I have a Lensbaby.
For anyone unfamiliar with these nifty devices, it's a variable focus 50mm f/2 lens. The single lens element is fully adjustable to enable a focal 'sweet spot' to be found in creative photography. A particular setting can be locked and then fine tuned by rotating any of the three protruding long screw threads. To change the aperture, a series of magnetic aperture rings is provided and held in place in front of the lens element by a series three small magnets. It's a quirky lens with a maximum aperture of f/2 and produces a wide range of focal effects. Mine is a Lensbaby 3G … which is now sold as the 'Control Freak' (can't imagine why … I mean look at the thing!).
Picture courtesy Lensbaby
When I first received the lens (passed to me by a cinematographer friend who'd purchased it for cine-work but found it unsuitable) I put it on my D80 DSLR. It produced some neat results but it wasn't a go-to lens by any means. Also the lack of adaptive exposure metering in the camera body meant more then a few frames to get the manual exposure just right … it just seemed a bit of a chore. For this reason I had been putting off trying the Lensbaby on my new D600 body and but … well … whatever(!) … so I took it along in my bag to the abandoned shops in the previous post. I put it on the camera, dialled in what I thought was my anticipated exposure setting and took a picture. Beautifully exposed! Well I wasn't expecting that! So I left the settings as is, re-composed and took another shot of something somewhere else … and? Same! Great exposure! It was then I had one of those total 'Derr!' moments when I realised the D600 was automatically adjusting to bring in the best exposure for the scene … it actually had very little to do with me and my settings π
Now, this was fabulous news as I am essentially a lazy photographer at heart and I realised that the previous burden of adjusting exposure had been banished … it was like I had a new lens … which I guess I kinda do. Here's the same shops as seen through the Lensbaby … Enjoy!
Lensbaby love … have you ever fallen in love with a lens (or anything for that matter…) all over again?
love, love, love!!
Thanks Ally … nice to see you around again -)
Thanks Ally … nice to see you around again π
Looks like you have found an interesting new toy. That it works so well together with the camera body is really great news, you can't ask for more and the results are very nice. I have two favourites this time. The barbed wire with its simplicity and cool softness (or soft coolness?) and the one with the sun shining through the rustling leaves. Very nice.
I'm also quite lazy when it comes to the settings of a camera, just want to shoot not bother about the finicky details, and any tool that makes this possible is my best friend. I think I kinda fell in love earlier this year when I bought an old analogue SLR camera, the Nikon FM2N. It just feels and looks good, is easy to handle and the first picture turned out better than I thought. It almost broke my heart when I found the shutter release broken after shooting 4 films and I paid a lot of money to get it fixed because I couldn't let it go. I think I stil need some time to get to know it better and it's not always easy but love never really is, at least for me π
Thanks π
Actually I believe I have rediscovered an old toy in a totally new way … just as good π
I've read about them, and am glad for your viewpoint and experience. Mostly, it shows that you are always pushing your creative edge, which is how artist's evolve into more of the same or a new approach and intensity. The last image is my favorite–it has an energy that you hope to find on an urban street or subway platform. It also continues the narrative about urban art and public art.
Thanks Sally … always looking for a new way to show the everyday π
You've got me itching for a lens baby too, but I'm still enamoured with my telephoto.
The Lensbaby is a unique lens and far less useful in the everyday walk-around sense than a decent telephoto … that said it fulfils a special place in my kit π
Cool Photos π
Thanks π
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO, what a nifty toyand such interesting shots from it. Thank you.
Thank you for reading Marialla π
A Vision & Verb collaborator (Sue) has been playing around with a Lensbaby on loan to her, Geoff. I'm gonna send her a link to this post, which I'm sure she'll appreciate. I love how you had your AHA experience with it and your D600. Enjoy it.
Thanks Ginnie. They’re a fun lens and open all manner of creative doors … well in my mind they do π
AHA moments are terrific … even if they make one feel a little sheepish at the time π
Ginnie linked me up with your post on Lensbabies…and I'm so glad she did. I've been experimenting with a friend's and can't quite decide if I'm going to buy one or not. Seeing your post makes me lean toward 'buy!' They really are fun, with some very artistic results. Here's a link to my experimental images: http://f4-studio.com/2013/05/07/experimenting-with-the-lensbaby/
Hi Sue and welcome to Pictures with Words. The Lensbaby is a fun lens and I’m certainly happy to have ‘rediscovered mine’. Thanks for the links to your photos … you certainly have the ‘Lensbaby Eye’ and I suggest you buy it π
Looks like so much fun to play with!
Lots of fun!
gotta get me one of these toys one day … cool effects!
Thanks π
They are fun to play with if a bit quirky at first … you do end up with rather dextrous fingers so that’s not not such a bad thing π
great photos, even though I have no idea what else you are talking about π xxx
Thanks Petra π
Sounds like most of my conversations most of the time π
xx
I have been thinking about getting a lensbaby for a long time. This may spur myself to finally get one. Great images Geoffrey, I particularly like the one with the barbed wire.
Thanks Otto … they are fun if at times a little idiosyncratic … I reckon you’d have fun π
yes, i fell in love with my new superzoom 18-200mm – instantly π i definitely know what you mean. actually i fell in love with every single lense i own ^.^
this lensbaby thing looks quite complicated and many people produce strange pictures with it, yours i like a lot.
I have a love-hate relationship with my 18-200 superzoom … on the one hand it’s so ridiculoulsy convenient and I love it as a packing light travel lens … however mine suffers lens creep (sounds more like a social problem huh?) and is a little soft at times and at those times I regret ever having bought it. I don’t use it so often now that I’m on a full frame body and I’ve taken some great pictures with it but it niggles me … it’s a relationship for sure!
The Lensbaby on the other hand is complex but it’s also very intuitive. I love that there are no correct settings … it’s all done by feel and vision and is ultimately as rewarding as the effort put in … now I sound like a life coach! π
If we lived closer I’d lend you mine for a weekend π
i'd love to borrow it from you, but unfortunately that's not possible /: i know what you mean concerning the 18-200 lense. but at the moment i'm so not professional that i can live with the disadvantages and enjoy the flexibility π as i have a wide angle lense now and also a tele from 55-300mm maybe i'm going to buy the 24-70mm f2,8 some time. but not too soon concerning its price π
I recently purchased my 24-70mm f/2.8 and oh my is it beautiful … best start saving up … you know you want one π