| SAMPLE
IMAGES
|
| The
Lens Baby 2.0 at work |
CONCLUSION
When
I first received the Lensbaby, I had no idea whether or not I
would like it, or if it was just a gimmick. After a month of use,
I’m beginning to realize some possibilities for using this
lens. Often times, certain lenses really make you sit back and
think about your photography because they are a challenge to use.
If
you are a photographer looking to spark your creativity, the Lensbaby
is the kind of product that can do just that. The challenge of
the Lensbaby is crossing the threshold from a blurry, confusing
shot to a stunning, selective-focus effect; something that will
take a fair bit of practice and experimentation.
The
Lensbaby’s small size makes it easy enough to keep in your
camera bag so that you have it on-hand when the mood suits you.
You’ll definitely need to work on your technique to use
this lens, so don’t expect to master it right away. If you
are a Nikonian with a D70 or other camera that does not meter
with AI lenses, you’ll definitely need to take advantage
of your camera’s histogram for optimal exposures and try
to take advantage of the focus indicators in the viewfinder to
help you focus. Lensbaby 2.0 is available in a wide variety of
lens mounts and has a retail price of $150 USD.
More
information about the Lensbaby is available from the manufacturer
at http://www.lensbabies.com
Special thanks goes out to the folks at Lensbabies, LLC who provided
Nikonians with a production-level sample lens to test.
LENSBABY: SHOULD IT BE IN YOUR
BAG?
The
Lensbaby is a great accessory for photographers who:
-
Understand the basics of depth of field and manual focus
-
Are adept at using the histogram feature on their camera, or
have a camera that will meter properly with manual lenses, such
as the D2 series DSLRs.
-
Want a creative challenge, especially for portrait work
- Look
at selective focusing as a way to put a new perspective on an
otherwise typical image
Unless
you are completely unwilling to deal with manual focus and exposure,
the Lensbaby may be the creative outlet you are looking for to
create unique images.
However,
the tilt-shift feature of the Lensbaby gives a completely different
level of control over the focus plane, which results in unique
images. Try it. |
