lensbaby special effects lens system for DSLRs

lensbaby lenses and optics are designed to help photographs simply achieve photographic special effects all images courtesy lensbaby

lensbaby is a camera system designed to let photographers easily achieve photographic effects that conventionally require complex filters or post-production techniques. its range of units include both lens bodies– which combine bellows and ball-and-socket mechanisms to achieve photographic special effects– and optics specialized to diverse focal lengths, focus ranges, and f-stops. all are compatible for use with most SLR and DSLR cameras.

lensbaby’s innovative ‘optic swap system’ lets optics be interchanged into lens bodies, letting a range of diverse functionalities all be used in conjunction with the bodies’ focusing and tilt effects. currently lensbaby offers four lenses (each sold with an optic pre-installed) and eight specific optics.

‘composer pro’ lens

view from above; adjusting the lensbaby lens

the four lenses available as of july 2012 are the ‘composer’, a ball-and-socket device for selective blur; the ‘composer pro’ that adds tilt capability; the ‘muse’, whose focus is operated be squeezing for a soft, ethereal effect; ‘control freak’, a compressable lens designed for tripod or other fixed shooting and capable of locking into place, with a barrel lens for sharp focusing and three metal arms provided to finetune the tilt; and ‘scout’, the only fixed, unbending lens, that captures fisheye imagery.

list of lensbaby lenses

from left to right: ‘plastic’, ‘single glass’, ‘soft focus’

lensbaby optics include:

– ‘edge 80’, an 80mm lens that, when tilted, offers selective focus: a small strip of sharpness bordered by blur; when held straight it functions normally as a f/2.8 flat field of focus optic;

– ‘sweet 35’, a 35mm featuring a 12-blade aperture for control of the size of the centrally focused region

– ‘double glass optic’, a 50mm providing centralized focus with diffusive ambient blur created by the multi-coated optical glass;

– ‘single glass optic’, which lensbaby calls ‘similar to the primitive optic [one] would find in an antique camera’, creating a soft, ethereal focus;

– ‘plastic’ optic, which as with all plastic lenses creates extremely soft focus with frequent chromatic aberration;

– ‘fisheye’ optic, a 12mm, 160° view super wide-angle lens;

– ‘soft focus’ optic, a 50mm piece featuring soft focus throughout the image;

– ‘pinhole / zone plate’ optic, a 50mm which toggles between to the two modes, both of which are techniques the provide a glowing, soft-focus image; ‘pinhole’ provides f/177 focus, and zone plate f/19 for faster exposure times.

photograph taken using ‘double glass’ optic with 0.6x wide angle image © lisa smith studios