Dallmeyer Kinematograph 2-inch f/1.9 Reivew – A Petzval with Split Personality
Dallmeyer Kinematograph 2-inch f/1.9 Reivew - A Petzval with Split Personality
Lens Review
Dallmeyer Kinematograph 2-inch f/1.9 Reivew – A Petzval with Split Personality
After acquiring the Dallmeyer Kinematograph 2-inch (50mm) f/1.9 with assistance from Fotopia, memories flooded back about how I first discovered this brand. Long ago, enthusiasts sought Dallmeyer’s large format lenses, typically bulky brass models. The exquisite calligraphy engraved on the lens barrel evoked the feel of a masterpiece. Naturally, Dallmeyer became a brand I dreamed of owning. The Septac and Super-Six are probably the most well-known cine lenses due to their rarity, painterly bokeh, and soft rendering. Notable cine lens manufacturers like Angenieux, Kinoptik, Cooke and Dallmeyer are collectively known as “ACDK.” If you’re new to cine lenses, I’ll briefly cover some background on this lens and the brand.
To be honest, I’ve often overlooked C and K as I’m not yet convinced by their image quality. The Angenieux S1, S5, and S21 really appeal to me, but now their price tags deter me. Instead, I ended up getting a Foca Oplarex 5cm f/1.9 and moved on from the S1. The journey to acquiring this Kinematograph began with a series of portraits shot by Paul Cox, a photographer based in Taiwan. His remarkable work in Southeast Asian countries and Mongolian portrait documentaries deeply moved me. I mistakenly thought those images were taken with a Dallmeyer Super Six 2-inch f/1.9, which is the successor to the Kinematograph. At that time, all I knew was their steep prices and the odd modifications that made them uncomfortable to use until I found this piece.
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Difference Between Normal Lenses and Cine Lenses
Normal lenses and cine lenses differ in terms of softness, contrast, sharpness, and bokeh. The transition in cine lenses might be smoother than in traditional lenses, but this comes with trade-offs like distortion and vignettes, especially as most are designed for motion pictures, not full-frame use. The contrast varies between copies, and many are hard to verify whether they are in their original state or have been modified. These lenses are often uncoated or single coated; an uncoated lens has less correction for sharpness, contrast, and is very prone to flare, creating its own unique character. It’s subjective to say which is better, but cine lenses are distinctly known for their swirly, busy bokeh and the more distinct colour tones they produce, especially when shot with film stock and CCD sensor.
I always ask myself: Is it worth paying so much for a cine lens? To me, the clear answer is no. I don’t believe a cine lens can make a significant difference in our photography; rather, it limits our genre. It can create special effects like softness and glow. Cine lenses are like dessert: sweet but sometimes too sweet, potentially numbing your palate with its singular taste or flavour, bokeh in this case. In contrast, normal Leica lenses are like your daily meal, versatile and suitable for all purposes. People adore the bokeh of cine lenses, but spending thousands just for bokeh doesn’t make sense to me unless you primarily use them for portraits with strong flare and glow. Cine lenses are also made to live in the controlled lighting environments, when light isn’t perfect you cannot juice the charm from it. Modifications can also make these lenses very unfriendly for different situations, which might encourage shooting at the widest aperture.
Dallmeyer
J.H. Dallmeyer, the most famous brand you’ll encounter, is a British company founded by John Henry Dallmeyer on 6 September 1830. He started the business in 1860, initially manufacturing lenses and later producing cameras.
Famous Line-up
- Dallmeyer Septac 2” f/1.5 – a fast 50mm that offers extra softness when wide open
- Dallmeyer Kinematograph 2” f/1.9 – known for its Petzval design with swirly bokeh, great for portraits
- Dallmeyer Super-Six 2” f/1.9 – known for its painterly bokeh and soft rendering at f/1.9, differing optically from the Kinematograph
Petzval Design
Designed by Slovak mathematics professor Joseph Petzval in 1840 in Vienna, the Petzval lens was revolutionary due to its large aperture, allowing shorter exposure times. This design, featuring two doublet lenses, exhibits serious field curvature and vignetting. Despite many imperfections, its swirly bokeh and the “airy” separation between the subject and background are highly desired. There are only a few Petzval lenses for 135 cameras, but one notable model from MS Optics is available for rangefinder cameras.
Kinematograph Versions
The word “Kinematograph” was originally invented by French inventor Leon Mouly. This lens is a 2-inch (50mm equivalent) model with an f/1.9 aperture and no click stops made from 1927-28. Multiple variations exist, including calligraphy, Cinematograph, and Kinematograph versions, all uncoated for projection in cinema or for photography use for the centre part. The main difference lies in the size of the rear element. This lens vignettes at wide open and even at f/8; the version with a larger rear element, described as the “bigger ass” version in Hong Kong, is more expensive but provides the least vignette. If you’re considering one, it’s essential to check the rear part to see if it suits your taste. Either way, some vignette will occur. Also, adding a 34mm filter can cause extra vignette, which is not ideal. This is the only lens I use without a filter, always carrying a cap with me.
Modification
This lens requires adaptation for rangefinder coupling. I specifically requested a brass focusing helicoid in black paint to match the glossy black lens barrel. A brass hood engraved with the brand was made by the lens owner as a gift. For experienced shooters, you know that the markings on these helicoids regarding the range between minimum focusing distance and infinity, plus the depth of field scale, are often inaccurate. This completes my set-up, and most importantly, it can be restored to its original state by unscrewing the lens. The very last important piece is the 0.65m minimum focusing distance, which is very helpful for portraits.
A Lens Born to Take Portraiture
The sharpness is exceptional at the centre, even comparable to my modern 50mm lenses. The transition to the bokeh is very deep and fast, giving you that rush of swirly bokeh. I love vignettes because they darken the corners to draw the viewer to the centre of the photo, also adding an extra cinematic mood. I don’t prefer vignette when the lens is clinical, and you want your image to be very clean and flat. But this lens is a beast; it’s so wild, like a black hole, making everything around the centre swirl.
Because it’s uncoated, it’s great for grading colour and usually results in a lower-contrast look that fits female portraits well. The best range to use it would be from 0.65m to 1.5m for portraits, giving you that nice fall-off once the subject’s eyes hit the sharpness, aided by the serious field curvature that helps with the 3D pop. When I use it, it reminds me of the Noctilux 50mm f/1 lens, which also has a similar 3D pop character.
Uncoated Lens
You can refer to this post for a quick explanation of the coating difference. In short, an uncoated lens will have lower contrast and be more prone to lens flares, making your image unpredictable under different conditions. There are many flaws that could make your images unique, but on the flip side, it can also cause chaos in your photos, sometimes you want something less funky. It’s a perfect lens to work with my Leica M10 Monochrom, where I’ve shot tons of images with it in Osaka and Kyoto. I find it easier to pair with black and white negative film or monochrome cameras than colour because the highlights usually blow out at f/1.9.
Not an Ideal Lens for Street Photography
Practically, it’s not the best lens for everyday street photography. If you want to use it for street photography, I would recommend using this lens at f/4 to f/8 to minimise the strong swirl, if that’s your intention. But for portraits, that swirl can help you draw attention to the subject and make it pop from the background. It kind of recreates the look I want from large format photography. The best distance to use this lens is always 1-2 metres; anything further will have a swirl around the centre, which some people might find distracting and repetitive. I love this lens so much, but my wife prefers something more ordinary.
Final Thoughts
This is not an everyday lens, nor is it for everyone. It’s so particular that you either love it or hate it. If you love portraiture and also like the vintage large format Petzval shot, this is the lens you should try. If you are a street photographer looking to try something different, I can tell you it’s not easy to use and is limited but worth trying. You can get something unusual that stands out from the crowd. If you would like to know more about it, shoot me an email or DM.
I understand that photography comes in different stages, from getting your first Summicron or Voigtlander to upgrading to Summilux or even Noctilux. It’s part of the journey, but don’t overfocus on gear; there are so much more photo opportunities than gears out there. Make good use of it and create some memorable photos. I know this piece will be little known to everyone, but do reach out if you have other content you would love me to cover, and I promise there will be more non-gear content soon! And don’t forget to follow me on social media for more instant updates!
All images have been resized to optimise webpage loading speed. For the highest resolution images, please refer to my Flickr account.
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