Lens Baby

A. All three Lensbaby bodies get you to the same place: a Sweet Spot of focus surrounded by graduated blur. But each one gets you there in a way that reflects your individual personality and shooting style.

The Composer is great for a smooth and precise shooting style. You can bend and focus The Composer with one hand, similar to the way you would focus with a traditional lens. Tilt the Composer in the direction you want to place your Sweet Spot, and it automatically stays put. Rotate the focus ring to get that Sweet Spot in focus. The Composer is a great Lensbaby lens to use when you absolutely have to nail the focus. Unlike the Muse and the Control Freak's flexible tubing design, the Composer utilizes a ball and socket that stays in place when you adjust it. The Muse is for photographers with a fast and loose shooting style.

The Muse is similar to earlier Lensbabies; the photographer compresses the flexible tubing to find focus, and tilts the lens to move that focus. You shutter while holding the lens in place. The Muse is great for street photography, and fun shooting on the fly.

Photographers who have a methodical and step-by-step shooting style may favor the Control Freak. Focus by compressing with two hands, then once you place your Sweet Spot where you want it and get that Sweet Spot in focus, press the locking button on the focusing collar to lock it into place. Then fine-tune your focus by rotating the focus ring,and fine-tune the tilt of your Sweet Spot by rotating the knobs on the end of of the focusing rods. The Control Freak is great for macro and table-top photography.

A. Lensbaby currently offers six optic choices - the Double Glass Optic, Single Glass Optic, Plastic Optic, Pinhole/Zone Plate, Fisheye Optic and Soft Focus Optic.

The Double Glass Optic is a 50mm multi-coated optical glass doublet, providing a tack-sharp Sweet Spot of focus with minimum diffusion at all aperture settings.

The Single Glass Optic is an update of the Original Lensbaby's primitive optic, ideal for fine art, portraiture, black and white images and any shot requiring a subtle, soft, dreamy effect. The Single Glass Optic is a 50mm single, non-coated glass element.

The Plastic Optic is for plastic fanatics. Our softest optic overall, it creates very ethereal photos with abundant chromatic aberration. It's an uncoated 50mm double convex plastic singlet.

The Soft Focus Optic is a 50mm flat field multi-coated doublet. Much like a classic Imagon portrait lens, the Soft Focus Optic creates images with an overall soft and diffused look. You can vary the amount of softness by changing and stacking the aperture disks.

The Fisheye Optic is an ultra-wide 12mm focal length with a 160 degree field of view. It captures eye-popping fisheye views from infinity all the way down to one inch from the front of your lens.*

The Pinhole/Zone plate lets you shift easily back and forth from pinhole to zone plate mode with your digital SLR by simply sliding a toggle inside the optic cup. Pinhole and zone plate options achieve softer focus, producing dreamy images that are equally sharp from edge to edge. The surface area of the zone plate is larger than the pinhole and therefore requires less exposure time. The zone plate will also produce images with a much more glowing and diffused light than the pinhole, which tends to be sharper.**

* Please note: the Fisheye Optic requires an adapter to use it with the Muse or the Control Freak. The adapter is sold on the accessories page as the Fisheye Adapter. If you use the Fisheye with the Muse or Control Freak without the adapter you run the risk of crashing the optic into the mirror inside your camera due to the size of the optic.

**Please note: you will not see any Lensbaby blur in the Pinhole and Zone Plate, Soft Focus or Fisheye photos. These optics are extra creative options that Lensbaby offers. You should keep your Lensbaby centered facing straight ahead when using these optics.

A.Try these helpful links to learn more:

http://lensbaby.com/newsletter.php?email_id=25363
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_photography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_plate
http://photo.net/pinhole/pinhole.htm

A. There are two differences between the Original Lensbaby and Lensbaby 2.0: the optic and the aperture system. The optic in the Original is a single non-coated glass element, while the 2.0 optic is a coated glass doublet. Essentially, this means that the optic in the 2.0 is sharper.
The Lensbaby Optic Swap System is only for use with the Muse, Composer, and Control Freak. It is not designed to work with the Original, 2.0 and 3G.

The Original Lensbaby (Single Glass Optic) gives your pictures a softer, dreamier look; it has been called a “Holga on steroids" or a “digital Diana". Because the Original optic is non-coated, your pictures will show some diffusion, and occasionally, prismatic color shifts. Some portrait photographers lean toward the Original because it is softer and more forgiving. All Lensbabies have manual aperture systems: they come with a set of disks that drop into the front of the lens. The Original disks are held in place with a rubber gasket. To change the aperture, you pluck the gasket out, change the disk and drop the gasket back in.

The Lensbaby 2.0 (Double Glass Optic) comes with one more aperture than the Original (f 2.0). There are shielded magnets inside the 2.0. The magnets work together with disks that are made of metalicized plastic, so they drop in and stay in. The aperture controls the size of your Sweet Spot and how much blur appears in your picture; choose the aperture for the effect that you want to achieve, then compensate with your shutter speed.

The Lensbaby 3G (Double Glass Optic) has the same optics and aperture system as the Lensbaby 2.0. It comes with 3 extra apertures: f 11, f 16 and f 22. The major difference between 3G and the two earlier versions is that you can lock the 3G into place. Once it is locked you can fine-focus it. This allows you to repeat your shot and work in lower light situations using long exposures. You can shoot unlocked as you would with the Original or the 2.0 or you can lock it into place, fine-focus and adjust the tilt.

A: Many world renowned Photoshop® authorities, such as Katrin Eismann, Jack Davis, and Jim DiVitale, have told us that it is impossible to replicate with software the natural, organic optical effects a Lensbaby creates. But, many devoted Lensbaby users will not even argue that point because even if software could emulate the Lensbaby's look, there are many reasons why using a Lensbaby is more satisfying:

1) Speed

2) More organic

3) Multiple angles

4) Curved field of focus

5) Showing instant results to client

A. See our Retailers page

A. Absolutely.

A. You can send us a cashier's check or money order as payment and we will ship your Lensbaby when it clears. We also accept PayPal at Kirsten@lensbabies.com

A. Domestic shipping is free with USPS Priority Mail for purchases over $30. We also offer UPS Overnight, 2-Day, 3-Day and Ground. For international orders, USPS Priority International starts at $18 to Canada and $28 for other countries. UPS is offered to some international destinations. To calculate shipping simply choose your items and enter your zip/postal code and you will get a quote with options and prices door to door. Please note that USPS does not offer detailed tracking.

A. Overseas customers may indeed have to pay import duties and other taxes such as VAT. Lensbabies does not have a list of all the taxes collected by various countries.

A. Sure, if you have any problems, just send us an e-mail (customerhappiness@lensbaby.com) or give us a call (toll free: 877-536-7222 or outside the USA: 971-223-5662) and we will do our best to answer your questions. You may be able to find the answer you need below, under Technical Questions.

A. All Lensbabies come with a 30-day money back guarantee, provided the Lensbaby is in new condition. The customer covers the shipping charges. You can return it to: Lensbaby, LLC. Attention: I don't love my Lensbaby. 516 SE Morrison Street. Suite M4. Portland. Oregon. 97214 USA. You do not need an RMA. Just enclose your invoice or a letter with your order information so we know who to credit.

A. The Composer stays in place, the Control Freak can be held in place by a locking mechanism you engage by pressing a button. The Muse does not stay in place by itself - you need to hold it in place while you shutter. The legacy Lensbaby lenses, the Original Lensbaby and Lensbaby 2.0 are like the Muse - controlled by your fingertips. The 3G is like the Control Freak, you can use it loose or locked.

A. No. The inside of the older generation Lensbabies are very different than the new generation and there is no way to retrofit the swappable optics to work in them.

A. No, the Lensbaby is an actual SLR lens. You take your current lens off your camera and replace it with the Lensbaby.

A. Yes, you can find it on the user guide page.

A. When using your Lensbaby, exposure is most easily controlled with your shutter speed and ISO adjustments. Exposure can also be adjusted by swapping out apertures on your Lensbaby. The aperture will not show up on the LCD or in your meta data. Aperture is controlled with the set of disks that come with your Lensbaby.

A. The focal length is approximately 50mm with the Double Glass, Single Glass, and Plastic optics. The focal length with the Pinhole/Zone Plate is 55mm. The Original Lensbaby, Lensbaby 2.0, and Lensbaby 3G all have a 50mm focal length. Lensbaby Wide Angle and Telephoto accessory lenses screw onto the front of the Lensbaby, changing the focal length to 30mm and 80mm, respectively. Use of the Lensbaby 0.42x Super Wide Lens changes the focal length to 21mm. If you are shooting with a crop sensor camera, multiply your camera's crop factor by the focal length of the Lensbaby.

A. The Composer focuses from 18 inches to infinity. The Muse and the Control Freak, as well as the Original Lensbaby, Lensbaby 2.0, and Lensbaby 3G, when fully extended have a minimum focus distance of about around 12 inches, and the maximum distance for achieving sharp focus is infinity on all Lensbaby lenses. With the Muse and the Control Freak, as well as the Original Lensbaby, Lensbaby 2.0, and Lensbaby 3G, you can actually focus on subjects as close as 9 inches away by pushing on the focusing collar rather than pulling in on it. The Macro Kit allows the user to focus between 2 to 13 inches away.

A.Yes, as long as they have a 37mm thread. We sell a range of accessories in our webstore, including a Macro Kit and Wide Angle and Telephoto adapters. If you want to use filters larger than 37mm, we recommend using the Lensbaby Step-up/Shade that allows you to attach 52mm filters to the Lensbaby.

A.First determine the Flash sync shutter speed for your camera: this is usually between 1/60 and 1/500 of a second. Set your camera at this shutter speed or SLOWER, (i.e. 1/60, 1/30). If your camera has multiple options, put it in Manual or Aperture Priority mode.
Digital camera users can take a test shot and look at the histogram for correct exposure. * If the image is overexposed, use a higher aperture (smaller hole) or decrease your flash power by 1 stop. Continue to decrease aperture size or flash power as needed. You may have to experiment to find the right balance between flash power and aperture size to get the correct exposure with the amount of blur you want. * If the image is underexposed (not likely) use a larger aperture.

For film cameras used in combination with an external Flash Unit, do one of the following: * Use a flash light meter to measure the amount of flash being emitted from the Electronic Flash Unit and set your aperture according to the readings (make sure you calculate for the correct film speed!). * Calculate the distance from subject to camera and set the Flash according to the chart on your Flash unit. The users manual of the Flash Unit will also give you more information.

Some cameras have built in flashes that can meter TTL (through the lens) and adjust your flash for correct exposure.

Please go to our Electronic Flash page for more information.

A. Yes. One side effect of using a teleconverter that goes between the body and the lens is that you will be eliminating a good portion of the Lensbaby blur around the edges, whereas a screw-in conversion lens will give you a longer focal length while keeping the sweet-spot small.

A. The Lensbaby is a unique SLR lens that has a sweet spot of focus with blur all around the sweet spot. Unlike a tilt-shift lens, which has a flat field of focus and a slice of focus from end to end, the Lensbaby field of focus is curved, producing a circle of focus.

A. No. Because the Lensbaby does not have a flat field of focus, its tilt action only moves a sweet spot of focus around the image plane and does not correct perspective or make converging lines parallel.

A. The specks are actually dust on your sensor. The specks are visible when using the pinhole optic because the aperture is so small that it casts a well-defined shadow of the dust onto your sensor. Normally these specks aren't visible at apertures of 5.6 or brighter because the amount of light prevents the specks from appearing.

A. Nikon mount Lensbaby' caps turn in the opposite direction of most other manufacturer's rear lens caps (remove the cap by turning clockwise).

A. Older and more expensive current Nikon cameras have a mechanical link between the aperture mechanism on lenses with an aperture ring. Nikon stopped putting this mechanical interface on the lower priced camera bodies. In order to make a mount that physically accepts all F-mount lenses, but avoids messing up an active meter that has no way of knowing what aperture the lens is going to be at the moment of exposure, Nikon disabled the meter altogether on these lower priced models (this a relative criteria since we are talking about $2000 D100 cameras and $400 N80 cameras).

A.Nikon has disabled TTL flash metering when these cameras do not sense an autofocus lens mounted. In order to use the built-in pop-up flash on these cameras:

1. Go into your custom settings (CSM) menu and set your pop-up flash to manual rather than TTL (if this is not clear then your Custom Menu may need to be changed from Simple to Detailed in the Set Up menu).

2. Start by setting your flash power to 1/2 with a shutter speed/ISO combination that gives you an ambient exposure that is 1 to 1 1/2 stops too dark so your background does not go totally black. Test the ambient (non-flash) exposure by shooting a few test shots with the flash off. Play with the power of the pop-up flash from full power down to 1/16 to get proper exposure on your main subject(s).

Hotshoe mounted Nikon Speedlight flashes must be set to either manual or auto exposure modes. TTL modes on your Nikon Speedlight flash will not work with a Lensbaby on the D80 or D90 type camera bodies.

A. D200, D300, D700, D3, D2x, D2h(s), D1x, D1, D3, F100, N90(s), N70, 8008(s), FA, N2000, N2002, F5, F4, F3, FE(2), FM(2), F2, N6006, N8008, and the Fuji S5

A. All Canon bodies will work with your Lensbaby when set to Aperture Priority Mode. The camera will meter the light coming through the lens and will set the shutter speed accordingly. You can also shoot in Manual Mode.

A. The Safety Release Lock needs to be disabled. On the LCD panel, move the Right Arrow to the <sLock> icon. Next, press the <FUNC.> button. Turn the dial and place the setting on “0".

A. The most likely reason is that your settings need to be changed. The Sony A900 can not be used in Aperture Priority mode with a Lensbaby as there is no shutter lock release option. You must use it in Manual Mode.

A. An Olympus 4/3rd (E1) mount

A. To allow the Digilux to fire with a lens that doesn't communicate electronically with your camera (like the Lensbaby), you must go into the Custom Menu Settings, page 4 and set “No Release without Lens" to “OFF". Then the Camera will meter through the lens, adjusting the shutter speed appropriately.

A. Lensbaby 3GPL and Muse PL are both PL mount camera lenses that allow rapid and fluid tilt photography. There are two major differences between the lenses. First, you can lock the 3GPL into a tilted position and then you can focus front to back with a manual fine focus ring. The Muse PL, on the other hand, cannot be locked and it does not have a manual fine focus ring.

The second major difference is that the Muse PL features the Lensbaby Optic Swap system while the Lensbaby 3GPL has a fixed Double Glass Optic. With the Muse PL you can swap any one of 5 different optics in and out of the lens, with each optic giving you a different look. The Muse PL ships with the Double Glass Optic installed, which is Lensbaby's sharpest selective focus optic.

In addition, you can use the Plastic, Single Glass, Fisheye, and Soft Focus Optics in the Muse PL, giving you a wide creative range. The Lensbaby 3GPL ships with the Double Glass Optic installed and you cannot swap this optic.

A. Yes.

A. With Lensbaby 3GPL, you can use all of the Lensbaby accessory products except the Lensbaby Macro Kit and Step-up/Shade. You can use all Lensbaby accessory products with the Muse PL. In addition, with the Muse PL you can use the Single Glass, Fisheye, Soft Focus, and Plastic Optics. These additional optics are not compatible with the Lensbaby 3GPL.

A. In order to use a Lensbaby with your digital video camera, you will need to use an adapter. The following companies make adapters which have been tested and used successfully with a Lensbaby: P+S Technik, Redrock M2, Brevis35, Letus35 and SGpro. To use an adapter with the PL mount Lensbaby, you will need to choose an adapter that will attach to your camera (has the correct thread size, for example 72mm or 82mm) and features a PL Mount on the other end. You can also use an adapter with a digital video camera and an SLR mount Lensbaby; in this case you will need to choose an adapter that will attach to your camera and features an SLR (for example, Nikon) Mount on the other end.

A. No. Lensbaby does not offer a dedicated B4 mount Lensbaby and has no plans of offering one in the near future. The main problem in developing a Lensbaby for the B4 mount is the small sensor size. Since the Lensbaby relies on depth of field to create blur around the sweet spot of focus, a longer focal length is necessary than is viable for the small sensor cameras.

A. Yes. The fronts of the Lensbaby .6x Wide Angle Lens and the Lensbaby 1.6x Telephoto Lens each have a 46mm thread. 46mm filters can be screwed on to the front or you may use a step up ring to use larger filters. Also, the front of the 0.42x Super Wide Lens Accessory has 52mm threads.