Turning Simple Scenes Into Works of Art: David Hennen Tests the Lomogon 2.5/32 Art Lens

Our LomoAmigo David Hennen is back – and this time, he's brought along the iconic Lomogon 32mm f/2,5 Art Lens! After sharing his exciting adventures with the Neptune Convertible Art Lens System and his motorised LomoKino, he’s off on another journey for us. In this review, he takes us through his experiences with the Lomogon Art Lens and reveals what makes this lens so special for his photography!

The following words are from David Hennen:

Hi, I'm David Hennen, a passionate analogue photographer from Munich, specializing in landscape and urban photography. Two years ago I already had the opportunity to try out the Neptune Convertible Art Lens System, and today I’m excited to introduce you to the Lomogon 32mm f/2,5 Art Lens.

I had the chance to test the lens over the past three months, and I can already tell you — this lens is perfect for my style of photography.

Craftsmanship

The Lomogon lens is made from high-quality metal, brass I think. If I dropped it, I’d be more concerned about the tiles on the floor than the lens itself. Instead of a traditional aperture ring, it features an aperture wheel that protrudes from the body — more on that later. The focus ring is incredibly smooth, with just the right amount of resistance to prevent accidental adjustments of the set distance.

Over the three months in my backpack, alongside other cameras, a tripod, and water bottles, the lens didn’t get a single scratch. I’d have no problem using it in tough conditions, and I’m confident it would always perform flawlessly.

Image Quality

I’ll keep it short: the Lomogon Art Lens is sharp — very sharp — right from corner to corner and at all f-stops. It has a subtle vignette that makes the subject really pop. What I love most about this lens, though, is the slight glow it adds to the brightest highlights. It’s similar to the effect you get with a high-end Black Pro Mist filter, but never over the top — just enough to make it special.

The lens adds a cinematic vibe to the image and softens the highlights, making them feel less harsh. I didn't realize how much I needed this glow, but now I can't imagine shooting without it.

Aperture Wheel

Let’s talk about the aperture wheel. It slightly protrudes from the lens and offers five perfectly round apertures, ranging from f/2.5 to f/11. This creates a beautiful, round bokeh and, honestly, it makes the lens a bit of a fidget toy. Once I have my own, I’m thinking of replacing the aperture wheel with a 3D-printed filter wheel that includes color filters in blue, green, and red for black-and-white photography.

Infrared

I'm a big fan of infrared photography – the strong contrast, the dark sky, and the glowing white leaves have always fascinated me. So, it’s no surprise that the first roll I shot with the Lomogon Art Lens was an infrared film: Ilford SFX 200 with a 720nm filter. The results were fantastic, and the glow is clearly visible. Thanks to the perfectly adjusted flange focal distance, I was able to set the focus to infinity with confidence, knowing that all my photos would be sharp. The lens would get extra points if it had a dedicated infrared focus mark.

Redscale

For the second roll, I used my favorite film from Lomography, the Redscale XR. As an experiment, I shot some frames with an 82B blue filter. All photos were taken at ISO 25 – I think this provides the cleanest look. Lomography Redscale is special to me because it turns even the simplest subjects into dramatic works of art, reminiscent of the Las Vegas scenes from Blade Runner 2049. Just look at the fire shot – no other film could capture it with such intensity and authenticity.

Conclusion

When I first got the lens, I was a bit unsure about the unusual 32mm focal length, as I usually work with a 40mm lens. But over time, I realized that the slightly wider 32mm was a perfect fit for my style. Many of the photos you've seen today wouldn't have been possible with a 40mm lens.

The Lomogon Art Lens might not be cheap, but given its outstanding optics, unique glow, and top-notch craftsmanship, I believe the price is more than justified. I definitely recommend it!

Thank you David for this detailed review. See more of him and his work on his website and his Instagram.

The Lomogon Art Lens is now available with a 30% discount in our Online Shop.

written by dominik_rinortner on 2024-11-10 #gear #people #lomoamigo #lomography-redscale-xr #lomogon-art-lens