The optic is called "Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens". Like the "old" Petzval lens from Lomography, its design is based on the optics developed by Joseph Petzval in 1840.
The Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens has a focal length of 58 mm and a maximum aperture. As with the 85 mm Petzval lens from Lomography, the aperture is changed by inserting metal plates with different sized openings. Focusing is of course manual; the Petzval lens does not have built-in electronics.
What makes the lens special is, as the name suggests, the ability to change the bokeh (a term for the quality of the blur area of an image).
By turning a ring on the lens, the strength of the bokeh can be influenced.
Update
In the meantime, the funding has been successfully completed. A total of $966,312 was raised from 1801 backers.
