Following the unveiling of the New Petzval 85 Art Lens in 2013, we received tons of requests for a lens which offered more control over the swirly bokeh effect and a more standard focal length. Because of this enthusiasm, we decided to bring the New Petzval 58 project to Kickstarter. With the overwhelming support of over 1800 backers, we were able to turn the New Petzval 58 from a bright-eyed idea into a reality in a mere 30 days. Over the course of our Kickstarter campaign in June 2015, we once again saw the passion for Petzval photography spread around the world!

We designed the New Petzval 58 from the ground up — meaning we put this lens together from scratch and developed entirely new optical calculations. An especially critical component was the mechanical design of the lens — the Bokeh Control Ring in particular, which is a completely new concept. We wanted to allow for more freedom over the swirly bokeh than ever before, but also wanted to maintain the quality and character of the Petzval tradition. So with the help of the skilled team of technicians at Zenit in Russia, we tackled this project head on and came out on the other end with the New Petzval 58 in our grasp!