CP+ 2015: Taking Shots with the Petzval 85mm and Lomography Instant Cameras

At the CP Plus 2015 Show, I found it interesting that the Lytro and Lomography booths were right next to each other; interesting in an ironic way that new and old technology were so comfortable together… and neither booth lacked for visitors. The big draw at Lomography was its Russian-made shiny brass 85mm lens, called the Petzval.

This was Lomography’s first year at CP Plus, and it’s fair to say there was no other lens like the Petzval at the expo; it began as a Kickstarter campaign, and is also available in black, but the brass model got all the attention. Designed for full-frame cameras, with Canon, Nikon, and Leica L39 mounts available, it attaches normally but is focused with a knob beneath the barrel, and utilizes metal apertures that slip into a slot on the top of the barrel. The lens was solid, felt good, and was fun to focus. Its images were clear and the bokeh was smooth. Besides its f/2.2 – f/16 aperture inserts, it also comes with those shaped like stars, teardrops, and other designs. When used, out-of-focus highlights take the shape of the apertures’ design.

In addition, new to the Lomography lineup was the LC-A 120 Medium Format Film Camera, a reformulation of the LC-A+ Automat Camera for medium format 120 film. If you know the Lomo lineup, you know that this camera would be lightweight and easy to use, and it was. There was no film with which the camera could be tested, so best to leave it at that. There was plenty of film to try the Lomo’ Instant and I shot several 3 x 2" images on Fuji Instax film. Of all the recent instant film cameras, this was by far my favorite. Plastic, of course, but it sounded like a real camera when fired and it offered a degree of aperture, focal length, and even multi-exposure control. The brown model I tried looked cool, which is Lomo’s thing, and it comes with mini colored gels for its built-in flash.

Follow all of the exclusive coverage from B&H of the CP+2015 Show in Japan at this link.