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05-04-2017, 12:57 PM - 1 Like   #1
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The Neptune Convertible Art Lens System

Disclaimer: Maybe someone on my ignore list already posted this.

Lomography introduces a new manual focus adapter for different primes.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lomography/the-neptune-convertible-art-lens-system



With three different lenses. Will be available in K-mount.





05-04-2017, 01:14 PM - 1 Like   #2
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So this is similar to the Lensbaby, only a little higher quality, less plasticky?

You have a mount/adapter (between camera and lens), an aperture plate, and then one of the lenses on top to get the following three:
3.5/35, 2.8/50 and 4.0/80
Might be interesting. Not sure how many people will want such slow lenses in those focal lengths, considering we have really affordable and high optical quality DA 35mm f2.4, DA 50mm f1.8, Samyang 85mm f1.4. I guess the most attractive thing is the small size and the overall lomo 'feel'

But hey, the more lenses in K-mount, the better! Good news!

Last edited by Na Horuk; 05-04-2017 at 01:21 PM.
05-04-2017, 01:34 PM   #3
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Mythological names, entertaining building block-like system, the all-present gimmicky funnily shaped apertures, instant-hipster status and a milking-high price.
What's not to like?
05-04-2017, 02:54 PM   #4
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The basic thrust of the system is interesting, being essentially an extension of the Adaptall concept. It's tempting, except for the drop-in aperture plates. I could stand those in the Daguerre because it's a recreation of the first proper photographic lens ever, but not for this. Stop-down at the very least, please.

I am not concerned about the slow apertures, which seem pretty typical of pre-SLR and early reflex lenses of these focal lengths.

I am sort of worried that the common rear element of all of these lenses means that all but one of them (current offerings and future developments) will be suboptimal.

05-04-2017, 04:09 PM - 1 Like   #5
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What an interesting concept...

The aperture disks could be better-designed. The interior surfaces of those thick plastic disks will creates some strange flare effects (and not nice starbursts). A better design would use a thin blackened metal disk mounted in a ring gear with a small pinion that the user can turn to adjust the orientation of the aperture. But that obviously adds a ton to the costs.

They could also sell other base pieces such as: 1) a long-throw nested helicoid, 2) integrated teleconvertor; 3) integrated speed booster for APS-C.

They could also create add-ons or element variants that produce swirly bokeh, soap-bubble bokeh, smooth transition focus, or intentional vignetting.
05-04-2017, 04:48 PM   #6
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Interesting concept, keep the aperture and base portion of the lens, just switch the optics. I hope they are at the PhotoPlus shows this year to give them a try!
05-04-2017, 07:36 PM   #7
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Interesting idea, but at the same time I am not sure how useful. Sales pitch seems to center around high quality (check with my Pentax lenses) and small size (check with my Pentax lenses). Except it comes at a high price...

05-04-2017, 08:14 PM   #8
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I'm stunned this got to 226% funded in eight hours. It's not all that exciting. The image quality looks okay and all. It's not something exciting like their Petzval.
05-04-2017, 11:38 PM   #9
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I could see a point if the fact these three share component would make very good lenses very inexpensive. At $600 there are some good competitors with autofocus, especially on the used market, so I will pass. Then again, I don't think I liked a single product by this company, so I am clearly not a target.
05-05-2017, 01:32 AM   #10
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This also could be used to use old lenses with stuck focus and broken aperture on mirrorless camera's. Just put them on an appropriate focussing and aperture adapter. You could even make one for projector lenses.
05-05-2017, 02:02 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by photoptimist Quote
What an interesting concept...

The aperture disks could be better-designed. The interior surfaces of those thick plastic disks will creates some strange flare effects (and not nice starbursts). A better design would use a thin blackened metal disk mounted in a ring gear with a small pinion that the user can turn to adjust the orientation of the aperture. But that obviously adds a ton to the costs.
At a recent photography show, I spent quite a bit of time talking to a Lomography "ambassador" - a guy who chooses to shoot creatively with their Art lenses, and has developed a relationship with them as a result. He makes his own aperture disks for his Petzval out of thick matte black card, using a craft knife to cut the holes

QuoteOriginally posted by rrstuff Quote
I could see a point if the fact these three share component would make very good lenses very inexpensive. At $600 there are some good competitors with autofocus, especially on the used market, so I will pass. Then again, I don't think I liked a single product by this company, so I am clearly not a target.
Those who have an interest in these kind of lenses won't care about auto-focus, in my opinion. Putting it another way, I don't think they're aimed at the kind of photography where AF would be a big consideration.

I'm not keen on the Lomography hype, but some of their products are actually pretty interesting and refreshing. They're not for everyone, and there are, technically speaking, much better lenses for the money - but they're all about achieving certain looks that modern, high-performance lenses are designed to avoid

I bought the New Russar+ 20mm f/5.6 (a re-issue for the old Russar MR-2) and it's a well-made, beautifully-finished lens that produces excellent and very artistic results. It's too expensive at full retail price, but show discounts and a bit of haggling got the cost down considerably. For what I paid, I'm delighted with it. I also played with the Petzval for quite a while and thought it was excellent.

Last edited by BigMackCam; 05-05-2017 at 03:32 AM.
05-05-2017, 03:00 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
I bought the New Russar+ 20mm f/5.6 (a re-issue for the old Russar MR-2) and it's a well-made, beautifully-finished lens that produces excellent and very artistic results. It's too expensive at full retail price, but show discounts and a bit of haggling got the cost down considerably. For what I paid, I'm delighted with it. I also payed with the Petzval for quite a while and thought it was excellent.
Why not just get a real deal soviet lens? ebay is flooded with them for a significantly lesser price. There is a polish service, allegro.pl, which is an ebay like auction site and it should have a lot of soviet lenses too.
05-05-2017, 03:21 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by rrstuff Quote
Why not just get a real deal soviet lens? ebay is flooded with them for a significantly lesser price. There is a polish service, allegro.pl, which is an ebay like auction site and it should have a lot of soviet lenses too.
I collect real deal Soviet lenses

All of my Soviet lenses are, at the very least, in excellent condition; some are mint or near-mint; a few were even claimed to be new / old-stock (though careful examination suggests otherwise). With the exception of my Helios 40-2, none of them was brand new and most required a greater or lesser degree of cleaning and servicing to be in perfect working order. Rather like classic cars, in that respect

My Russar+ is brand new and trouble-free, less prone to flare than the original, provides more saturated colours with better contrast (presumably due to the lens coatings and, possibly, the paint used on internal surfaces of the lens), and - with discount - cost considerably less than a mint original example (eBay may be flooded with Russars, but good luck finding one that is genuinely mint and hasn't been messed with). When I tried it out at the show, I was impressed enough to buy it once I'd negotiated a sensible price. It's arguably a better (though, in that sense, somewhat different) lens than the original MR-2. Plus, it's made in Russia - so it's a valid addition to my collection.

I'll probably pick up an original too at some point in the future, if I can find one at a sensible price and in the right condition - but that will be more as a collectable...

Last edited by BigMackCam; 05-05-2017 at 05:06 AM.
05-05-2017, 06:38 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by photoptimist Quote
What an interesting concept...

The aperture disks could be better-designed. The interior surfaces of those thick plastic disks will creates some strange flare effects (and not nice starbursts). A better design would use a thin blackened metal disk mounted in a ring gear with a small pinion that the user can turn to adjust the orientation of the aperture. But that obviously adds a ton to the costs.


Are these plastic? The Daguerreotype lens' aperture plates are all black-painted metal. They do scratch a bit.
05-05-2017, 06:55 AM - 3 Likes   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by K David Quote
I'm stunned this got to 226% funded in eight hours. It's not all that exciting. The image quality looks okay and all. It's not something exciting like their Petzval.
Yea! I'm starting to think we should just put the Pentax lenses that we want onto Kickstarter. Like that 50mm f1.2 or 135mm f1.8. Once the kickstarter reaches $200k, then we can find someone to actually produce it
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