Lensbaby Muse vs. Composer?

Elaine

Does anyone have any experience with either of these? I guess what I'm really wondering is if I would be frustrated with the Muse and its lack of focus lock, and if focus lock is worth the extra price of the Composer. The Composer price is a lot harder to swallow for me, and since it's more of a fun application anyway, shouldn't the Muse fit the bill? It would be great to have some insight from someone who knows. Thanks!

catspaw

I have the muse and while I love it (double optic glass, FTW, BTW), I do wish I'd gone for the composer. the Muse is a bit tricker to master, although it allows for more 'artistic' fun.

still. Composer? worth it. buying both? not worth it, so I'm stuck with my Muse, even though I do love it

Art Scott

catspaw wrote:

I have the muse and while I love it (double optic glass, FTW, BTW), I do wish I'd gone for the composer. the Muse is a bit tricker to master, although it allows for more 'artistic' fun.

still. Composer? worth it. buying both? not worth it, so I'm stuck with my Muse, even though I do love it

putting aside the fact that it is a type of p/c lens and just focusing on the focusing of the lens (terrible use of words but all I had under the hat at the moment).....Will the Muse move out of focus any worse than say any other manual focus lens would?
Not having used a LB I have no idea.....but coming from the manual focus world, I am just wondering if we put way too much need on the automation that digital has brought to us.?.?.??.. OR maybe it has wrought on us and not brought to us?????

Tim Kamppinen

Art Scott wrote:

putting aside the fact that it is a type of p/c lens and just focusing on the focusing of the lens (terrible use of words but all I had under the hat at the moment).....Will the Muse move out of focus any worse than say any other manual focus lens would?
Not having used a LB I have no idea.....but coming from the manual focus world, I am just wondering if we put way too much need on the automation that digital has brought to us.?.?.??.. OR maybe it has wrought on us and not brought to us?????

I have a Lensbaby 2.0, which works the same way as the Muse, just without the interchangeable optics. The lens is basically a corrugated tube with the glass element inside. To focus, you have to compress and bend the tube with your fingertips, and hold it in place while you take the shot. There's no way to just focus on something and keep the focus there other than holding it steady with your fingers, which isn't always easy to do.

I would like to get the Composer someday as I think it would greatly improve my keeper rate when using the lensbaby. I still use my 2.0 but I typically need to take quite a few shots before I get one where I nailed the focus just how I want it. From what I have heard from people who have used both, the Composer really is much easier to use.

Art Scott

Tim Kamppinen wrote:

The lens is basically a corrugated tube with the glass element inside. To focus, you have to compress and bend the tube with your fingertips, and hold it in place while you take the shot. There's no way to just focus on something and keep the focus there other than holding it steady with your fingers, which isn't always easy to do.

so there is enuff spring in the lens tube to move it back out of focus if you release the lens tube after focusing??

Whoa!! not good.......Ok...I see I am going to have to save for the Composer...................

craig_d

Art Scott wrote:

so there is enuff spring in the lens tube to move it back out of focus if you release the lens tube after focusing??

Whoa!! not good.......Ok...I see I am going to have to save for the Composer...................

Just look at a photo of it. There is absolutely NOTHING holding the Muse in any particular position. The lens is mounted on a small flexible bellows with no other support. Imagine a large-format monorail camera without the monorail and you'll have the idea.

The Composer is definitely the way to go.

lizzard_nyc

Elaine wrote:

Does anyone have any experience with either of these? I guess what I'm really wondering is if I would be frustrated with the Muse and its lack of focus lock, and if focus lock is worth the extra price of the Composer. The Composer price is a lot harder to swallow for me, and since it's more of a fun application anyway, shouldn't the Muse fit the bill? It would be great to have some insight from someone who knows. Thanks!

Hi Elaine,
I have a Muse on my Oly and I love it. If you order through smugmug, either a Muse or Composer you get a free wide angle/macro lens, but you must follow the directions on smugmug, just fyi.

I love my Muse--HOWEVER, I have way more shots completley out of focus then I care for, I think this might be resolved by getting the Composer, I believe it's easier to lock focus on. I played with a friends composer and drooled and kicked myself for not paying the extra money--once you have something in focus it stays that way when you click the shutter, with a muse, you think you have something in focus then you click and when you move to click it also sometimes moves the lens and focus. Also I took lots of fotos on my lensbaby one day and my hand started hurting, it's a bit of an awkward hold of the camera while you focus.

Here are a couple of shots taken with my Muse, which I still love.

This one was taken with the free macro lens. How cool is that?











Also, if you like self portraits--kind of impossible to do with a muse:( because the second you let go of the focus tube then everything is out of focus. A slight move after focus will leave you with a totally blurred shot--no locking in place after focus with the Muse.

BTW--now they have a fisheye lens for lensbaby--if you want it and you have a muse, you must also buy an adaptor for it--if you have the Compser, no adaptor needed.

On a sidenote, sometimes the weird out of focus shots you get with a Muse are a pleasant surprise, you just never know what you'll get.

Elaine

Thanks for all this great feedback, folks! I must admit, I was hoping to hear more along the lines of, "Get the Muse...the focus issue is no big deal." Hmmm...looks like I'll need to wait a bit longer and try for the Composer. Thanks again!

divamum

:lurk

In a similar position - thanks for starting the thread, Elaine! (seems you and I are on similar missions at the moment )