New ExperimentalOptics 35mm f/2.7 full frame pancake lens for Leica M mount is now listed for funding on Kickstarter:
The ExperimentalOptics 35mm f/2.7 full frame pancake lens, 7mm thin, 40g light, stealth, sturdy and razor sharp. This is not just an engineering achievement, it is truly the perfect lens for photographers: it puts the least amount of glass and kit between you and your world. It’s a joy to handle and operate, a beautifully crafted object in itself, and creates absolutely stunning results. Our careful choice of focal length, aperture, design and handling allow photographers to capture the world exactly as they see it and truly express their creative vision.
This is not a toy lens. It is a special piece of equipment for professionals, aficionados and connoisseurs. We spent more than two years developing and testing it, and now it’s ready. Almost, that is, because it still needs to be produced… To bring this unique, uncompromising project to life, we’ve gone on Kickstarter. Check out the campaign at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1745517054/35mm-f-27-the-smallest-fastest-pancake-lens-in-the
The lens has a clever combined Leica M and M39 mount to make it usable universally, including on any mirrorless camera present or future. It all will be handmade and, as a result, in very limited quantities only. We expect to ship a first batch of 20 lenses in 2018 and a second batch of another 20 lenses in 2019. That should make this not only the tiniest, but also one of the rarest lenses in the world.
We are not associated with any brand or entity in the lens or crowdfunding world. We are a small collective of enthusiasts and deliver what we promise. We already proved this in 2016 with our first project: the fastest lens in the world, the full frame 50mm f/0.75! It was a resounding success. Incidentally, the last three copies ever of this lens can now be obtained as a special supporter package in our new crowdfunding campaign.
