Lomography Joseph Petzval

Lomography's Joseph Petzval series is a modern reinterpretation of an optical design from 1840—created by Joseph Petzval in Vienna for the first professional portrait studios. The original produces a characteristic bokeh with a distinct swirl in the peripheral areas and soft sharpness in the center.

Swirl Bokeh — What It Is

Petzval lenses are intentionally not fully corrected. While modern cine lenses aim for uniform bokeh across the entire image field, the Petzval design retains field curvature. This causes the out-of-focus circles to rotate around the image center—the famous Petzval swirl. It is most pronounced at wide apertures and largely disappears when stopped down.

The Series

Five focal lengths: 27mm, 35mm f/2, 55mm f/1.7, 80.5mm f/1.9, and 135mm. All share the same optical character, making the series a cohesive tool rather than a single specialized lens. The unique feature is the coupled Bokeh Control Ring: the strength of the swirl can be adjusted in seven steps—making the effect controllable rather than an either/or decision.

Mount and Cine Use

Offered in Sony E, Canon RF, and Nikon Z mounts—these are mirrorless photo mounts. Lomography markets the series as Art Lenses, not as cine optics: they lack continuous focus gears, hard stops, and calibrated markings. On cine bodies, they are used via adapters, typically on RED Komodo, Blackmagic Pocket, or the Sony FX family. Anyone wanting to attach a follow focus to the lens should plan for a rehousing.

Applications

Fashion and editorial, music videos, commercials with a nostalgic-elegant tone. Rarely used in narrative feature films—the swirl is striking enough to overshadow the story.