Lensbaby

Hello,

This is my first post, and I think I have a tip that may help photographers using the Lensbaby macro lenses.

Just seeing the macro lenses in their case, it's hard to determine which is which (the +4 or the +10) without looking closely through the clear plastic of the case and turning the lens so the numbers are showing. I wanted a way to distinguish easily and quickly between the two, so I came up with a system.

At first I was simply going to label with a label maker which slot contained which lens (a number four on the four slot, and a ten for the ten slot). It was simple enough, but you still had to determine which lens you were holding before you put one in. So, I decided to go one step further and color code them. I used these Gelly Roll dimensional pens to put a dot on the labels, plus fill the letters on the macro lens rim with a color, green for the +4 lens and blue for the +10 lens. This way all I have to do is match the colors, and not have to look for the little numbers. You could probably use other pens, but I just happened to have these ones handy, and they aren't completely permanent, so if you ever wanted to remove it, you could. Attached are several pictures of my system, not the best photos, but I had some challenging lighting. Hope they make sense.

Useful, yes. Anal, definitely. There's my tip. Enjoy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2011 10:46AM by bookboy.

Well,looks like a good idea,but i would probably have done it in a different way,i would have added something i could feel with my fingers withouth looking. On my macro lenses for my old hasselblad camera,i glued some carbon sanding paper to one of them.

TRYING IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS FAILURE.

Homer Simpson

That's a great idea too! I hadn't thought of adding a tactile method of determining which is which.

The color-coding is a great idea, but for me would never work--I'm color blind. I like the texture idea as well. But here's my tip:

Shoot with the macros.
Shoot with the macros A LOT.
Shoot with the macros EVEN MORE.
Hundreds of times.
Thousands of times.
Tens of thousands of times.
Eventually the original factory paint-job will wear off.
It won't matter any more because you'll be able to tell the difference between the +4 and the +10 simply by the weight.
Really.
It happened to me.

Johnny Crabcakes

"Failure is the key to success;
Each mistake teaches us something."
--Morihei Ueshiba

I'll definitely use your tip, Johnny. Until then, though, the colors will work just fine. The next time I use the macros, my family will think I'm crazy when I have one in each hand, staring thoughtfully into space as I try to determine which is which by weight. Great tip, thanks!

Nice tips I never thought of, thanks .