After 12 successful Kickstarters, Lomography has opened up a new crowdfunding campaign for its next lens, the Atoll Ultra-Wide 17mm f/2.8 Art Lens for Nikon Z, Canon RF, Sony E, and Leica M-mount.

“Stop still amid the sea of city-slickers coursing through the gritty streets, wade deep into the dark-green forest and swim among the towering pines, cast off into the sandy desert, voyage into vast open vistas, surf the sidewalk, cruise through the crowds and glide along the great open road. Take a deep breath, dive in with your eyes wide open, set your sights on new ultra-wide possibilities, and drench every inch of your shots in stunning detail with the Lomography Atoll Ultra-Wide Art Lens,” says the company on their Kickstarter’s page.

The Lomography Atoll Ultra-Wide 2.8/17 Art lens is a compact prime lens optimized for photo and video with a helicoid focusing mechanism, dampened aperture control ring, and short focus throw. It also ships with an included Hotshoe-mounted optical viewfinder.

The lens is constructed of sandblasted, anodized aluminum, and its optical design is comprised of 13 elements in 10 groups and offers a 103-degree field of view on full-frame cameras, has an aperture range of f/2.8 through f/22, and uses an eight-blade aperture diaphragm. The lens has “minimal distortion” along with what the company touts as “vibrant colors and strong contrast.” Those colors are created by an enhanced rectilinear optics that Lomography says is used to offer “eye-popping colors and stunning saturation even in low-light situations.”

The lens is Leica M-mount native but also works with Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Sony E mount camera systems when used with Lomography’s close-up lens base, which is effectively an M-mount to RF/Z/E mount adapter. The Leica M mount version has a minimum focusing distance of 25cm while the RF/Z/E mount versions have a minimum focusing distance of 10cm since the close-up lens base effectively works as an extender.
The Leica M mount version also features a rangefinder coupling for an optimal user experience.

“In order to make sure this awesome invention could be used with as many camera set-ups as possible, Lomography cleverly designed it to work with Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E cameras when the close-up lens base is attached and M mount analog and digital cameras when it is not. Voilà! Now you can render iconic Lomography aesthetics across an impressive field of view using digital and analog cameras with just one compact prime lens.”

Here some sample images provided by Lomography:

Across the board, the Leica M mount version is $50 cheaper, as it doesn’t require the close-up lens base. The Early Bird special for the Leica M mount version starts at $399, while the RF/Z/E mount models start at $449. The first units are on track to be delivered to backers in August 2021.
The Atoll Ultra-Wide 17mm f/2.8 Art Lens will retail for $549 (for Leica M mount version, $600 for RF/Z/E mount version) when it becomes available to purchase by the public after the Kickstarter campaign.

More info on Lomography’s Kickstarter.