Specialist lenses

In this guide, naturally we’ve concentrated on conventional autofocus lenses. But some photographers like to experiment with alternatives that eschew the usual approach of minimising optical aberrations in favour of delivering a more characterful result. Two names in particular stand out here: both Lensbaby and Lomography make delightfully quirky manual-focus designs that you’ll either love or hate.

Lensbaby Velvet 56

● £399 ● lensbaby.com

This portrait lens for APS-C cameras offers an aperture of f/1.6 for shallow depth of

eld and defocused backgrounds. It employs a 4-element, 3-group optical formula which the rm says delivers ‘tack-sharp detail layered underneath edge-to-edge velvety glow’ (technically a textbook description of under-corrected spherical aberration). A minimum focus distance of just 12cm allows it to do double-duty for close-ups, with half life-size magni cation. The lens is available in all DSLR and mirrorless mounts, and there’s an 85mm f/1.8 version for full-frame cameras, too.

‘Both Lensbaby and Lomography make delightfully quirky manual-focus designs’

Lomography Petzval 80.5mm f/1.9 Mark II

● £349 ● shop.lomography.com

Taking its inspiration from a 19th-century optical design, this short telephoto portrait lens is de ned by its relatively small region of central sharpness and characteristic ‘swirly bokeh’. The original version employed a rack-and-pinion focusing system and drop-in aperture stops, but this MkII design boasts a conventional focusing helicoid and aperture diaphragm, making it much more practical to use. It’s available in either a black paint nish or seriously retro satin brass, and Canon EF or Nikon F mount. For another £100, you can buy a version with a 7-level ‘bokeh control’ ring.