11 most interesting lenses in the history of photography

For almost two centuries, the art of photography has been developing, and with it the equipment that allows people to capture the world around them. Today we will look at the most exotic models of lenses that have been produced in the entire history of photography.

Petzval Portrait Lens with controlled bokeh: Lomography Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art

Petzval's iconic lens was again in the spotlight in 2013, when the lomography community resurrected it through a campaign on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform. The original was developed in 1840 by Josef Petzval. It uses a traditional Waterhouse system to control the diaphragm (Waterhouse). The results of shooting with this lens are impressive with extreme sharpness and at the same time unsurpassed smooth bokeh. Currently, it is sold at a price of about $ 600.

Super wide-angle fisheye lens: Nikkor 6 mm F/2.8

The legendary Nikkor 6 mm F/2.8 with a field of view of 220 degrees can shoot behind itself. The lens consists of 12 elements in 9 groups that work together to power this five-kilogram miracle of engineering. The Nikkor 6mm includes six built-in filters for white balance. The last time a copy of this lens was sold in London for $ 160,000.

Extremely luminous: Carl Zeiss Planar 50 mm F/0.7

Initially, this lens was developed in 1966 with a grandiose goal: for NASA to use it to take photos of the back side of the moon. The Carl Zeiss Planar 50 mm F/0.7 is one of the most powerful lenses (if not the most powerful) ever created. In total, only ten copies of this lens were made: one was preserved by Carl Zeiss, six pieces were purchased by NASA and three were bought by director Stanley Kubrick. Planar 50 mm F/0.7 allowed Kubrick to shoot scenes lit only by candles in the film "Barry Lyndon".

Super-Telephoto Lens: Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 1700 mm F/4

The Carl Zeiss company showed this lens in 2006 at the Photokina exhibition in Germany. Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 1700 mm F/4 is designed specifically for an anonymous fan of "photo hunting" from the state of Qatar. The price remained a mystery. It is only known that the lens consists of 15 elements in 13 groups and is designed for medium-format systems.

The beast for sports shooting: Sigma 200-500 mm F/2.8

It looks like a bazooka, but it's one of the fastest lenses on the market. Sigma 200-500 mm F/2.8 has a mega-high focus speed for shooting sports. With a dual teleconverter, you can easily increase the focal length range to 1000 mm. The price for this unique telephoto lens starts from $ 26,000. There are funny reviews of Sigma 200-500 mm F/2.8 on the Internet.

Extreme distance: Canon 5200mm F/14

If one of the above lenses could not quell your thirst for focal lengths, then perhaps the 5200-mm monster from Canon will succeed. It weighs more than ninety kilograms without support. Such a giant with an F/14 aperture can focus on objects located at a distance of 30 to 52 km.

Only three copies of the Canon 5200 mm F/14 lens were made; one of them was sold on eBay for $ 50,000 a few years ago.

Speed and accuracy: Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm F/0.95

The German company, known for its high-quality technology, has released the Leica Noctilux‑M 50 mm F/0.95 lens, getting close to the border of the possible. Although it is not the most luminous in history, it is the most luminous aspherical lens. Despite the wide aperture, the Noctilux-M, nicknamed the "King of the Night", retains a high sharpness. Leica advertised it as a lens that " surpasses the human eye in speed of perception." The price for it was set in the area of $ 10,000.

Unique bokeh pattern "soap bubbles": Meyer-Optik Trioplan F/2.8

Recently, a fundraising campaign was launched on Kickstarter to re-release the legendary Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100 mm F/2.8 lens, which became popular in the 60s of the last century. This is one more lens that provides a unique bokeh pattern in the area of blurring, which is popularly called "soap bubbles". Initially, the lens was produced by one of the largest optical factories in Germany, which was founded by Hugo Meyer at the end of the XIX century. The modern version of the Meyer-Optik Trioplan F/2.8 lens will appear on the market in October this year at a price of about $ 1,000.

Spot Focus: Lensbaby Composer Pro 50

Not all unique lenses should cost a tidy sum, as Lensbaby Composer Pro with Sweet 50 Optic proves to us. For $ 299, you can get a unique lens that will allow you to conduct creative photo experiments and immerse the edges of the image in a deep blur. The Composer Pro lens with the Sweet 50 module has an aperture of F/2.5 and is compatible with APS‑C format cameras and full-frame cameras. There are variations of the 35 mm and 80 mm lens for $ 379 and $ 499, respectively.

Olympic Giant: Canon 1200mm F/5.6

Canon 1200 mm F/5.6 occupies a place in our list as a classic worthy of mention. This sixteen-kilogram super-telephoto lens with 13 elements in 11 groups first appeared in 1984. He was released for the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Due to the huge range of focal lengths, it was intended for shooting sports and wildlife. In total, less than a hundred copies were made. One of them was sold in April 2015 at B&H for $ 180,000.

The most expensive lens: Leica APO-Telyt‑R 1:5.6/1600 mm

The Qatari prince paid a whopping $ 2,064,500 for this unique lens, which makes it the most expensive in the world. It is known about the existence of two copies of the Leica APO-Telyt-R 1:5.6/1600 mm, detailed technical specifications were not disclosed. The length of the record holder is about 1.2 meters, and the weight is about 60 kilograms.