First Impressions of the Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens: Takeshi Suga

Takeshi Suga’s expertise is concert photography, so he has plenty of experience shooting in dim but neon-lit environments. He recently put the Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens to the ultimate focus test: tumbling strobe lights and night skylines.

This lens has a fascinating history, so let’s play the association game. What came to mind when you first saw the Daguerreotype Art Lens? What is special about its build?

Gold vintage-like body and Waterhouse aperture system are impressive.

What did you take pictures of? What camera did you use?

I kept the lens by my side all day long and shot a lot of objects. I captured concert scenes, portraits, night shots, and flowers. The lens is compact so you can bring it everywhere without any difficulties. I had mine mounted on a Canon EOS 1DX.

Did the Daguerreotype Art Lens impart a special look to your photos? Tell us about your first photo session.

Every photo I shot with the lens has a touch of softness. It works especially well with a woman’s portrait. When I shot gigs, it was little bit hard to focus on moving objects but in the end I got great photos, distinct from digital photos taken with normal lenses.

In terms of your own photography needs, what is the best feature of the Daguerreotype Art Lens?

The softness effect that other digital lenses cannot bring.

How does Daguerreotype Art Lens differ from other Lomography Art Lenses?

I only used Petzval in the past. If we call Petzval the “bokeh” lens then Daguerreotype is a “soft-focus” lens. Also, the closest focal distance is 0.4 so you can get closer than Petzval. It means Daguerreotype is much better when you try close-up photos.

Let’s get technical. What tip would you give to a first-time user?

Same as Petzval, you have to choose object you shoot. Daguerreotype performs best work when you shoot portrait or close-up. Keep some distance between the object and the background. If you like soft effect, go with no aperture plates. Don’t tweak sharpness too much in post-production stage, it will kill the Daguerreotype’s character!

2016-04-22 #gear #ข่าวสาร #daguerreotype #takeshi-suga #kickstarter #achromat #artlens #lomographyartlenses #daguerreotype-achromat-art-lens