Way back in the 19th century when wet plate photography was all the rage, the most popular optic at the time was the Petzval lens. Named after its inventor Joseph Petzval, this distinguished brass lens was considered revolutionary for its f/3.7 aperture...fast for the time considering subjects had to stand still for minutes at time during a portrait. The lens also became very popular for the look it achieved thanks to its shallow depth of field and unique circular bokeh effect which helped photographers create engaging portraits.
Flash forward two centuries later and the lens has become quite legendary...not only are they incredibly difficult to find, but if you do they're most likely in bad condition. Moreover the much-coveted bokeh has not been faithfully emulated, even by digital means. Enter vintage revivalists Lomography, who have set up a Kickstarter in an attempt to produce a replica Petzval lens for Canon and Nikon SLRs. This modern copy but will have a focal length of 85mm with faster f/2.2 aperture.
The Kickstarter went up just today...and it already surpassed the $100,000 goal by $67,345. If all goes swimmingly Lomography will have these throwback lenses out by early next year and should retail for around $499. Click here to read more about the Lomography's Petzval Portrait Lens.