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Lomography Petzval 85mm f/2.2 Review

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The Lomography Petzval 85mm f/2.2 lens is a unique and attention-grabbing lens for full-frame camera owners. It has a distinctive swirly bokeh effect and is built with high-quality materials, but the image quality suffers in the corners and it's not suitable for use on APS-C cameras.

The Lomography Petzval 85mm f/2.2 lens is a unique and attention-grabbing lens for full-frame camera owners, designed to produce a distinctive swirly bokeh effect that makes portraits stand out. The lens is built with high-quality materials, reflecting the original Petzval lenses from 1840, and features an f/2.2 maximum aperture that allows a lot of light into the lens.

Pros
  • Distictive swirly bokeh effect
  • High-quality materials and construction
  • F/2.2 maximum aperture allows a lot of light
Cons
  • Image quality suffers in the corners
  • Not suitable for use on APS-C cameras
  • Concerns about losing aperture plates

The lens is constructed of brass and has a lovely finish, but there are concerns about losing the aperture plates as they can fall straight out of the lens if not careful.

The Lomography Petzval 85mm f/2.2 lens is a unique and attention-grabbing lens for full-frame camera owners, designed to produce a distinctive swirly bokeh effect that makes portraits stand out. The lens is built with high-quality materials, reflecting the original Petzval lenses from 1840, and features an f/2.2 maximum aperture that allows a lot of light into the lens. However, the image quality suffers in the corners, and it's not suitable for use on APS-C cameras due to the cropped sensor affecting the swirly bokeh effect.The lens is constructed of brass and has a lovely finish, but there are concerns about losing the aperture plates as they can fall straight out of the lens if not careful. The lens comes with a pouch and a glass lens for protection, although the glass lens has a tendency to slip off easily. In terms of image quality, the lens is quite usable in the middle at f/2.2, but the picture quality deteriorates towards the edges. It performs better at smaller apertures, with excellent sharpness in the middle of the image at f/4 or f/5.6, although the corners still suffer. The lens also exhibits a touch of pincushion distortion, which can be useful for portrait photography.Overall, the Lomography Petzval 85mm f/2.2 lens is a unique and enjoyable lens to use, especially for full-frame camera owners looking for a lens with a distinctive bokeh effect and a vintage aesthetic.

Overall, the Lomography Petzval 85mm f/2.2 lens is a unique and enjoyable lens to use, especially for full-frame camera owners looking for a lens with a distinctive bokeh effect and a vintage aesthetic.

Source

This article is based on the review by

Christopher Frost

Christopher Frost

Christopher Frost is a YouTube channel dedicated to providing in-depth reviews and analyses of photography equipment, particularly lenses. Christopher Frost, the creator and host of the channel, is known for his thorough and detailed evaluations of various lenses from different manufacturers, including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, and others.  To learn more, please visit the channel here.

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