Lensbaby, Your Experience.

[9V-Orion Images]

Did a search, and could not find any specific lensbaby user's thread (sincere apology if there is an existing thread). Thinking of getting one copy for street photography, and to see how the shots will go down.

I understand that there are three different generations (varying aperture) with three lens bodies (composer, control freak and muse)? Any suggestions to which one I should get and at what cost it is selling for? :think:

Is there any learning curve, or some other things that I should know about it? Would appreciate it if clubsnapper's lao jiaos will share their experiences on it. Thanks in advance.

 

[9V-Orion Images]

I was meant to post this in...

Equipment Discussions Others

Maybe the moderators can move it? Sorry. :sweat:

 

[night86mare]

you should get used to the fact that lensbaby focusing is pretty hit and miss, at least for the old versions that i have tried

composer and control freak are more precise, muse is modified version of lensbaby G2..

from what i understand, the composer cannot attain extreme effects due to limitations of ability to twist the lens the way you can do for control freak and/or muse.

and, don't get too caught up about sharpness from these lenses, they are meant to be fun lenses, with arty effects that can work very well sometimes, and you CAN get relatively sharp results, but there is only so much you can do when you're shooting street

personally, i won't use LB for street, i have tried it before, i ended up feeling like i was just shooting to abuse the effect rather than USING IT POSITIVELY

 

[LifeInMacro]

I bought a LB Composer last year, and frankly, I think it's more of a "toy" than anything else. The LB folks had done up a very good website, and I fell for it. I took a few LB shots and felt relatively happy, but after a few more uses, I felt that it was the same thing and I got a wee tired of the blurry stuff all over the place. ...Then a few weeks later, it's sitting pretty somewhere in your dry cabinet, waiting for the "moment" to be used.

LB Muse is relatively difficult to use if you have a problem holding the camera and twisting the lens simultaneously. Getting the sweet spot is not as easy as it seems. The video on the official website looks easy; don't be swayed by it.

I got the Composer (plus some add-ons optics...silly me) so that I can do more "precise" twisting, and focusing. MF is a must, so for most AF dependants, this is another downside to bear in mind.

CFreak - no comments on this 'cos haven't play with it.

Summary - No doubt it's fun, but I think it's too much to pay for to achieve that kind of results...or no results. Please reconsider unless you have money to throw around. I'm serious.

 

[9V-Orion Images]

Thanks for the heads-up, guys. Will carefully consider.

 

[ndroo]

The LB is not for everyone. You should look at the photos taken with it before deciding. I've seen one too many friends who bought it and sold/keep as paperweight.

All the LB can be used for street photography ... you jsut have to get a bit used to the focusing method. Sometimes ... like that nightmare mentioned ... hit or miss.

I personally love the LB for the fun factor ... and also probably because I ain't really into wanting super sharp photos.

I've been using the LB since the Original LB days but now I use only the Composer & the Muse.

 

[st0pandst4re]

well lets say its just a personal preference..

like how come people swear by their L lenses and some people believe that 'normal' lenses do just fine..

I have a lensbaby muse and I totally LOVE it.. yes it may not be the sharpest lens, it feels like a toy, dosen't really look professional... but it is a VERY fun lens to use..

at first I had my doubts when using it but somehow or another it allows u to creatively shoot a subject which u would normally find boring!..

If I were given the choice again whether i would buy the LB or not.. i definitely would!

 

[synapseman]

I have a LB 2.0 and I use it when I shoot weddings. But not many shots, though. Just maybe 5 to 10 shots out of 300++ selected shots.

A few of these kind of shots make a collection interesting. But anything more than that makes it very annoying for the person to view.

"Hit-or-miss" is quite an accurate description about this lens. The thing about this lens is that it requires a large and bright viewfinder. Probably would be great on FF cameras. Some cameras have very poor (small, dim, "tunnel vision") viewfinders, and this makes it very difficult to use under such conditions.

Some say it's a fun lens. To me, it's a very highly specialised lens, meaning that it's probably not going to see much action, save for a few very specific situations.

 

[KayBee]

I 1st bought a Lensbaby 2.0 from CS sometime last year and i totally fell in love with the whole idea of it. Sold it subsequently to buy a newer version LB composer. Truth is i regretted selling the LB 2.0. It'd given me a whole lot of fun snapping pics. I agree to some saying its "hit or miss" but then again it takes some getting used-to to get going. The Composer is much easier to use. i dun get 'misses' nowadays. Love the effects it produces. And the Composer has been permanently fix on to my D200.