Meyer Optik Görlitz has announced the release of the Biotar 75mm f/1.5 II. This is a new edition of what the manufacturer describes as a world-famous lens with the most sought-after bokeh in the world.

Willi Merté and Meyer Optik created the first Biotar 75mm f/1.5 lens in the 1930s. According to Görlitz, it took almost no time for that lens to develop a positive reputation and economic success. However, due to World War II and the related high production costs, the company was forced to discontinue production of the lens relatively shortly after it was introduced to the market. The combination of high-quality optics and appeal, as well as relative scarcity, made it an extraordinarily uncommon and sought-after optic.

Meyer Optik Görlitz has now replicated that lens in the present day, even down to the optical architecture, which forms a double-gauss lens composed of six components grouped in four groups.

According to the company, it was finally able to bring version two of the lens to market after multiple unforeseen circumstances that have caused several delays. The most recent previous release by the business was the 58mm f/1.5 II, which was released last fall. Previously, it was a 32mm f/2.8 II that received favorable reviews.

This new Biotar 75mm f/1.5 II lens offers a high level of sharpness in the center surrounded by strong swirly bokeh at open apertures. The swirly bokeh is generated in a circular pattern resembling a vortex, and that is what made the first version of the lens so popular.

“The sharpness in the center of the image and the wonderfully drawn bokeh in the blur give the subject a slightly three-dimensional feel,” Meyer Optik Görlitz claims. “At the same time, the overall image appears somewhat delicate, which can create a great contrast in available light situations with clear shadows and highlights in the background.”

According to the company, the goal was to capture the original lens’s historic image characteristics while also enhancing it with new technologies (such as high-end glass, special coatings, and high-precision manufacturing) to combine with today’s cameras.

“Even minimally stopped down (from f/2.0), the Biotar 75mm f/1.5 II shows even more contrast, and between f/5.6 and f/8, the Biotar 75 f1.5 II reaches its maximum sharpness,” Meyer Optik Görlitz says. “In this respect, it makes many comparatively ‘young’ lenses look very old.”

The lens is completely manual and has a stepless, silent aperture diaphragm with 15 blades, which is significantly more than is normal in current lenses.

Here are some sample pictures:

The Meyer Optik Görlitz Biotar 75mm f/1.5 II is available starting today for $1,520. It is available in 10 mounts: Canon EF, Canon RF, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Sony E, Leica L, Fujifilm X, Leica M, Micro Four Thirds, and Pentax K.