I'd never really heard of free-lensing before, then somehow I came across this article.
I was (and still am) SUPER AMAZED at this technique of photography. it works best for people that are kinda free spirits, that don't mind if their photos are a little fuzzy, grainy, artsy looking. I think people that like film, or that kind of style would enjoy this. (basically, I'm trying to say, that if you are tired of 'perfect' or un-artistic pictures, then this is the something you might like!)
I've really been wishing for a 50mm lens recently, and found some of the results from free lensing remind me of the 50mm look. I love it :)
it really, really inspired me, and I've been having a lot of fun with it recently.
[learn how here]
http://lukeroberts.us/2009/12/freelensing/
my apologies that it didn't post those links the way I wanted it to. I tried and tried a bunch of times......guess you'll just have to copy and paste them :)
ohhhh Grace, i'm not sure if it's very good for your sensor.. be carefull ok ? :)
but I agree, a little risky with the dust but makes excellent vintage picture!
I read up on this a few months back and decided to give it go. Below is my first attempt at this. I used an old Olympus 50mm lens on the front of my Canon DSLR. It seemed to work ok - I'm quite pleased with the results. I'm keen to take the technique out onto the street to see what results I can get.
@gracej Grace, this is an excellent find. Thanks for researching it and sharing it with us. You may also find Pinhole Camera with a DSLR interesting.
I do have a word of caution regarding free lensing. Well, two, actually. Dust is not necessarily the biggest concern in this case. You can typically clean the sensor if necessary. Be sure, however, that in moving the lens around you don't scratch the contacts on either the lens or the camera. That's a very costly repair. Also, depending on where you are in the world, moisture and humidity are your biggest enemies. I spent three days in a jungle in Costa Rica with a camera and lens that refused to cooperate with each other because the humidity had dampened the contacts. So, while it's a fun technique and produces some amazing photos, do be careful that you don't damage the camera or lens.
If you want an alternative to a slightly risky technique, take a look at Lensbaby's lens systems. I've got a 3G (precursor to Control Freak) and a Composer. The Composer seems to come close to freelensing. It's a lensbody made around a ball swivel, and you can exchange the lens component with a variety of effect lenses. http://lensbaby.com/
@gracej Thanks. Exposure is a nightmare with this process. You don't know how much light is coming in from the sides so I find trial and error is required. Also, I use a lens with a manual aperture ring because the electronic ones are difficult to set when they're not connected to the front of the camera.
@gracej I AM TRYING RIGHT NOW (with a lot of enthusiasm). Any damages done to my camera from this point on i will account as your fault. Are we understood? hahaha ;-)
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but I agree, a little risky with the dust but makes excellent vintage picture!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/reverselens/
hey its a nice effect, would love to get some light leak though....
I did it a few years back a few times util I was able to come up with a proper mount for my EL-Nikkor 63mm f3.5 lens.
I do have a word of caution regarding free lensing. Well, two, actually. Dust is not necessarily the biggest concern in this case. You can typically clean the sensor if necessary. Be sure, however, that in moving the lens around you don't scratch the contacts on either the lens or the camera. That's a very costly repair. Also, depending on where you are in the world, moisture and humidity are your biggest enemies. I spent three days in a jungle in Costa Rica with a camera and lens that refused to cooperate with each other because the humidity had dampened the contacts. So, while it's a fun technique and produces some amazing photos, do be careful that you don't damage the camera or lens.
http://lensbaby.com/
all I need is a model and I'm all over it
thanks to your post Aaron, which led me here, I've had a go. Quite pleased with the result and will definitely be trying again !