Following a successful Kickstar campaign, German optical manufacturer Meyer Optik is set to reintroduce a lens from 1916 that was famous for its unique 'soap-chimera' bokeh. The company hoped to raise $50,000 to fund production of a new Trioplan 100mm F2.8 lens, but at the fourth dimension of writing pledges take reached $124,000 with the best office of a month however to become.

The lens is a uncomplicated Cooke-Triplet design based on the optical structure of the original, and will apply only iii elements separated with air spaces. It became famous for its prominent circular out-of-focus highlights that are created in role by an iris of fifteen steel blades that produce an most round pupil.

The new lens volition accept reengineered focusing mechanisms to provide a quieter action and to be more durable, while a clickless discontinuity ring makes the lens useful for shooting stills or movies. The visitor will employ glass from the prestigious German Schott manufactory (Schott is 100% owned by The Carl Zeiss Foundation), and the lens will be designed, constructed and tested in the German town of Goerlitz where the original company was based.

An original Meyer Optik Trioplan lens from around 1916

Meyer Optik will brand the Trioplan with mounts for Nikon, Canon, Fuji X series, Micro Four Thirds and Sony E mount cameras. The covering circle of the lens is sufficient for full frame cameras. Due to be available at the end of the year, the Meyer Optik Goerlitz Trioplan F2.8 100mm will toll $1699, although those supporting the projection can pre-lodge for significantly less.

For more information visit the Meyer Optik Goerlitz website, or the company's Kickstarter page.

Press release:

Meyer Optik brings dorsum legendary Trioplan f2.8/100 'soap bubble' bokeh lens with Kickstarter campaign

- New crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000 to recreate, update and remanufacture a archetype lens for modern photographers -

 Atlanta, GA – June 26, 2015 — Meyer Optik Usa, a manufacturer of innovative, high-quality photography lenses, has launched a Kickstarter entrada to remanufacture the Trioplan f2.8/100 lens, known for its unique 'soap bubble' bokeh and sharp focus. The entrada is live at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2061029467/bring-dorsum-the-legendary-trioplan-soap-bubble-boke/.

With a funding goal of $l,000 to bring the lenses to production, rewards range from $xv to $x,000 with early on bird rewards for the lens get-go at $599. When commercially available in Q4 2015 the lens will be available for $one,699 USD.

The Trioplan lens was first manufactured in 1916 in Görlitz in East Germany, as the brainchild of Hugo Meyer. The new lens follows in the footsteps of this history and tradition and will also be hand-fabricated in Görlitz, at the site of the original Meyer Optik company.

The blueprint of the new Trioplan is engineered to run into today'southward photography standards. This includes: loftier-end coated drinking glass fabricated by Schott, a circular aperture of 15 steel blades, and direct mounts to Canon, Nikon, Fuji X, Sony-E, MFT and M42 mirrorless cameras. The new lens preserves the character of the original lens including the conservation of the Trioplan'southward characteristic sharpness and its distinctive circular 'soap bubble' bokeh - the unique and striking way the lens renders out-of-focus points of lite.

The Meyer Optik squad - which includes Dr. Wolf-Dieter Prenzel, 1 of the principal engineers at the original Meyer Optik company - has been working on design plans for the new Trioplan for almost two years. This includes extensive epitome testing.

Dr. Stefan Immes, CEO and artistic director of the Trioplan project said: "The original Trioplan is a timeless lens that produces impeccable art. But since its original inception, and then much has changed in the globe of photography. We wanted to preserve every item that made the original Trioplan so unique and sought after, while calculation land-of-the-art technology and details. We're proud of what we've created and are excited to share it with the Kickstarter community."

The Trioplan lens will mount directly to modern mirrorless cameras including Canon, Nikon, Fuji Ten, Sony-E, MFT and M42.

Other technical specifications include:

  • Optic construction as classic triplet (3 lenses/3 groups)
  • Focal distance: 100 mm
  • Maximum aperture: 1:2.8 continuous dimming to 1:22
  • Iris diaphragm with 15 aperture blades specifically synthetic of steel segment belt
  • View format: 24 mm 10 36 mm (image circle diameter 44 mm)
  • View angle: 24°
  • Filter: M 52 x 0.75
  • Prune-on diameter: 54 mm
  • Mounts: M42, Catechism, Nikon, Fuji Ten, Sony-Eastward, MFT