Sweet Lou Photography's Nour Triplet V 2.0/64 Bokeh Control Art Lens First Impressions

Last time we spoke with Lou Guarneri (a.k.a Sweet Lou Photography) was back in 2022, so we knew that the launch of our Nour Triplet V 2.0/64 Bokeh Control Art Lens on Kickstarter was the perfect opportunity to catch up with him while collaborating with our latest lens.

Let's take a look at Lou's amazing lens test as well as his full video review on his YouTube Channel!

Hi Lou, welcome back to Lomography Magazine! Can you fill us in on what you've been up to since we last spoke?

Thanks for having me again, it's always a blast collaborating with the Lomography team. Apart from the typical YouTube stuff and film photography, I've been spending a lot of time in Hyrule. The new Zelda is pretty amazing.

What was your initial impression of shooting with the Nour Triplet Lens?

The Nour Triplet is incredibly unique. I really enjoyed testing out one of the Lomography Art Lenses. While I haven't tried every individual lens offering, the Nour seems to be the most unique of the lineup.

Initially, I found the lens to have a bit of a learning curve. It was tricky to nail focus, especially when changing between the focusing modes on the lens. But with some practice, it became much more seamless. I do believe one has to spend time with this lens in order to really get the most out of it.

Can you tell us a bit about what you decided to shoot with the lens?

I mainly shot portraits with friends — I did some in Long Island City, and some in Connecticut. Since background blur is always important and fun to chat about, the locations mattered a ton to me.

In the city, the lights made for some beautiful bokeh. And in Connecticut, I tried to shoot with more trees in the background.

Do you have any tips or tricks for shooting with the lens?

The best tip I have for the Nour is to practice with it— I could see this being a go-to lens for all sorts of fun projects. But, you also need to learn which focus mode is the right tool for the job.

In a way, the adjustable focus mode system makes it feel like three different lenses. Which is incredibly cool, but if you're working with other people, you probably don't want to be fiddling with it and figuring out what they do on the day of production.

What was your favorite feature of the lens?

My favorite feature has to be the ability to shift the focusing modes. It's tactile, it works very well and produces such unique looks. While the soft look isn't necessarily for me, I know tons of people who would absolutely love that feature.

Honorable mentions definitely include the build quality. It just feels beautifully assembled.

Do you have a favorite shot that you captured with the Nour Triplet Lens?

It's hard to pick a single one because I tried to shoot as much as humanly possible in the short amount of time I had the lens. But I love the close up eye shots I took of Kristen with the leaves dirtying the frame.

I also really loved the vibe of my night shots, lit by the Pepsi sign in Long Island City.

This is not your typical full-frame mirrorless lens. What do you think of the Lomography Art Lens range in general, and the idea of bringing historic references and character to the digital world?

The Lomography Art Lens range consists of super unique lenses in general. If you're someone who enjoys shooting film, you need to try these lenses out at the very least.

I mentioned this in my video about the lens, but I really appreciate the way Lomography finds interesting ways to unify the digital and film experience. In a time where our digital cameras can basically focus themselves, Sony is rolling out AI to recompose images for you, and cameras are becoming so sharp people are going out of their way to soften their images, this lens felt really refreshing to me. It made me feel more connected to my photography and video work.

Regarding the history behind the lens, it's another aspect that makes it super unique. In the promotional media, Lomography mentions a "fascinating yet forgotten scientist" Hasan Ibn al-Haytham. And fascinating is truly the word. I had no idea of his story. It just adds another layer to this already interesting lens.

How would you suggest those interested in picking up this lens work it into cinematography?

The Nour is perfect for cinematography, it's full manual with a de-clicked aperture.

Not to sound like a broken record, but DPs just need to practice, practice, practice. Having focus peaking is a MAJOR help with this lens. And a big, bright EVF doesn't hurt either. I didn't get a chance to test this lens out for a bigger video project, or on a nice video monitor though.

What is your personality? Soft, classic or bubbly?

I'd say I am classic. I am old school in a lot of ways (outside of the whole film photography thing.) I like to write things down physically. I like to listen to my music on some sort of physical medium.

But to verify, I also asked my friends. According to Kristen, I am classic. In her words, "I feel like it's your vibe". (She said that she's bubbly if you were wondering). Cory and Nitara also agree that I am classic. So there you have it.

Anything else you'd like to share?

If this was a video, I probably would just use this clip. I think I've already talked too much. Thanks for having me!

If you're interested in keeping up with Lou and his work, make sure to check out his Instagram and YouTube Channel.

written by eloffreno on 2023-11-27 #gear #people #videos #historical #lens #vintage #historic #lens-test #first-impressions