Meyer Optik’s New Lens Might Be the Perfect Focal Length That You Need

Third party lenses have been pretty exceptional for many young and professional photographers. While there are various brands out there, one option is the Germany-based company, Meyer Optik. Over the years, they have introduced some wonderful options and here is a look at the one you’ll see soon.

First reported by Photo Rumors, Meyer Optik Görlitz is coming back with a new lens, the 42mm f1.2. The lens offers a 10-element optical design including two aspherical elements and two floating elements, with the company stating that it maintains its sharpness and control aberrations. This makes the 42mm quite a good addition for portrait use, given its aperture.

Another important addition is the 15 red aperture blades. It is bold and gives the lens a distinct look. This can be helpful for those who want to experience a lens that is unique. The lens will be handmade in Hamburg and available in Sony E, Canon RF, and Leica M mounts.

The 42mm lens is a fascinating option, and it sits between 35mm and 50mm. It can borrow some great qualities of both lenses. It is slightly wider than a traditional portrait lens, but more intimate than a street focal length. The other options include a Panasonic 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens, but that is a zoom lens. The other option is Pentax-FA 43mm f1.9 or Leica’s own 43mm, the latter of which is used only for Q3 compact camera. There is also Leica Summicron-C 40mm f2 and the Voigtlander 40mm f1.2.

This will be a manual lens, since Canon RF does not support third-party lenses. Sony and Leica will face the same, but for Leica, M-mount version would require live view for accurate focusing.

Since the announcement, the reactions have been mixed. While the red aperture blade has divided people’s opinions, with some suggesting it is a pure gimmick. However, for Sony and Canon users, a handmade f1.2 lens is an optical ambition. In fact, in our review of other Meyer Optik lenses, we have adored their results. For instance, in the 75mm f1.5 II review, we said:

The swirls and whirls in the out-of-focus areas are what really make this lens unique. I’ve deduced that how much is sharp depends a lot on how close you are to the subject. And to make the results really stand out, you need some colorful, almost reflective backgrounds.

Keeping this in mind, the lens can be great, especially if it is priced under $1000. However, until then, it remains to be seen what the company has in store.