Breathing life into an historic brand, Meyer-Optik Gorlitz has reëmerged with a series of new lenses based on classic optical designs, but updated for modern use. Most reminiscent of the company’s legacy lenses is a pair of Trioplans: the 100mm f/2.8 and the 50mm f/2.9. Besides the difference in focal length, these two lenses share a similar triplet optical design to deliver classic image quality with trademark “soap bubble” bokeh for uniquely appealing out-of-focus highlights. Both lenses also employ coated Schott glass to resist lens flare and ghosting, and have anodized aluminum housings for a lightweight, yet durable feel and smooth manual focusing action. The Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 and Trioplan 50mm f/2.9 are both available in SLR mounts for Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, and M42; mirrorless mounts for Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, and Sony E; and are also available for Leica M. Additionally, a unique Titanium Edition of the 100mm f/2.8 is also available.
The second edition of lenses being redeveloped by Meyer-Optik is a pair of Primoplans, which are faster short telephoto designs, again available for a wide variety of SLR, mirrorless, and rangefinder lens mounts. The Primoplan 58mm f/1.9 features a unique optical concept based on an 80-year-old design to produce a range of distinct bokeh effects and smooth image quality that can be varied throughout the aperture range. Similarly, the Primoplan 75mm f/1.9 also uses a classic-inspired design to produce smooth and clear image quality that pairs well with the bright maximum aperture for shallow depth-of-field effects.
Finally, distinct among other Meyer-Optik lenses is the Nocturnus 50mm f/0.95 II lens, which is available solely in the Sony E mount. This normal-length prime utilizes an ultra-fast f/0.95 maximum aperture to benefit working in low-light conditions, and offers notable control over depth of field for selective focus techniques. Fifteen diaphragm blades contribute to a smooth, round bokeh quality, and the manual aperture ring also has a smooth, de-clicked design to benefit its use in video applications.
7 Comments
Nice discussion. I risked to preorder a Primoplan P75 II F1.9 for my A7R3 on IGG... it should arrive by september: pretty curious...
"...Both lenses also utilize coated Schott glass...". No, they are not "utilize" they are "using". When one utilizies something they are using it not for what it was intended. We use a chair to sit upon, utilize a chair as a step stool to stand upon. It does not matter how you rationalize, utilize does not replace use.
Bubba,
In general, you are correct. However, Fowler, in Modern English Usage, suggests:
"If differentiation were possible between utilize and use it would be that utilize has the special meaning of make good use of, especially of something that was not intended for the purpose but will serve. But this distinction has disappeared beyond recall; utilize is now ordinarily treated as a LONG VARIANT of use. A form is enclosed herewith for favour of your utilization is an example of the pretentious diction that prefers the long word."
In deference to your objections, however, I have changed the word to employ. We hope you find this edit to be satisfactory.
— Copy Editor
Never did I imagine I would read a discussion of language usage on a website of a camera store—but what a pleasant surprise! You know, it is this kind of exchange that makes B&H such a special place to visit. Congratulations to both Bubba and Copy Editor for making B&H a forum for intelluctual minds. And especially to Copy Editor, did you know that we call your kind of adult response, "kami taiou" in Japanese, which loosely translates as "godlike response." Cheers!
Mr. Yamamoto:
Thank you very much for your kind and encouraging comments. It is a pleasure to read them. We here at Explora appreciate readers who care enough to discuss the finer points of language, in addition to products, technology, and technique. The more precise our language usage is, the greater the clarity of our communication will be.
— Howard Gotfryd, Copy Editor
Is it really fair to say "reëmerged"? I thought the new company had no connection to the old Meyer Optik Görlitz but just bought the rights to use the name, like how JK made a Kodak-branded camera?
From what I can tell, the "new" Meyer-Optik Gorlitz is quite a bit more comitted to the name and history of the brand than other ventures like you mention. Whereas there may be Kodak digital point-and-shoots floating around, which are not directly related to Kodak the film manufacturer, these new Meyer-Optik lenses are designed to uphold the same optical designs and quality that the brand developed in the early 1900s.