If you’re into vintage lenses, the long-awaited Light Lens Lab Z21 is no longer just talk. After months of development, tweaking, and testing, the 50mm f/1.5 Z21 is now officially in the production stage. If you’ve ever thought of owning the legendary Angenieux Type S21 but couldn’t justify the price of a small used car for one, this might just be your moment.
One Z21 prototype has already arrived in North America, and critics from all around the world are now playing with it. And how does it look by the initial hints? It’s coming along quite nicely.
What’s All the Hype A round This Lens?
Let’s take a step back. What is it that makes this lens so exciting?
The original 50mm f/1.5 S21 was an optical masterpiece created by P. Angenieux in the 1950s, a lens that’s famous for its dreamy look and gorgeous glow when shot wide open. Photographers, collectors, and analog shooters have long drooled over it. But due to its rarity (and wallet-busting cost), it’s been more of a unicorn than a working tool for most.
Then comes the Light Lens Lab. They’ve endeavored to bring back this treasure, not replicate it, but reinterpret it. Their 50mm f/1.5 “Z21” seems to keep the heart and soul of the original but adds a touch of 2025 flair.
We’re discussing custom build, lanthanide-doped glass, aluminum alloy body, rangefinder focus mechanism with tolerances so tight you need a microscope to see them. Plus, it even accommodates up to 44x33mm on digital sensors. And it’s the looker, too, that shiny black paint job with chrome accents? Chef’s kiss.
Light Lens Lab Z21 Is More Than a Lens!
Because we no longer get to gaze at lenses of this type ordinarily, not in a marketplace replete with over-clinical glass. Light Lens Lab’s Z21 is being manufactured in limited batches, every one laboriously hand-built with love (and probably the use of a magnifying glass). It not only seems to show stellar performance, but personality, which today’s lenses often trade when seeking perfection.
Pricing and Availability
Light Lens Lab tells us we can expect to be hearing more as the production grows, and all the news regarding pricing and availability will go live on May 21, 2025. Set your calendars accordingly.
Personally, I do not think of it as ‘just a tool’. It’s clearly more than that. This time, Light Lens Lab has come up with something exceptional to meet the expectations and taste of today’s artists. All of it feels like a revival of the golden age of photography.
And to be frank, who doesn’t love a good comeback story?
[via lightlenslab; Image credits: Light Lens Lab]
