Chinese lens manufacturer TTArtisan is releasing a new portrait lens for M42 cameras based on a cult lens from the 1930s.
The new 75/1.5 manual-focus lens is being launched on Wednesday (25 September) and is inspired by the famous Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar, which was first released in 1939.
The lens’s specifications are as follows:
Focal length: 75mm
Aperture range: f/1.5 to f/16
Angle of view: 32°
Optical design: Six elements in four groups
Filter size: 58mm
Closest focusing distance: 75cms (2.5ft)
Diaphragm blades: 13
Weight: Approximately 562g
The lens appears to have a click-stop aperture, like the original Biotar. It’s not confirmed yet whether the lens has an aperture pin, which means that photographers may find it easier to focus and compose at full aperture and then stop down to the correct aperture.
TTArtisan’s previous lens for the M42 mount, the Trioplan-style 100/2.8 released in August 2023, lacked the aperture pin which interacts with the lens mount
TTArtisan announced the new lens last week on their Instagram account, and said the launch will be at 6pm local time (4am GMT 26 September).
TTArtisan shared the image above with Kosmo Foto this weekend, though did not divulge any pricing details – more will likely come on Wednesday.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
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