Thypoch’s Ksana 21mm f/3.5mm: vintage design, modern optics

The first lens of the Ksana series, the 21mm f/3.5 is a highly portable and discreet lens, made for inspirational street, travel, and documentary photography.

With the introduction of the new 21mm f/3.5 M mount lens, the herald of a new series, Ksana, Thypoch also announces the start of a specialized project – Epoch Coating, which aims at exploring the aesthetic soul of different eras. Drawing from the deep heritage in cinema optics, Thypoch has successfully translated the magnificent flare of cinema lenses into the world of still photography.

Epoch Coating 73, used in the lens, give is its retro look, blending classic aesthetics with vintage rendering. Thypoch says that “Epoch Coating. 73’ brings that 70’s cinematic aesthetic, golden bloom, and soft, delicate color rendering into modern photography. The Ksana 21mm blends classic optical craftsmanship with the artistic soul of vintage lens coatings, for exceptional sharpness and vibrant, saturated colors.”

A “pocket-size” lens, Thypoch claims, the Ksana 21mm f/3.5 keeps things light and agile.  Despite its ability to capture crisp detail all the way from portrait to landscape, and from wide angle to close focus, the all-aluminum, featherweight Ksana Lens’ ultra-compact size – just 27mm high and weighing only 131g – guarantees effortless handheld shooting, all day. Highly portable and discreet, it’s made for inspirational street, travel, and documentary photography.

Despite its light weight and pocketable form, the Ksana 21mm’s optical structure delivers, the company adds, “high resolution with great suppression of unwanted chromatic aberration. This is a result of a design that includes a compact eight-element, six-group optical design, featuring 1 ASPH (Aspherical), 2 ED (Extra-low Dispersion), and 3 HRI (High Refractive Index) elements. The nine-blade diaphragm provides apertures from f/3.5 to f/22 for rounded highlights, with especially crisp 18-point starbursts at f/4.”

The lens has a wide 21mm angle, with a 0.5m minimum focusing distance. It offers an 80.2° horizontal field of view on full-frame cameras, with imperceptible distortion. Maintaining the classic Leica rangefinder charm, the lens ensures precision for film and digital photographers alike. A tactile reminder at 0.7m alerts you when the rangefinder uncouples, signaling a switch to EVF focusing.

The Ksana 21mm f/3.5 features a vintage-inspired body with a scalloped focus ring and crescent-shaped tab. Ergonomic contours align with your fingers for a comfortable grip and intuitive handling, ensuring stable, precise control even during fast focusing.

The lens evokes the best of vintage design, complementing any compatible camera, and is available in classic black or silver. Ergonomic contours align with creative fingers, for a comfortable grip and intuitive handling, ensuring stable, precise control even during fast focusing. Its smooth, well-crafted feel makes it an ideal match for Leica cameras, offering a retro look with contemporary reliability, perfect for artists seeking a balance of style and performance.

The Thypoch Ksana 21mm f/3.5, available in M mount,  has a suggested retail price of $549/€ 479. Standard package includes front and rear caps, and warranty card.