For nearly two centuries, the science and art of photography has allowed people to capture the world around them through carefully crafted camera lenses. But not all lenses are created equal. While most lenses only want to please, other lenses mainly want to charm. Today we will look at the most interesting lenses in the history of photography.
1. Lomography Petzval Portrait Lens: cream sides, cream blur
The Petzval lens has been in the spotlight ever since 2013 when Lomography rose from the dead. The original glass was developed in 1940 by Joseph Petzval. The lens itself consists of two double lenses and a Waterhouse aperture. The result is a lens with extreme edge sharpness and a unique creamy blur. Lomography currently sells the lens for around 543 euros and up.
2. Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens: super wide angle
The legendary Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 from 1973 is a “fisheye” lens with an extreme 220-degree field of view that allows the glass to see behind you. The lens consists of twelve elements in nine groups, which together allow the nearly 5 kilogram lens to work wonders. The Nikkor 6mm also includes six built-in filters that take care of white balance. The latest copy of this "fisheye" lens was sold in London for around 145,000 euros.
3. Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7: extreme speed
Originally designed in 1966 to help NASA capture photographs of the Moon, the Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7 lens is one of the fastest lenses (if not the fastest) ever produced. Only ten copies were made: one copy was retained by Carl Zeiss, six were purchased by NASA, and three were purchased by director Stanley Kubrick. The Planar 50mm f/0.7 allowed Kubrick to shoot a scene in Barry Lydon lit only by natural candlelight. This would not have been possible without this lens.
4. Carl Zeiss Apo Sonnar T* 1700mm f/4: great telephoto
If you were a photographer with unlimited cash, how would you spend your wealth? Would you hire Carl Zeiss to make us a custom lens? In 2006, Carl Zeiss introduced its massive Apo Sonnar T* 1700mm f/4 lens at Photokina in Germany. The lens is designed for anonymous wildlife photography fans from Qatar. The price is also a secret, but we know that the lens consists of fifteen elements in thirteen groups and is designed for medium format systems.
5. Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8: beast for fans of sports shots
This piece of equipment is not a bazooka, but an extremely fast sports lens designed by Sigma. The 200-500mm f/2.8 is one of the fastest sports lenses on the market and includes a double teleconverter for quick and easy zooming up to 1,000 meters. It needs its own battery pack for autofocus alone. For around 24,000 euros, we get at least a "free" case.
READ MORE: With the impossible zoom of the Nikon Coolpix P900 camera, you can see the moon!
6. Canon 5200mm f/14: extreme distance
If none of the above lenses satisfy the burning desire for good distance, then this Canon lens is perfect for us. It weighs more than 90 kilograms and without a suitable stand we can't help much with it. The lens is designed to capture objects 48 kilometers away. Only three copies were made; one of the lenses was sold on eBay for more than 45 thousand euros.
7. Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95: speed and precision
The German company Leica, known for their high-quality products, successfully proved with the Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 lens that it can push the boundaries of what is possible without worry. While it's not the fastest lens in history, it has the highest speed of an aspherical lens. This means that despite such a wide aperture, the Noctilux-M remains extremely sharp. Leica says this lens surpasses the human eye, but it's up to us to decide if it's really worth more than 9,000 euros.
8. Meyer Optik Trioplan 100mm f/2.8: flanks, "soap bubble" blur
Recently, the campaign on Kickstarter brought back to life the legendary Meyer Optik Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 lens. It's yet another lens that offers a unique bokeh – an out-of-focus look that resembles a soap bubble. The lens was originally designed by Hugo Meyer in 1916, but now it has successfully reached its financial goal through the Kickstarter campaign and will be available this October for around 900 euros.
9. Lensbaby Composer Pro 50: “sweet spot” focus
Not all unique lenses need to drain our bank accounts, and the Lensbaby Composer Pro Sweet 50 Optic is proof of that. For around 270 euros, we can own a unique lens that allows us to place our favorite part of the frame in the foreground, while placing the edges in a deep blur. The Composer Pro Sweet 50 has an f/2.5 aperture and is compatible with both APS-C and full-frame cameras. There are 35mm and 80mm variations of the lens.
10. Canon 1200mm f/5.6: Olympic giant
The Canon 1200mm f/5.6 doesn't break any records mentioned on this list, but it's still a classic that deserves a mention. It contains thirteen elements in eleven groups and this sixteen kilogram lens with super telephoto function first appeared at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. It is intended for sports and wildlife photography with an impressive distance. They made less than 100 copies, and in April 2015 one of them was sold for around 163 thousand euros.
11. Leica APO-Telyt-R 1:5.6/1600mm: The most expensive lens
The Prince of Qatar paid an incredible 1.8 million euros for a copy of the Leica APO-Telyt-R 1:5.6/1600mm lens. Only two copies exist in the world, making it also the most expensive lens in the world. It measures about 1.2 meters in length and weighs about 60 kilograms.
