Back in 2015, Myer-Optik ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring back the legendary 100mm F/2.8 Trioplan lens, famous for what they call soap bubble bokeh, with a modern design and some modern improvements. They began shipping that lens a few months ago, and shortly thereafter launched its second Kickstarter campaign, this time, to revive and modernize another legendary Trioplan lens: the F2.9/50mm.
To say that its current campaign has gone well is a severe understatement. As of this writing the campaign, which still has 5 days remaining, has raised nearly $600,000 for Myer-Optik to use in its efforts to bring back the Trioplan F2.9/50mm. This is almost twelve times its initial goal of $50,000, and proves that interest in modern interpretations of vintage and classic photography gear is still very much alive and well.
A large part of the success Myer-Optik has seen in the reception of these modernized Trioplan lenses can be attributed to its strategy of inclusion. Unlike many lens makers nowadays, who only make lenses for specific camera mounts, Myer-Optik took a different approach, designing these lenses to be compatible with virtually every modern lens mount. Combined with solid build quality and the legendary nature of its classic counterparts, it makes these lenses something that intrigues both amateur and professional photographers around the world.
Myer-Optik isn’t done here either. In the latest update on the F2.9/50mm’s Kickstarter page the company has teased that a third Trioplan will be coming in 2017. They didn’t say which one, but they did note that it will be the last Trioplan reboot they take on. If they continue getting wider with the focal lengths, one possibility could be the F2.8/17mm Trioplan, or, if they decide to go telephoto, the F3.5/210mm.
Your guess is as good as ours at this point, but it will be interesting to see which lens they choose to revive for 2017.
