When you look beyond the 24-70mm f/2.8, the 50mm f/1.4, and the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses of the photography world, you can quickly discover there is a huge array of exciting, noteworthy, or in some cases, just weirdly enticing optics. And once you dig even deeper than the 12-24mm f/2.8, the 58mm f/1.4, or the 200mm f/2, you get to some of the most unique optics out there; a select group of lenses that instantly trigger a picture in your mind or are simply well known for how they operate, look, or even just the prestige they exude. Though some are older classics and some are cutting edge, the qualities of these lenses allow you to produce distinct imagery, either due to the actual picture quality or in how you were able to make the photo. Let’s take a look at seven of these unique optics.
Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo
The only lens on our list that is incapable of achieving infinity focus, Canon's MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens is dedicated to close-up, high-magnification shooting. Spanning a range of 1:1 to 5:1 magnification, this lens already has most lenses beat at its minimum magnification, and when used at its five-times-greater-than-life-size setting, you are able to fill an entire full-frame sensor with a grain of rice. As a side effect of the magnification range, the lens also has a stringent working distance range of just 4" to 1.6" from the front of the lens. Luckily, this macro optic is designed to be paired with Canon's Macro Ring Lite and Macro Twin Lite to provide sufficient illumination for such close-up subjects.
Moving inside the lens, a floating system is employed to maintain a high degree of quality throughout the, albeit quite short, focusing range. One Ultra Low Dispersion glass element is also featured in the design, which helps to control chromatic aberrations and distortions for cleaner, sharper imagery—a definite necessity when working with such fine details. And, expectedly, the lens also features a manual focus-only design for more fine-tuned control.
Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD
At the beginning of 2014, Fujifilm released one of the now most popular lenses of its lineup, the XF 56mm f/1.2 R. This is still the fastest lens in the XF lineup and offers an 85mm equivalent focal length, which when combining the bright aperture and short telephoto focal length, make for a truly ideal portraiture lens.
Nine months later in 2014, Fujifilm unexpectedly announced a counterpart to this lens, dubbed the XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD. Offering a nearly identical feature set, this new version differentiates itself from the original 56mm f/1.2, as well as nearly any other lens currently available, through the inclusion of an apodization filter. Signified by the APD in the name, this apodization filter is a unique tool that helps to achieve smoother, creamier bokeh with a more dramatic blurred look in selective-focus and shallow-depth-of-field images. Rather than featuring a conventional single set of aperture values, this lens has two separate sets: one that indicates the effective aperture as it relates to depth of field, and the other as it relates to the f/stop value. A radial graduated neutral density filter is then used to produce this smoothing effect, which lends a softer blur quality at the widest few aperture values; a rounded seven-blade diaphragm is also featured, to produce circular out-of-focus specular highlights.
Aside from the uniqueness of this lens, it also pulls its weight in other regards, including the integration of one aspherical element and two extra-low dispersion elements, which help to reduce chromatic aberrations and color fringing. A Super EBC coating controls flare and ghosting for increased contrast and color neutrality, and an inner focusing mechanism offers responsive focusing performance.
Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH.
Perhaps the most notorious lens on this list, the Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH. has gained such a cult status over the course of its lifespan that it is undoubtedly the top item on the wish-lists of many Leicaphiles. This newest iteration of the Noctilux debuted in 2008, succeeding the classic f/1 version that held the M-mount lens crown for more than 30 years, which itself succeeded the first f/1.2 Noctilux of 1966. Undoubtedly the most notable attribute of this lens is its bright f/0.95 maximum aperture, which allows for easier handheld shooting in low light, as well as extensive control over depth of field for selective-focus effects.
While not the sharpest lens Leica has ever produced, the Noctilux does provide a distinct image quality when shooting at the wide end. Vignetting and a slight overall softness give an ethereal character to imagery that complements the shallow depth of field afforded by the bright aperture. This is not to say that the lens is not sharp—it is, just not to the same clinical degree as the 50mm Summilux. Two aspherical elements and floating elements design contribute to this selective sharpness at the wider apertures, as well as control any aberrations, distortions or flare. And as with all Leica M mount lenses, the Noctilux is a manual focus, manual aperture lens with smooth, well-damped controls and a substantial-for-its-size weight of 1.5 lb.
Lomography Petzval 85mm f/2.2
Another lens adored for its unique selective-focus control, Lomography's Petzval 85mm f/2.2 is a contemporary riff on the first Petzval lens design from 1840, which has been updated for use on Canon and Nikon DSLRs. Borrowing both the exterior and optical designs of its 175-year-old sibling, Lomo's Petzval lens is instantly recognizable by its brass barrel, and the image it produces is also quite distinct. Besides the inherent shallow depth of field, the portrait-length lens also achieves notable field curvature with swirly bokeh for an aesthetic quality that complements portraiture.
Another distinction this lens has is its use of Waterhouse stops instead of a common iris-style aperture ring. These drop-in aperture plates permit working with full f/stops from f/2.2 to f/16, and creative accessory aperture plates can also be used to gain creatively shaped out-of-focus highlights. The Petzval also features a unique manual focus design based on a geared rack-focus mechanism for focusing as close as 3.3' from a subject. The optics are constructed using multi-coated Russian glass to maintain the classic image quality characteristic of the Petzval design, yet still afford notable sharpness and clarity well suited to modern DSLR image sensors.
Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 APO EX DG
Easily one of the more recognizable lenses to be released in relatively recent history, Sigma's 200-500mm f/2.8 APO EX DG is the longest zoom to feature a constant f/2.8 maximum aperture... and that's not even the only truly unique feature of this massive lens. Painted a hunter green, reminiscent of the Green Monster at Fenway, this nearly 35-lb lens utilizes its own rechargeable battery to power the zoom and focusing actions, and it includes a dedicated 2x teleconverter to produce an effective 400-1000mm f/5.6 range. Among other impressive attributes, the lens accepts 72mm drop-in filters via the included filter holder, a built-in LCD shows you the zoom position and shooting distance and, rather than rotating the lens to switch to vertical shooting orientation, the rear of the lens unlocks for rotating the camera.
In regard to the optical design, the lens is deemed an apochromat and includes both extra-low dispersion and Special Low Dispersion glass elements in its design to correct for a range of aberrations and distortions. A Super Multi-Coating has also been applied to reduce lens flare and ghosting to benefit working in harsh lighting conditions.
Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4 Macro
The widest lens in our unique optics list, the Laowa 15mm f/4 Macro, from Venus Optics, also lets you photograph close-up subjects at a life-size 1:1 magnification ratio from a working distance of just 0.2". The mixture of such a wide focal length with macro performance enables you to create striking imagery from a truly unique perspective that mixes both a wide field of view with dynamic close-up detail. Compatible with full-frame sensors, too, this lens is also able to achieve infinity focus for use as a relatively bright super-wide-angle lens.
The physical design of the lens also incorporates +/- 6mm of rise and fall (vertical shift) that is usable when working with APS-C sensors or in crop mode on full-frame cameras. The ability to adjust your perspective complements the wide field of view of the lens and allows for easier adjustment over your composition. Additionally, helping to maintain a high degree of sharpness and clarity, the lens incorporates one extra-low dispersion element and three high-refractive index elements.
Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 and 25mm f/2
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Concluding our look at some of the most unique lenses available for photographers is a pair of lenses united under a newly developed lens series from Zeiss: the Batis 85mm f/1.8 and the Batis 25mm f/2. Distinct from the majority of lenses from Zeiss themselves, Batis lenses are at the technological forefront of design, rather than solely championing their optical prowess and featuring conservative handling tactics of the majority of Zeiss's SLR lens designs.
Built specifically for full-frame Sony E mount mirrorless cameras, the Batis series comprises autofocus-enabled lenses that are visually characterized by an OLED screen on the top of the barrel, replacing a conventional depth-of-field or distance scale. This screen displays an exacting measurement of the focus distance and depth-of-field range for quickly recognizing your shooting parameters, even when working in low-light conditions.
Apart from the OLED screen, the two lenses themselves are built to the exacting quality Zeiss is known for. The 85mm f/1.8 uses a Sonnar concept and floating elements design for consistent sharpness and illumination throughout the focusing range. Also rare for Zeiss, and even for a prime, the 85mm f/1.8 has optical image stabilization to minimize the appearance of camera shake. The 25mm f/2 features a Distagon optical concept, which uses four double-sided aspherical elements, along with a floating elements system to reduce aberrations and distortions. Both lenses also sport weather-resistant construction for use in trying environments.
