Anyone actually use a Lensbaby?

William Petruzzo · Jul 16, 2009

I keep seeing ads on the site here. Last night I went and looked and frankly, it looks pretty cool. Plus, it's only 150 bucks.

So anyone actually use this thing? What's it like?

Johnboy2978 · Jul 16, 2009

It seems like a bit of a fad. There were several users of them on here a couple of years ago when they first came out. Then it seems that many started to experiment with either their own or publically available photoshop actions that tried to mimic the effect. I think many found the action was close enough to the real deal to avoid spending the cash. It's a specialty lens which has it's place I guess. It seemed to have a much shorter life than something like HDR for instance though.

William Petruzzo · Jul 16, 2009

It seemed to have a much shorter life than something like HDR for instance though.

I think that's interesting. But It might just be because I rarely see an HDR worth noting.

soylentgreen · Jul 17, 2009

I have the 2nd generation and now the composer. I enjoy using it to break the monotony once in a while and try to reinvigorate my creativity. I do not like touching my photos much in PP, so this was the answer for me. Even Photoshop does not quite mimic the effect correctly, especially in the bokeh area. It did not produce the same effect on a crop sensor as it does on a FF, so keep that in mind.

William Petruzzo · Jul 17, 2009

It did not produce the same effect on a crop sensor as it does on a FF, so keep that in mind.

Yeah, I'm shooting on a 5D, so I don't need to worry about the crop sensor. I came across one on Amazon selling for about 60 bucks, which seems worth it to me. I'd imagine I'd use it in a similar way to you.

Antarctican · Jul 17, 2009

I have one of the second generation lensbabies, and although I don't use it very often (even though I keep meaning to!), it's fun to use. It takes some getting used to to figure out the focal point, but in the right situation it can be used to make a very creative and interesting shot

DScience · Jul 17, 2009

I haven't used on directly, but have done quite a bit of research and have looked at tons of peoples lensbaby photos on flickr. I definitely will be getting one at some point, and I think it's 100% worth it. It opens up a whole new arena for creativity, and you can get shots that are impossible to get any other way, even with PP. I would say grab it for sure!

Josh66 · Jul 17, 2009

soylentgreen said:
It did not produce the same effect on a crop sensor as it does on a FF, so keep that in mind.

Good, bad, or just different?

...I've been thinking of getting the composer.

BTW, what is the focal length? I didn't see where it said on the website...

JerryPH · Jul 17, 2009

I find no reason to pick one of those up, I can pretty much duplicate the effects in post process.

William Petruzzo · Jul 17, 2009

JerryPH said:
I find no reason to pick one of those up, I can pretty much duplicate the effects in post process.

I don't think that quite catches the mood. Although I'm sure it could be done in PP.

I'm more interested in the focal imprecision. Some thing more like this:
http://lensbaby.com/gallery-storage/381.jpg

NateWagner · Jul 17, 2009

oi, I really don't like those zoom focus type shots, they make me dizzy.

fast1 · Jul 18, 2009

JerryPH said:
I find no reason to pick one of those up, I can pretty much duplicate the effects in post process.

how do you do that?

soylentgreen · Jul 18, 2009

O|||||||O said:
soylentgreen said:

It did not produce the same effect on a crop sensor as it does on a FF, so keep that in mind.

Click to expand...

Good, bad, or just different?

...I've been thinking of getting the composer.

BTW, what is the focal length? I didn't see where it said on the website...

Crop sensor will not get you the whole blur effect at the peripherals due to the smaller size, it will cut that portion out. The focal length is about 50mm I believe. The radial blur technique does not really produce the same bokeh that the Lensbaby will produce. I will try to dig up a photo and post.

bitteraspects · Jul 18, 2009

lensebabies have no practical use whatsoever, and as previously stated, the effects can be easily duplicated in PP.
if you want to be taken seriously, save your money for something useful.
however if you just want something to play with to post "look at my lensebaby" pics on the internet, then $60 is not a bad price for ine.