About this project
Sometimes, perfect photo opportunities can pass by in a flash. We’ve all been there: we spot something we’d love to photograph but by the time we’ve grabbed our SLR out of the bag, adjusted the focus and framed the shot, the moment has passed. Or we might use our smartphone to take a quick pic but the resolution just isn’t great.
Our solution?
We want to produce a professional-grade lens that will put the “Insta” back into Instagram! We want to bring the spontaneity back to photography while maintaining the highest standards of photo creation.
The C.P. Goerz CITOGRAPH 35 is a revolutionary type of lens – the next big thing in photography. The angle of view corresponds with your natural viewing angle.
Watch the world around you, take part and capture the crucial moment without hesitation or delay. No holding back: there are no mechanics in the lens to slow you down so you’re always ready to shoot.
The CITOGRAPH 35mm is the world’s first ever hyperfocal citography lens, designed to capture a unique moment in time, just as YOU see it. The camera sees what you see. All you need to do is hold up your camera and snap away. Instantly. In the moment.
There is no autofocus, no zoom, no adjusting your aperture. Thanks to a fixed aperture and hyperfocal technology, everything from 3m to infinity is automatically in focus. The Tessar-type lens gives you great sharpness and is packed into a hyper-flat lens design that is both cool and innovative.
The lens gives you endless opportunities to express yourself and create a personal photo diary of your surroundings as you experience them through your own eyes. Support our campaign to help us make this vision a reality.
Citography is a completely new form of spontaneous and pure photography, allowing you to create beautiful and highly professional photos of the world around you – create images that are just as unpredictable and spontaneous as life around you.
With the CITOGRAPH 35mm, you can truly express yourself and tell your very own story – from your own unique viewpoint, without compromising on image quality. It offers a creative freedom that has so far not been possible in photography.
It is the perfect universal lens for this new way of documenting life – citography. With a focal length of 35mm, the possibilities are almost endless: it strikes the perfect balance between a standard-angle and wide-angle lens. And thanks to its hyperfocal technology, you can take stunning pictures of fast-moving objects – talk about capturing a fleeting moment!
About me
“I’ve been working in photography for over 25 years. Street and portrait photography are my two biggest passions and my work has taken me all around the world. I am not a big fan of ‘staging’ my pictures, I’d rather capture the world around me as it is and use different techniques to put my unique spin on it.
The 35mm focal length is ideal for this kind of photography. And I always use an f/8 aperture to achieve the best possible image depth.
So far, other lenses have always been either too bulky for me, or the autofocus took too long when trying to take a spontaneous photo. On top of that, most lenses don’t have an exact focus range. So I ended up missing out on a lot of photo opportunities.
This is how the idea of the CITOGRAPH 35mm was born. With its fixed focus, I am always ready to take instant, high-quality snapshots. The lens is also extremely compact – it easily fits into my bag and goes with me everywhere! And thanks to the large sensor, the CITOGRAPH takes amazing pictures even in low light.”
We have chosen a Tessar-type lens. This lens construction is known for its sharpness but can also be built in a very compact manner which was key to our mission. It has the necessary basic sharpness and contrast required to create those expressive images.
We made the lens super easy, no technical background is needed. But here is a little information on how to use it.
Set your ISO setting to automatic and select “time automatic”. That’s it! You’re ready to go and create your own citography world. You won’t miss anything around you anymore.
- Focal length 35 mm
- Magnification ratio 1:8
- Optical construction 4 elements in 3 groups
- Field of view +/- 31°
- Distortion ≤ 1% Light loss max. 27 %
- Focussing 3m bis ∞
- Filter thread M 37 x 0,75
- Dimensions Ø 58 mm x 23 mm
- Weight ±. 120g
- Nikon
- Canon
- Sony
- Leica M
- Micro Four Thirds
- Fuji
Shipping information:
We will ship your rewards worldwide from Germany. For backers inside the European Union: VAT is not included and has to be added on your end. So please add 19% to your total pledge amount including shipping. Please note there may be extra import costs/customs/taxes to pay upon delivery, depending on your location. Customs and taxes are subject to possible change and applicable law at the time of delivery will have to be taken into account. If you have a question about shipping or handling, please don’t hesitate to contact us! If you have forgotten to add VAT/sales tax to your pledge, you can just raise it as long as the Kickstarter project is live.
Risks and challenges
Before starting this campaign, we have finished the first prototypes and headed to field tests. Additionally we have planned production with potential, competent suppliers.
Now, if this Kickstarter campaign is successful, we are ready to kick-off production. The lens will be made in Asia. Although, we have already planned everything very consciously and are working closely with industry professionals, we might encounter problems in the process of production which we cannot oversee by now. This may cause delays in the delivery.
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