Third-party lens makers have been helping photographers get the best out of their cameras. Companies like Viltrox, SG Image, Laowa, and 7Artisans are a few names that have been pushing the optical industry forward with newer innovations. Like them, Light Lens Lab is another third-party manufacturer that has been reviving iconic retro lenses for users today, and this time, they are bringing in a monster of a lens for large-format cameras: the 300mm f1.9 Apo.
Reported by Photo Rumors, the lens in question is still in the development stage, and quite recently, the publication revealed the first images of it. The 300mm f1.9 certainly has a large front element, but what makes this lens more insteatesting is that this kind of focal range and aperture is unheard of yet other than prototype designs.
When you combine this with apochromatic (Apo) correction, you get a milestone lens, which could change the game for medium format users. For the uninitiated, 300mm lenses do not go below f2.8 aperture, and even then, these lenses are massive and are only designed for full-frame users. Or, you get zoom variants, such as 300-600mm and so on, which may have a varying aperture range. But with Light Lens Lab taking this a step faster, with Apo build, it can really push Japanese manufacturers and their European counterparts to innovate more.
So far, other than Hasselblad and Phase One, Fujifilm is the only company to design medium-format cameras. But if you strap a lens like this on a 100MP resolution, the images can be truly breathtaking. Here is a look at the specs:
- Focal length: 300mm
- Aperture: f/1.9
- Image circle: Covers medium format
- Optical design: Apo (Apochromatic)
- Mounts: TBC (likely LPL, PL or adaptable)
- Focus: Manual (expected, but might be LLL’s first AF lens)
- Release Date: TBC
- Price: To be announced
Light Lens Lab is known to creat film emulsion and manual-focus lenses, both of which are deasigned to meet technical prowess and optimal image quality. This also means the 300m f1.9 wil be largely a manual focus lens, unless, they intend to produce an autofocus one this year. While it seems the lens could help wildlife phtoographers, we als must remeber that medium format cameras are slow. And so, a lens like this can work better for prortaots, fashion, landscpae or astro phtoography needs.
Light Lens Lab is certainly trying to change our stale optical industry, and the 300mm f1.9 could be a step in the right direction. If the company does manage to price it well, it could become a modern icon for many.
