anyone used one of the newer lensbabies?

punchdrunk · 08-04-2009 9:57pm #1

hey folks,eh the title said it all really! anyone tried this version

this looks like a much better design than the old one i seen a couple of years back?

stabo · 08-04-2009 10:02pm

What the hell can that do? never heard of it before.

punchdrunk · 08-04-2009 10:06pm

basically a very cheap Holga like lens,it's got a "sweet-spot" in it's centre which you can move as the front of the lense is able to shift

on the old design it was a bit hard to use as it had to be locked in place by turning three "legs",this new one seems to have some sort of clutch in it

check it out

http://www.lensbaby.com/lenses-composer.php

af_thefragile · 08-04-2009 11:35pm

so its basically a cheap tilt-shift lens...?

punchdrunk · 08-04-2009 11:40pm

af_thefragile wrote: »

so its basically a cheap tilt-shift lens...?

kinda it will tilt the focus area but it doesn't really shift to correct perspective

Anouilh · 09-04-2009 10:06am

http://www.pictureline.com/newsletter/article.php?id=668

Does it have the same bright qualities of a 50mm prime lens?

DaireQuinlan · 09-04-2009 10:22am

Its also not particularly cheap. $270 is pretty expensive for a cheap glass meniscus lens on a swivelly mount. Better off making it yourself

democrates · 09-04-2009 6:04pm

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

Its also not particularly cheap. $270 is pretty expensive for a cheap glass meniscus lens on a swivelly mount. Better off making it yourself

Now that's the kind of hack that I love, except yours works! Can't have been easy making the light tight bellows, I remember looking at flexible ducting in Woodies for something similar but the right size in black wasn't there. There aren't enough hours in the day.

PS OP you can always check out flickr for sample shots of a lens eg http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/lensbabycomposer/

punchdrunk · 09-04-2009 8:41pm

thanks lads,eh i don't think it'll be getting DIY on this one though!

gonna pick one up soon,thanks lads

DaireQuinlan · 09-04-2009 9:14pm

punchdrunk wrote: »

thanks lads,eh i don't think it'll be getting DIY on this one though!

gonna pick one up soon,thanks lads

If you're shooting nikon, check if your camera can meter with it. I presume its not chipped so all the usual caveats apply. IE if your camera can't meter with manual focus nikkors then I'd imagine it won't with the lensbaby.

punchdrunk · 09-04-2009 10:01pm

Hi Daire my D300 may not,I think the D1x will be grand though...

DaireQuinlan · 09-04-2009 10:07pm

punchdrunk wrote: »

Hi Daire my D300 may not,I think the D1x will be grand though...

Actually, you should be fine with both. The D300 works fine with all the manual focus AIS and AI lenses so the lensbaby shouldn't give it any troubles in that regard. Its more the consumer bodies, D90 and below, and the fuji spinoffs that won't meter with MF lenses.

Moonstar · 24-04-2009 3:55pm

I think the creative aperture accessories are the coolest things about the new lensbabies (don't have one, just looking at some of the photos taken with it).
http://www.lensbaby.com/accessories-creative.php

It makes the bokeh all awesome along the lines of,

Think it comes with star and heart shapes, then blank discs so you can cut out your own aperture design.

anyone used one of the newer lensbabies?

Comments