LensBaby, Your Thoughts ?

Deo · May 2, 2012

I'm getting my lensbaby tommorow, the composer pro with double grass, single glass, plastic, pinhole/zone plate. Just want to know your thoughts. for you is it a way to have fun, waste or money, or maybe you love your lens baby?

Thanks in advance

o hey tyler · May 2, 2012

I think it's a waste of money to put a lens baby on good glass. But that is of course, my opinion.

If you're a hobbyist with a kit lens, it's one thing. It's an affordable way to get sort of creative effects, but not something I would ever consider using personally under any circumstances.

cgipson1 · May 2, 2012

Pretty much agree with Tyler! I like sharp photos.. unless I INTENTIONALLY do something out of focus... Lensbaby is just too random and variable, IMO. Hipster ART for the unwashed masses! lol!

Forkie · May 2, 2012

I don't have one but would like to play with one. Not sure I'd buy one though, I'd just play with someone else's!

Chris R · May 2, 2012

Everything I've seen using those looked awful so I'm going to say they're a waste of money.

mikeduk · May 2, 2012

I agree with forkie, although they don't offer amazing image quality I have seen some very interesting shots taken with them.

They have had some very good reviews and although they are pretty specialised I wouldn't turn one down!

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts after you've had it a few days.

AceCo55 · May 2, 2012

I have no interest in getting one or using one. Don't like the effect - consider it a plaything. I think people have been "duped" into thinking the results look good ... bit like the emperor wearing no clothes. Luckily for the company, there are people who completely disagree with me! I won't be buying one this century ... or the next.

Derrel · May 2, 2012

I own three Lensbaby lenses...I understand the philosophy behind the various models they have made over the last decade or so. My personal favorite is the original Lensbaby, with the poorest lens system, with the most CA, and the worst edge softness. The Lensbaby is for people who understand the idea of committing to a less-than-perfect image, as seen through the viewfinder. The effects possible with the various Lensbabies are pretty varied; the later, better-glass models, with higher correction of optical aberrations, are actually "fairly" sharp in the center of the image, and they allow the user access to swings and tilts of the lens, which is a cool way to achieve unusual focus and depth of field effects. One can also use telephoto converters with a Lensbaby, which gives an entirely new range of possibilities. In a way, the Lensbaby concept hearkens back to the late 19th century-early 20th century Pictorialist movement, with its emphasis on image mood and feeling, rather than on the anal-retentive fixation on maximal sharpness and highest contrast, as espoused so tirelessly and vociferously by Ansel Adams and the rest of the Group f/64 wingnuts.

As with ANY lens or creative tool or technique, the end result is only as good as the effort put in to it. One of the most common uses of the Lensbaby is to create very shallow, selective depth of field effects. Prior to the Lensbaby being invented, there was a group of very dedicated macro enthusiasts who sought out old, discarded photo copier lenses and such....lenses that had EXTREMELY wide, fixed apertures, like f/.75 and in that range. These ultra-speed photocopier lenses when used for photographing three-dimensional objects, like flowers, have "paper-thin" depth of field. Mishele, a TPF member here, works in that same basic genre quite successfully--beautiful,ethereal images that have lots of out of focus area, and very small sections that are in sharp focus.

Josh66 · May 2, 2012

o hey tyler said:
I think it's a waste of money to put a lens baby on good glass.

You don't put it on the lens, it IS the lens.

Obviously, they're not for everyone. If you look at charts before you buy a lens, you probably don't want a Lensbaby.

I have one (the Muse with the plastic lens), and it is fun. Sometimes you can get a pretty cool effect with it, but there is a lot of trial and error. Plan on deleting a lot of pictures, lol.

I thought this one was pretty cool:

IMG_9078 by J E, on Flickr

That's with a plastic lens, so it's never really going to be 'sharp'. I forget what the aperture was on that, but it was probably wide open, or close to it.

zamanakhan · May 3, 2012

Pieces of crap, want to buy mine? I have been surprised as how sharp the double glass can be under the right conditions, everytime I take it out, I just wish I had brought along my 35 1.8 instead. Make sure if you are going to bring it out for a shoot, leave all the rest of the gear at home or else you won't use it. I may take it out again, for a day or two see what I come up with, but it doesn't impress me too much. Focusing it is a bit of a pain as mine had a little jump. I think the tilt transformer is kinda worth a second look but it's only for 4/3 bodies.

For the price of their decent optics you can just buy a 35 1.8 or 85 1.8. Just not worth it to me.

I should put mine up for sale, someone else might have more fun with it than me.

PapaMatt · May 3, 2012

O|||||||O said:
o hey tyler said:

I think it's a waste of money to put a lens baby on good glass.

Click to expand...

You don't put it on the lens, it IS the lens.

Obviously, they're not for everyone. If you look at charts before you buy a lens, you probably don't want a Lensbaby.

I have one (the Muse with the plastic lens), and it is fun. Sometimes you can get a pretty cool effect with it, but there is a lot of trial and error. Plan on deleting a lot of pictures, lol.

I thought this one was pretty cool:

IMG_9078 by J E, on Flickr

That's with a plastic lens, so it's never really going to be 'sharp'. I forget what the aperture was on that, but it was probably wide open, or close to it.

I get the same results with out it when I try to focus without auto focus, just the use of my eyes :lmao:

zamanakhan · May 3, 2012

O|||||||O said:
o hey tyler said:

I think it's a waste of money to put a lens baby on good glass.

Click to expand...

You don't put it on the lens, it IS the lens.Obviously, they're not for everyone. If you look at charts before you buy a lens, you probably don't want a Lensbaby.I have one (the Muse with the plastic lens), and it is fun. Sometimes you can get a pretty cool effect with it, but there is a lot of trial and error. Plan on deleting a lot of pictures, lol.I thought this one was pretty cool:IMG_9078 by J E, on FlickrThat's with a plastic lens, so it's never really going to be 'sharp'. I forget what the aperture was on that, but it was probably wide open, or close to it.

I am actually not a huge fan of that image, kinda seems like someone ran the water paint filter on photoshop. The lens baby certainly has potential, but again it's like putting a holga lens on a brand new dslr... Why? Also let's not forget you just put a plastic lens on a thousand plus camera... Again why? If you want to be creative hipster get yourself a holga, shoot with it, get frustrated with film and then come right back to a dslr with a proper lens.