The delays are over, and the 75mm Biotar with its swirly bokeh is on sale once again
(Image credit: Meyer Optik Gorlitz)
The Biotar 75mm f/1.5 lens is on sale once again! Pioneered by legendary German lens designer Willi Merté in the 1930s the short telephoto lens was at the time renowned for being one of the fastest portrait lenses available, with a characteristic swirly bokeh, that has led to it being called the Vortex King.
Meyer Optik Görlitz has now brought the lens back to life, using the same Double-Gauss construction with six lenses in four groups. With high image sharpness in the center, coupled with a strong swirly bokeh at open aperture, the legendary imaging characteristics of the Biotar 75 f1.5 II live once again.
Sample images
(Image credit: Meyer Optik Gorlitz)
(Image credit: Meyer Optik Gorlitz)
(Image credit: Meyer Optik Gorlitz)
(Image credit: Meyer Optik Gorlitz)
The Biotar 75mm was one of the lenses first promised by the iconic company when it was itself brought back to life in 2021. "We are very excited to be able to bring this wonderful lens to market, after some unforeseen circumstances that have caused several delays," said Marco Pfeiffer, Managing Director Meyer Optik / OPC Optics.
The lens follows the successful launch of the Biotar 58mm f1.5 II last year and again will be handmade in Hamburg.
The manual focus prime will be available in practically every current lens mount you could name: Canon EF, Canon RF, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Sony, Pentax K, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Leica M, and L-Mount. It retails for $1,399, and customers are warned to expect at least a two-week wait for delivery.
Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography.
His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Nikon D800, a Fujifilm X-T1, a Sony A7, and his iPhone 15 Pro Max.
He has written about technology for countless publications and websites including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Dorling Kindersley, What Cellphone, T3 and Techradar.
