Lens Baby??

Zerodog

I think I want to rent one for the weekend. What do you guys have to say about such an odd item. Fun, cool, POS?

catspaw

fun! if rent, go for the composer (or composer pro, I've heard the update is pretty nifty too). the muse is fun (and cheaper to buy) but takes a bit more finesse. I have both

divamum

I just picked up a Composer 2ndhand and am IN LOVE with it. LOVE LOVE LOVE!! I just can't wait to try it out more!

I will say it took me most of the first session to figure out how to "see" the sweet spot as I was framing up the shot - it will take me a little more practice to get it fluent, but I think it is just a case of practice. For me, at the moment, I think f4 or f5.6 are a little easier since the sweet spot is bigger as you stop down.

Zerodog

I think the composer is all Pictureline rents. I keep looking for used ones but it seems they sell for almost as much as new. The new composer looks pretty sweet. I am doing some more baby pics this weekend and maybe baby pics with a lensbaby will be cool.

Matthew Saville

Rent first, that's for sure. I've seen the lensbaby craze happen from the very beginning, and I've shot with them plenty, and I have to say I'm just not really into it.

I guess that, as a nature and landscape photographer at heart, my passion has always been for technical perfection, at least when using high-end gear. The lensbaby just strikes me as kind of a gimmick / novelty. There are plenty of other lenses I'd rather put my money towards.

But, it's certainly a popular effect these days, and I can only say that everyone should try it at least once.

Just like you should ALSO look through the prism of a Hasselblad at least once, and heck have a look at the ground glass of a 4x5 at least once. If you're a photographer and you've never put your head under the dark cloth to see a large format ground glass, you're missing out in life MUCH more than seeing how a $250 lens can turn your $3000 DSLR into a $25 holga.

:-P

divamum

Zerodog wrote: »

I think the composer is all Pictureline rents. I keep looking for used ones but it seems they sell for almost as much as new.

Hunt around for a deal - I picked up my Composer just last week for $170 off Fred Miranda - no box, but otherwise pretty much like new.

I agree with Matt that it's kind of a gimmick, but one that I'm enjoying using! I can't wait to try it out a bit more. I'm such a shallow DOF junkie that I'm really loving playing with it

Zerodog

I rented one for the weekend. I have to say it is not at all easy to use. And, I really suck at manual focus. Throwing in the tilt in every direction makes it even more of a challenge. So here is what I got with the lensbaby composer. Not sure what I think. Kind of cool, defiantly weird. Like Matthew said. "Take your expensive DSLR and turn it into a weird toy camera." These were all shot with my 300s. I didn't try it on the D3s. I think I would have liked the slightly wider view the full frame would offer better for these shots. What do you guys think of these? Good or a waste of time?

Setting a trials meet.






My buddies dog.


Ice coming off of a lake. Fished for a bit. Before the storm hit. No fish for me.


The mountain bike ride.

catspaw

I really like the dog and the first b+w biker. those two work well! and yes, it takes a bit to figure out what focus point to use and how it composes within the rest of the frame.

billythek

I gave my daughter one for Christmas. She liked playing with it. Like anything else, though, there's a learning curve.

They also have a cool attachment that will turn any lens into a tilt lens. Unfortunately for me it only works with Nikon mount lenses.

Zerodog

billythek wrote: »

I gave my daughter one for Christmas. She liked playing with it. Like anything else, though, there's a learning curve.

They also have a cool attachment that will turn any lens into a tilt lens. Unfortunately for me it only works with Nikon mount lenses.

Unfortunately for me too, it is only for micro four thirds.

aphillips66

This is a good thread for me to find. I have reserved a Lensbaby rental for an upcoming vacation to England and Scotland. It's good to hear what other people think of it. The Lensbaby Web site has some nice photos for ideas on what it can do. $30 for a two week rental sure beats buying it.

Zerodog

It is sort of fun and aggravating at the same time. Renting is a good idea for this item to see if it is for you.

Darrak

Deff rent first. I rented one played with it for a weekend and was happy to send it back. It just wasn't for me. More difficult to use than I thought.

aphillips66

Rented the Lensbaby Composer
I rented one and took it on my holiday to England and Scotland. It definitely needs a little practice to get something worthwhile out of it. Here are a couple of shots below. I should also have used more of the aperture discs to see what I liked best. I left in the 2.8 disc for most of these. I suppose it's a good little option if someone is looking to try something different. I'd be happy to receive one as a gift...not sure that I'd buy it.










I wish that I had done this next one better. I think it would have been best if I had the sharpness focused on Jen's face rather than her left hand. I should have checked the shot before hurrying off to look at more castles.