It's a "Lens Baby" - Lets see some Lensbaby Creativity

Fortkentdad

Senior Member
I've had the Lensbaby 5.6 Fisheye for some time and enjoy it a lot.
A week or so ago I picked up a nice used Composer Pro with Edge 80 optic.
I'm looking to get a few more optics (Lensbaby has a Feb Refurb sale on so ordering a couple to play with).
DSC_0470+composer pro edge 80 -0001_1.jpg



So if you have one of these and want to share your funky creative or just silly pics love to see them.

Just took these trying to get the hang of this all manual tilting lens. Shot on my D610 using two off camera flashes - just because I can.


DSC_0481+composer pro edge 80 SM books-0001.jpg

The bookshelf was helpful in learning just how out of focus one "slice" of the image can get.

And Kiwi my always compliant model sat through another photoshoot without complaining - much.

DSC_0498+composer pro edge 80 SM KIWI -0001.jpgDSC_0502+composer pro edge 80 SM KIWI -0001.jpg

I have not put in my order yet for the optics. This Edge 80 is the only one I have. And I learned 80mm is a bit long if you confine yourself to a small room.

See what Lensbaby fun i can have tomorrow.
 

Blade Canyon

Senior Member
I have one but haven't played with it since the week I bought it, three years ago. Maybe tonight I'll break it out. Thanks for the idea.
 

Fortkentdad

Senior Member
DSC_0763_2_1_Localtone.jpg

Shoot out a back window of the house - snowday today
I need to spend a more time with this selective focus idea.
Not there yet.

Edge 80 optic on Composer Pro - F5.6 - ISO 100, 1/1000 (F stop is best as I recall, did some at F4, Exif is incomplete with this lens)
 

Fortkentdad

Senior Member
The "Early Bloomer"

My wife over winters her geraniums and brought up this years crop for the cold dark basement to get them to come back to life, and of that batch one lone plant put out one lone blossom. Looking for a subject to test out my batch of new Lensbaby optics I focused (pardon the pun) on this one 'early bloomer'.
Some of these optics can give a sharp image - some are designed to 'embrace the blur'. The last one is the zone-place optic and it is just totally funky. Yesterday was a bit of a swap-fest as I just unwrapped each optic and tried it out to see what it does. Now I need to take them one at a time and learn how to get creative with them.

With so much emphasis on pixel peeping sharpness with today's fine optices (I think of my new Sigma Art 50 1.4 for example - tack sharp) it is a total mind altering mental paradigm shift to 'embrace the blur' and 'see things differently'.

Yes some of this can be recreated PP with software but I think shooting it this way is more fun. Rather play with my camera than fiddle with photos in software, although there is fun with that too - and these are also touched up p.p too.

DSC_0861 -2.jpgDSC_0869 -1.jpgDSC_0884 -1.jpg

FYI - these are shot with two flashes at between 1/1000 and 1/4000 using the high speed sync. Lot of trials and errors - many many errors.
 

Fortkentdad

Senior Member
I had posted my new-to-me collection of Optics in the latest purchase thread https://nikonites.com/off-topic/12528-post-your-latest-purchases-497.html#post610636

I ended up getting a great deal on refurbished optics from Lensbaby direct. I now have their single and double optic, the pinhole / zone plate, the plastic optic (or how to turn you $2000 DSLR into a $20 plastic toy in a minute optic) plus their 12mm Fisheye optic. I also bought the accessory set for wide angle, telephoto and macro adaptors that fit the basic optics (not the fisheye or the Edge 80). Lots and lots of creative options.

I picked up a couple of Lensbaby system bags from Henry's of Toronto too ($10 each - reg $50 each, love to get a bargain).
And my new Lensbaby gear all fits into these bags perfectly.

DSC_0993 -1 bags.jpgDSC_0999 -1 bags.jpg




 

Fortkentdad

Senior Member
Ever wondered what happens when you tilt a fisheye - the circle becomes more of an oval.

Out my back window yesterday (yes we still have lots of snow - it is only March - this "spring ahead" an hour is so miss named, spring aint due for two more months yet.

DSC_0969 -1 Backyard 12MM FE SM.jpg
 

Fortkentdad

Senior Member

Fortkentdad

Senior Member
Time to learn how to play with my new toys.

These two were shot with the Lensbaby Edge 80 on the Composer Pro

I did learn that if the animal is moving, a manual focused tilty lens may not be your best choice in lenses - but when it works it, it works.

DSC_1171 -1 Callie LB Edg80 sm.jpgDSC_1204 -1 ruby LB Edg80 sm.jpg
 

Fortkentdad

Senior Member
I see raindrops on my window Joy is like ... getting out the Lensbaby and getting my creative on.

Pouring rain today so decided to try playing with my Lensbaby collection - samples here of almost all of my LB Optics I didn't bother to go down and get the 5.6 Fisheye, but I had the 12mm Fisheye.


DSC_8031+Lensbaby single Optic-0001.jpg
since Lensbaby is a fully manual lens that does not talk to the camera EXIF is useless.
This one is a Single Optic
I think these are all F4 aperture ring (except the fisheye which was ringless)
.
,
DSC_8051+Lensbaby Double Optic-0004.jpg
Double Optic
. .
. .
DSC_8067+Lensbaby 12mm FishEye -0002.jpg
12mm Fisheye (long crop)

-


DSC_8117+Lensbaby edge 80-0002.jpg
The "Edge 80" (I think F4 but did try a few at F8 too)

+++++++


SM DSC_8016+Lensbaby zone plate -0001.jpg

This last one is either a Zone Plate of a Pin Hole - there are two settings on the one optic (a little slider dodad and I don't know which it was. If you can tell let me know.

Now to go and pump out the basement - again.
 
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