Lomography, the company behind the reinvention of the Petzval lens, announced a new Russar+ optic this week. The Russar+ is a 20mm f/5.6 - f/22 M mount lens that is based upon the 1958 Russar and is compatible with M mount analogue and L39 digital cameras.
The lens has an all-brass body and is hand made by Zenit (the same as the Petzval). It has a wide 94º field of view and can focus down to .5 meters. This updated version features a multi-coating for reduced flare and surface reflection. Despite its size, the Russar+ has 6 elements in four groups which produce 0.09% distortion.
Obviously this vintage-inspired, manual focus lens isn't for everyone but it might be a good add for street and landscape photographers looking to change their field of view a little.
The lens is now available for preorder at $649 (with the option of getting a serial between № 03 - № 10, or № 11 - № 20 for a bit extra) and is expected to ship July of 2014.
Below are some sample images from the Russar+.
Trying to understand what's special about this lens.. Anyone have a thought?
It has a catchy song in it's demo video.
It was a legendary ultra wide angle lens in the past. Originaly designed by Leica (Russar MR-2 MP 20mm f/5.6) in 1958 and nowadays extremely rare and costs 600-700 USD.
$650, ay? There's a sucker born every minute...
that's an expensive selfie lens !