Most Stunning Lomography Lens Creations

A Journey with the Lomography Joseph Petzval 80.5mm f1.9

Back in 2014, I had the opportunity to be one of the first reviewers of the Lomography Petzval lenses. They were unique and full of character, as the brand often likes to describe them. While I found some of their quirks annoying, I couldn’t deny the charm they brought. The lens was crafted from brass, had smooth-feeling knobs, and delivered image quality that still stands out today. Some of my best portraits from that time were taken using this lens. I even had to pause myself for a moment while writing this paragraph just to say, “God, Olivia was so beautiful.” When combined with the output the lens produced, I could spend hours looking at the images we created together in Brooklyn’s Park Slope.

Fast forward to 2025, and the Lomography Joseph Petzval 80.5mm f1.9 has arrived in my office as a loaner, with the 35mm f2 model on its way after a purchase. Let me tell you something: this is by far Lomography's most impressive creation yet.

I won't approach this article like a typical review because this isn't a standard lens from Japanese, Chinese, or Korean manufacturers. It's a character lens, and I'm not entirely sure where it's made or manufactured. However, the Lomography Joseph Petzval 80.5mm f1.9 delivers almost everything I desired years ago and brings along some new surprises.

You can still control the shape of the bokeh, and it still features the swirly Petzval look. This time, however, the effect is more controllable, and it remains a manual focus lens. This version is also notably sharp wide open. According to Lomography, the lens is "focus-coupled," which I believe is a bit misleading. To me, that implies it would work alongside the camera's focusing algorithms, similar to many manual focus Zeiss lenses. Instead, Lomography explains that "focus-coupled technology eliminates focus shifts when adjusting bokeh levels."

What I think it should be called is "focus confirmation," which is unfortunately absent in this lens.

The lens is still not weather-resistant, despite its substantial metal construction. In most cases, it feels like an absolute dream to hold, use, and enjoy. Honestly, I don't think I'd ever want to "control" the bokeh. At setting #7, you get all the swirl, and at #1, the swirl is subdued but still present. Changing the aperture affects how the look appears. From my experience, the swirly effect can nearly disappear at around f4. At f2.8, the lens is sharp enough that you shouldn't bother stopping it down if you want to balance the swirl and sharpness.

The only downside is the new process of changing the aperture shape. You have to unscrew a small part at the back of the lens, insert the shaper, and then screw it back in. The problem is that when you reassemble it, the aperture disk tends to spin. More importantly, achieving nice heart-shaped bokeh is challenging.

I also wish Lomography had provided hard-stopped apertures instead of de-clicked ones for video use.

Regarding image quality, in the words of poet Rudy Francisco, "Cupid is irresponsible, and I’m tired of him using me for target practice. If you’re confused by that, then know that I’m in love." Even images where the subject is slightly out of focus look really nice. I won’t lie—getting the focus perfectly sharp is a challenge, similar to using the Zeiss Milvux 85mm f1.4 lens in 2015. When you finally get something in focus, there's a sense of excitement and appreciation for the beauty of the image.

Before I continue, let me recap a bit. I'm legally blind, and manual focus is harder for me, even with focus peaking. Even when using contact lenses that allow me to see 20/18, I still struggled to manually focus this lens and get my subject perfectly in focus. This is common with longer, shallower focal lengths that lack focus confirmation.

The Canon EOS R I tested this lens on had film profiles loaded. Man, I didn't want to edit most of these photos if I got them right in-camera. This lens is that good, making me feel like there was love surrounding me—something I don't typically feel as a journalist. It's been a long time since I've shot with something like this. I usually only experience this feeling with Leica and early 2010s Zeiss lenses.

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

I give the Lomography Joseph Petzval 80.5mm f1.9 lens 4 out of 5 stars. The only things holding it back are the lack of weather resistance and difficulty for people with low vision to focus the lens. As someone who values inclusivity, these aspects are extremely important to me. With global warming becoming a more significant part of daily life, weather resistance is crucial.