PETZVAL CINEma LENSES
Petzval, revived today for their character-rich lenses, originated in 1840 when Joseph Petzval created the first portrait lens in Vienna, inspiring the Soviet-era Helios designs and Lomography’s modern revivals.
- Full Frame LF/VV | SphericalThe TLS Petzval lenses are high-end ergonomic cine rehousings of the beloved Petzval Art still photography lenses crafted by Lomography with their swirly bokeh and artistic designs.
- Full Frame LF/VV | SphericalThe Petzvalux lenses are a collaboration between Ancient Optics, Lomography, and GL Optics. With Lomography’s Petzval Art optical designs, Ancient Optics’ cinematic vision, and GL Optics technically precise rehousings, the Petzvalux lenses were created to give cinematographers maximum control with tunability in the Petzval’s expressive characteristics.
What are Petzval Cinema Lenses Known For?
Petzval has reemerged as a distinctive brand in recent years, driven by renewed fascination with their artistic and expressive lenses. In 1840, Joseph Petzval, a Slovak mathematician working in Vienna under the Habsburg Dynasty, took immense interest in a new rising science and artform – photography. An enthusiast who wanted a lens he could use for portraiture, Petzval used mathematical calculations rather than intuition to invent the Petzval lens, the first and fastest optical design created specifically for portrait photography. Petzval teamed up with Voigtländer to produce these lenses en masse. However, Voigtländer took Petzval’s designs and shifted production beyond Austrian jurisdiction, where Petzval’s patents no longer applied, excluding Petzval from profits and leaving his name to fade into time. Today, Petzval lenses have become renowned for their swirling bokeh, sharp central focus, and unmatched rendering of portrait subjects, securing a unique reputation in the optical industry. Petzval’s visual signature laid the groundwork for later designs such as the beloved Soviet-era Helios lens family as well as inspiring Lomography’s modern designs, for which they named in honor of Joseph Petzval. For motion pictures, Ancient Optics collaborates with GL Optics and Lomography to create cinema production-ready Petzvalux lenses, while TLS rehoused Lomography’s Petzval Art lenses. Both the Ancient Optics Petzvalux Lenses and the TLS Petzval Lenses are available in the curated inventory of Cine Visuals.