Lensbabies

subseasniper

subseasniper

Suspended / Banned
Messages
480
Edit My Images
Yes
Hey,

I have been toying with the idea of getting a lensbaby for my 40D.

I would like to hear if anybody on this forum has one an if so, is it useful and how much use you get out of it.

Going of on a tangent, I was watching the DVD of 'The Assassination of Jesse James by Robert Ford the Coward' and some of the shots appeared to have been filmed with a lensbaby.

I am really into these kinda dreamy off focus shots and would like to to hear about everyones experiences (good and bad) with these lenses.

Cheers,

subseasniper
 
Check

www.lensbabies.com

I don't think they are exactly like tilt-shift lenses as they have a roughly circular sweet spot of focus whereas a tilt shift lens has a plane of focus (tech bods please correct if I am wrong). The above site has some nice examples but from what I have read they aren't the easiest lenses to operate and they suit some subjects better than others. However, the idea of a high tech dslr with something like attached to it is intriguing.

Any more thoughts?
 
I have a lensbaby (LBO). It's not a substitute for a tilt shift. Here are some pictures taken without and with the lensbaby.

Without lensbaby
NJHA_08_17.jpg

With Lensbaby
NJHA_08_18.jpg
 
Richard hammond demonstrated how to achieve that look on top gear last week. Vaseline! :D
 
Yeah, if we followed the camera operators on that show everything we shot would have the sky tinted with a tobacco coloured filter. I'll leave them to their vaseline.

Natjag, thanks for the post. Maybe you can answer a question, on the lensbaby 1 and 2 g, when you focus can you let go of the front of the lensbaby and hold that point of focus or does the bellows spring back to a straight position?
 
I don't think it is possible to exactly replicate the effect on photoshop and anyway, I would much prefer being out in the field shooting than sitting messing about with photoshop.
 
These things are really good fun, but hard work, you can often find them for £50-£70 and its worth a shot.

I sold mine as I never mastered it personally, but its fun to try :)
 
urgh - gimmick to me... haven't seen a good shot using one yet ... :(
 
I've seen good shots but the real win is the fact that they are so manual and force you to become familiar with the balance between ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Plus you can see what you'd normally photoshop in the viewfinder.

They're actually very sharp in the sweet spot too. They're nothing like an essential lens and even if you like yours you'll probably use it sparingly but they do have their merits. :)

BTW - you need to hold them in place to keep focus or they'll spring back. Takes a bit of getting used to but once you have the knack you can focus really quickly..!

The example shot above looks like its wide open, with the smallest apeture (f8 iirc) its much less exaggerated.
 
theory, cheers for the reply. I take it with the 3rd gen the focus stays in place with those little (unfortunately fragile looking) threaded focus posts?

I hope not because the 3rd gen is a good bit more expensive than the 1st anf 3nd gen.

I'm just into the whole idea of the lens, old school effects, the antithesis of modern photography and its sharpness obsession.
 
All what you do with a lens baby can be done pretty much in PS so a waste of money I think but hey' that's just my opinion ;)
 
subseasniper said:
Natjag, thanks for the post. Maybe you can answer a question, on the lensbaby 1 and 2 g, when you focus can you let go of the front of the lensbaby and hold that point of focus or does the bellows spring back to a straight position?
Click to expand...
I have the LBO, which you have to hold in position. SO you can forget long exposures, your hand held only. I think the 3G you can fix in position. The glass in coated in the 2 and 3G, so you quality of the picture is better. I personally wanted the rough look similar to the holga camera. The grainy type effect on this picture is as shot, I just converted to b&w and added a vignette. The LBO 2 and 3G would be sharper on the sweet spot (in this example the lamp).
lbo1.jpg
 
Some people prefer to get the desired effect before photoshop and I'm one of them, if it means I don't have to lpost-process but its certainly true you could get the same effects without it and aside from the 3rd gen type, you won't be able to to long exposures as said.

They're more fun than anything else but you'll get some shots your proud of.

I quite liked this shot I got

n595807173_1031662_2623.jpg


And there's a whole load of shots I liked from this gallery especially the boat and fruit pics.
 
I tired one at the focus show this year, to be honest it's fairly easy to replicate in photoshop, the hardest part is adding the colour fringing effect. Wayne
2617413009_eacaa839ff_o.jpg
 
I think the look of the 1st gen has a more old school Holga effect (which I like better) but the ability of the 3rd gen to stay locked in focus would be pretty cool for long exposure shots. Unfortunately the 3rd gen is nearly twice the price of the 1st gen.
 
I bought one, but the novelty wore off pretty quickly, so it went back up on Fleabay....and ended up selling for 50p less than I paid for it new :D
 
So, I'm really fancying the 1st gen for the effect but am wanting the 3rd gens ability to lock focus. This may be totally off the mark but if I had a first gen lensbaby and used a couple of strips of gaffer tape to hold the bellows in place would I be able to lock focus that way. I know that is a really stingy way of looking at it but when you've got a new baby that rips through nappies the toys take a backseat.
 
Yeah it should work, but it would be fiddly as hell... I think the LB1 is the same as the LB2 btw, just not as sharp..? The effect above has mostly (I think) been applied with PP.
 
I've had one for less than a year. It's really really fun! You can get really weird effects. like when you are shooting buildings from above or streets or cityscapes it looks just like a model city.
What I really use this lens for though is for portraits. It's just amazing but you need to master your technique to achieve good results and choose the aperture correctly. Not all people like this effect, and some will like the more exaggerated effect when the lens is wide open but others will prefer the more subtle stopped-down effect. it's just up to personal preferences really!
Here's some example photos

This one is not so exaggerated. I can't remember the aperture but it was stopped down.
2464480912_a604c37de4_o.jpg


these two are wide open at f/2
The only post processing on this one was to boost the vibrance on camera raw, nothing else. I just metered like any other lens.
2633161754_ee8bb20bb9_o.jpg


Same as here
2633161840_25f11e0a4a_o.jpg


The lens is actually REALLy sharp on its sweet spot. I've read a review and it's actually sharper wide open than both Nikon and Canon nifty fifties!! It's pretty amazing. And you can buy different shaped aperture rings to get cool bokeh effects, like heart shaped, or star shaped apertures. You can get close-up diopters aswell to play with macro.

That said I think I'll probably use it some more. It's perfect to boost your creativity and I realised that I'm becoming lazy with my photography lately!
 
great post stylgeo and wonderful shots too... I love the high key wide open shot especially. wow.
 
I've had a quick play with Laura (BrokenLogic)'s one. They're good fun, wouldn't spend loads, but force you to try something new. I like those portraits a lot, Stylgeo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top