you had made a review on this lens. I bought one a couple of months ago and it is SO much fun. I used it in Thailand to get some very interesting street photography shots.

[@JoshTseng]

How does it do close-ish focusing? And is there an official spec for minimum focusing distance? Love the videos.

[@HoHosKitchen]

thanks for great sharing 😍😍👏👏

[@HR-wd6cw]

IDK. While I always say get it right in camrea, part of me thinks you'd be better off just using a regular (sharp) lens and then apply the tilt-shift look if you like that look (looks like a toy scene with the corners/top/bottom out of focus but the center in focus; this can be done easily in Lightroom and costs you nothing -- over whatever the cost of the gear you already have). I'm sure for someone who likes the look can probably justify the hefty price tag, but for me, probably not.

[@milkyway6080]

It's a cool interesting bokeh effect indeed, if you want one just for fun but you don't want to spend that kind of money because you don't know if you will get tired of it after a few days or maybe you won't use it that much after all get yourself a Helios 44 if you intend to use it with a full frame camera, or the very cheap made in China c-mount TV lenses 35mm 1.7 or 25mm 1.4 depending on the crop factor of your camera, or the same Helios with a speed booster. If spending money is not an issue and you're obsessed with the bokeh control thing then go on and get this golden lens

[@texmex9721]

This lens goes on my short list of lens I REALLY don't need, but desperately WANT.

[@gdv2268]

Great! I wanna buy one! Try lensbaby trio 28 mm f3.5. Very cute lens

[@rws531]

Went to buy a copy and couldn’t even find the gold version on their site. RF mount version of black one also isn’t available. I’m sad since this is an awesome fun lens.

[@Cleverconveyence]

I have their Nour Triplet V which is super fun. Ive wondered about this lens but like...I think there are other priorities RN for lenses in my bag.

[@RFGfotografie]

I LOVE your vids :)

[@RFGfotografie]

When I see your pictures with this lens, I do wonder, how would it perform with panning photography?

[@andrevrhyn1]

Hi Chris. PLEASE do a top 10 zoom lenses. FF and APS-C would be even better but anything will be welcomed and popular. Love from South Africa

[@dumchidumchi]

I love mine 🙂

[@LongLiveTheFilmmaker]

I’m trying to locate a brass version of this lens like the one you have in the video but it’s out of stock on their website and can’t find a used one anywhere 😭

[@gregvann9630]

Long , long gone it took me months a couple years ago to get one had to call up a mom and pop shop.

[@mytube001]

I assume that the "brass" is really anodized aluminium?

[@gregvann9630]

Weird assumption . It's brass

[@Gudiol]

What would happen if you used this on a APS-C camera and a speedbooster?

[@christopherfrost]

Speedboosters are only for lenses designed for digital SLR cameras. This lens is currently only for Canon RF and Nikon Z

[@user-og1qg3og1p]

Golden kalashnikov*)

[@DynamicLearning4u]

I bought it new after the YT hype. Used it once and it sat in the dry box for the next four years. Finally sold it a couple of weeks before. 😂

[@richardgrant418]

Bokeh 101.0 for the TOTAL newb Am I right - you can’t see the bokeh effect when you take the shots (through either the viewfinder or the back screen) not until afterwards when you the images that were shot (eg in post/ on a PC)?? Is that the case with bokeh on any and all lenses?

[@carlosandreviana9448]

of course you can

[@richardgrant418]

@@carlosandreviana9448 of course Is it? in one way I’m * quite surprised. A long time ago but I shot thousands of pictures with four very different size Canon lenses and don’t ever recall seeing any OTOH Logically, I expected you would

[@carlosandreviana9448]

@@richardgrant418 may be you should leave Canon then 😁 that's the beauty of mirrorless. WYSYWYG

[@jamesquinn8958]

Honestly this seems more like a gimmick lens than a practical one. I'm sure it could be used to get some cool looking artistic shots but it seems like a lens that wouldn't get used too often for the average photographer

[@ourhouseuk]

If you are setting to 11, why not buy a used 44.2 for £50?

[@carlosandreviana9448]

I own both. The Petzval is a Helios on steroids

[@jamescaldwell5]

Looks like fun, too bad they don't make it in L-mount or the widely adaptable M mount. I guess owning an L mount camera does help control my compulsive lens purchasing.

[@Carthodon]

You can adapt e mount to l mount.

[@jamescaldwell5]

@@Carthodon you would think so, but I have never found an E-L adapter. If you can find one please reply with a link.

[@Carthodon]

@@jamescaldwell5 Well looks like I learned something today. That sucks.

[@richardgrant418]

EXIF data … fyi - no. I read from a reliable source that other than some basic electronic contacts “full EXIF data would require coded Waterhouse plates”

[@JordanCS13]

The one thing I don't like is that they spent all this time and effort to give it a classic Petzval exterior with the engraved brass, but then put modern painted markings on the inner lens barrel, which completely ruins the aesthetics.

[@kings7man]

looks like they have done away with the aperture plates

[@Adogcallednoortje]

Still put it on an R7 eh!?

[@christopherfrost]

Just for demonstration. I was using my R5 to do the filming.

[@Adogcallednoortje]

I figured 😉

[@cryptobyt2403]

Now im 35s. My taste not swirly bokeh anymore. But great image quality and 3d rendering effect. Using f4-8

[@Ant-dx8yt]

I think I would be embarrassed to have a gold lens, it's a bit weird

[@mexmax1657]

Cool but way too expensive. I will sick to my beloved Helios 44 1

[@jukeboxjohnnie]

I like the look of it, unfortunately the swirly bokeh makes me want to vomit, I get the same feeling when youtubers slowly pan into still pictures i just immediately feel sick. Pass on this one then

[@christopherfrost]

You should consider seeing a doctor about that!!

[@Rumplestiltskin7]

Not a big fan of this effect

[@valerybaryshnikov6997]

Не впечатлил,

[@MarsArseniy]

Этот объектив сделан в России в Санкт Петербурге!

[@CaseMan777]

И?