First Impressions of the Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens: Axel Gülcher

In Axel Gülcher’s soft-lit world, photography is a kind of detail obsession. His love for glorious textures and pastel dreamscapes had us convinced that Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens would be right up his alley.

His albums brim with macro details on silken backgrounds of clouds and flower beds. We wanted to find out well our new lens holds up to Gülcher’s standards of saccharine beauty, so we had him bring along his new pal Daguerre to a holiday in France.

How long have you been taking pictures?

I’ve been interested in photography almost all of my life. When I was a little boy, about 7 years old, I got an analogue camera with a zoom lens and autofocus for Christmas. Then I had one of my first DSLRs with the money I earned through work. Now, years later, I still love to shoot. I have several analogue and digital cameras, from instant cameras, point and shoot to medium-format SLRs. So to answer the question, photography is in my DNA.

Why did you decide to join the Lomography community online? What have you learned about photography in your years as a Lomographer?

I got a Diana F+ with a 35mm back from my little brother for Christmas four years ago. For years before that, I was shooting just with my DSLR. I didn’t have much experience with a film camera before getting the Diana F+, so as expected, I had some problems with it at first. I got addicted right away and bought more cameras and films and joined the Community. I think the most important part that I learned is to be patient and to work accurately.

This lens has a fascinating history so let’s play the association game. What came to mind when you first saw the Daguerreotype Achromat 2.9/64 Art Lens? What is special about its build?

I was asked if I wanted to test a new lens but nobody told me what it was about. So I was not sure what to expect. It also could have been a cheap plastic thing or anything. So when I saw the lens my lips made a smile and my eyes sparkled. I can’t tell much about it but it felt really good to work with it, and it looks really cool. I noticed a lot of people were looking at it when I was using it.

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

When I was asked if I wanted to test the lens, I did not really had time for it because it was the weekend before my vacation. I was a bit sad and told them that I have no time for it but the people at Lomography offered me to take it with me to the Côte d’Azur. It was awesome but it also made me a bit nervous because I had to shoot with it for a week without seeing any results or knowing exactly how the photos will look like.

I planned to take usual vacation photos as well, so I decided to bring my digital Fuji for the holiday snaps. I also brought a Nikon FE2 and Daguerreotype Art Lens as my only lens for it. I decided to do that so I can focus on just shooting with that lens.

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

It was an eight-day photo session in Nice, Cannes and Monaco without knowing a lot about the lens. I shot 5 rolls and used all kinds of different films. So I would say it was a mixture of feelings. Since I did not have the chance to shoot portraits there, I focused on plants and tried to create a dreamy look.

The lens is a continuation of Lomography’s experimental tradition. What special effects have you done using the lens?

I tried a lot. I tried all apertures, I tried to come as close as possible and use it on infinite focus. I also tried to focus well and tried to unfocus to get an even more dreamy look.

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

Definitely the soft touch. It was hard for me to figure it out at first but after seeing my photos, I now have a lot of ideas of how I would use it in the future.

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

I think it differs from every lens I ever used. There are a lot of lenses with a large aperture or with a nice bokeh but I’ve never used a lens that makes such wonderful dreamy photos.

Why use a special lens at all?

I guess there are a lot of different motivations for everybody. For the most part it is exciting to try something new, to see how it works and to understand how you can get the best out of it.

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

I would suggest this for anybody: Go crazy on the first roll. Try all apertures, try to do photos in and off-focus, different distances and so on. You will learn so much from that one roll.

2016-04-30 #gear #news #daguerreotype #kickstarter #achromat #artlens #lomographyartlenses #daguerreotype-achromat-art-lens