Chinese lens manufacturer TTArtisan has unveiled a new 100mm portrait lens for M42-mount cameras – which features dramatic soap-bubble bokeh.
The new lens is the first M42-mount lens to be released by the company.
TTArtisan said: “Unlike modern lenses with creamy smooth bokeh, TTArtisan 100mm f2.8 produces the soap bubble bokeh effect. Soap bubble bokeh is characterised by a bokeh ball with a bright edge around their perimeters and will give stunning results.”
The lens’s distinctive soap bubble bokeh is partly down to the fact it has 13 aperture blades – almost as many as the 15 used in the classic German Trioplan design, recently resurrected by Meyer-Optik.
The new lens has the following specifications:
- Aperture range from f/2.8 to f/22
- Three elements in three separate groups
- Minimum focusing distance of 0.9m (3ft)
- 13 aperture blades
- Weighs 307g
- Made of aviation-grade aluminium
- Filter size of 49mm
TTArtisan is pitching the lens at digital photographers who would use it with an adaptor on various digital camera brands, but the camera is also able to be used with M42-mount film cameras or other film bodies with appropriate adaptors. Some of the images on the TTArtisan listing page show the lens mounted on a Pentax ES II.
The lens is available for sale now through the TTArtisan website and costs $155 plus shipping.
The lens manufacturer, which started in 2019, has built up a wide range of lenses, including lenses for Leica M-mount and Leica screw mount.
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