I am considering getting myself a lensbaby lens but having some difficulty making a decision on what lens and optic to get. I am leaning towards the composser lens but am in two minds whether to get the 35 sweet lens or the double optic. 35 sweet felt like the right choice as I have a cropped sensor and is 35mm and is a lot more flexible as you can adjust the f value as this optic has blades. Double is cheaper and shoots at 50mm but you have to manually drop and remove little discs to vary the f value.
Would love to know if you guys have any experience with lensbaby and the optics and lenses etc.
I've got the bog-standard composer, and when I'm in the mood I love it. The drop-in aperture system isn't a hassle at all - sure, it means you've got to remember to take them with you, and there is the risk of dropping them all over the floor when you're changing them, but it's a simple system that doesn't break! I like the focal length as I use it as a macro a lot, so find the 50mm (80 on a crop sensor) just right.
The Sweet 35 is certainly more convenient, but the aperture disc system is fine & shouldn't be a concern. Remember you can't use the creative aperture kits with the Sweet 35 (or Edge 80) as they don't use the disc system.
I started with the sweet 35 & it's a lot of fun, but takes a little getting used to.
One thing to bear in mind is that when I got the Double Optic later, I had to buy the basic aperture discs separately as they didn't come with it (though I think they come in the Composer kit).
Personally, I find the Wweet 35 produces a smoother bokeh, with the double optic being more pronounced - though I haven't got the hang of the double optic yet.
Edge 80 optic is interesting - and has some of the tilt characteristics of a tilt-shift lens. Used dead straight, it's actually a really lovely portrait lens too. :)
Hi Richard!
It depends on the effect you'd like. Changing out the discs isn't a big deal - I tend to only use 2 or 3 of them. I have both the Composer Pro w double glass optic and the Sweet 35. My personal preference is the former - it creates more of a "streaked" bokeh, giving a directional effect to your focal point which can be anywhere in the frame. The sweet 35 is a softer, gentler bokeh. @aprilmilani has a winning combination of film+sweet 35, and her lensbaby photos are incredible. Take a look at her work. I'm including a few of the double glass examples below. I'm impressed, though, that individual results vary depending on your preference for exposure, physical environment, etc.
In this one, you see the majority of the blur come from the lower left. My "focal" point was to the left of the boy, and if you look, you can see the streaked bokeh effect pulling across him:
Here's another where the focal point is close to the bee ... again, you can see the pull of bokeh from the lower left up towards the upper right corner. I intentionally de-focus, so don't let the lack of focus scare you - it's an artifact of the photographer, not the lens.
The Lensbaby is amazing!! It is so worth it. I read through what has been said and they all have said what Id tell you. I like to shoot wide open so changing the disks havent been a problem for me.
http://365project.org/tags/lensbaby-13
Join Katherine Clayton, Jen Foster and Caroline Jensen as they share their tips and tricks for everything from macro to portraiture to landscapes using various Lensbaby optics. Discussion of how to incorporate this creative shooting and editing into your everyday photography as well as client sessions is also included.
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I started with the sweet 35 & it's a lot of fun, but takes a little getting used to.
One thing to bear in mind is that when I got the Double Optic later, I had to buy the basic aperture discs separately as they didn't come with it (though I think they come in the Composer kit).
Personally, I find the Wweet 35 produces a smoother bokeh, with the double optic being more pronounced - though I haven't got the hang of the double optic yet.
Edge 80 optic is interesting - and has some of the tilt characteristics of a tilt-shift lens. Used dead straight, it's actually a really lovely portrait lens too. :)
We've also been tagging our shots with 'lensbaby-13': http://365project.org/tags/lensbaby-13
It depends on the effect you'd like. Changing out the discs isn't a big deal - I tend to only use 2 or 3 of them. I have both the Composer Pro w double glass optic and the Sweet 35. My personal preference is the former - it creates more of a "streaked" bokeh, giving a directional effect to your focal point which can be anywhere in the frame. The sweet 35 is a softer, gentler bokeh. @aprilmilani has a winning combination of film+sweet 35, and her lensbaby photos are incredible. Take a look at her work. I'm including a few of the double glass examples below. I'm impressed, though, that individual results vary depending on your preference for exposure, physical environment, etc.
In this one, you see the majority of the blur come from the lower left. My "focal" point was to the left of the boy, and if you look, you can see the streaked bokeh effect pulling across him:
Here's another where the focal point is close to the bee ... again, you can see the pull of bokeh from the lower left up towards the upper right corner. I intentionally de-focus, so don't let the lack of focus scare you - it's an artifact of the photographer, not the lens.
http://365project.org/tags/lensbaby-13
She is amazing
@carolinejensen Carrie will you post the info=D
http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/lensbaby_breakout_large_ad.jpg
Join Katherine Clayton, Jen Foster and Caroline Jensen as they share their tips and tricks for everything from macro to portraiture to landscapes using various Lensbaby optics. Discussion of how to incorporate this creative shooting and editing into your everyday photography as well as client sessions is also included.
my work:
http://www.LoveStandsStill.com
http://www.carolinejensen.com
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