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EXPLORE EFFECTS

Discover which effect is right for you. Whether its a sweet spot of focus, a dramatic slice of focus, or a swirly bokeh, we have artistic effects for any type of photographic vision.

INSPIRATION CENTER

Get inspired by our Lensbaby Ambassadors and image galleries in our Inspiration Center. Learn everything there is to know about Lensbaby and our lens effects, from the pros who use them!

© Ute Reckhorn

© Ute Reckhorn

Velvet 56

Our most popular art lens - the Velvet 56 adds ethereal mood to any scene with tack-sharp detail layered underneath edge-to-edge velvety glow effect.

Look into the Velvet 56 for a vision of the world you’ve never seen before. With a buttery smooth, vintage glow at wide apertures, you’ll create dreamy, and intricate images—perfect for everything from magical macro scenes to intimate, soulful portraits.

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SPECS AND DETAILS

Velvet 56 is a 56mm f/1.6 SLR camera lens with 1:2 macro capabilities
This “new classic” portrait lens delivers a velvety, glowing, ethereal look at brighter apertures, and beautifully sharp but subtly unique images as you stop down – with gorgeous, velvety tones that give digital images a film-like, organic quality. The incredibly versatile Velvet 56 enables photographers to move seamlessly from shooting an environmental portrait, to capturing details in a subject’s clothing or jewelry. Nature and macro photographers will find its close-focus capabilities, combined with effects varying from impressionistic to just a touch of velvety smoothness, provide a set of visual tools that will expand their vision of the world.

SPECS AND DETAILS:

Focal Length: 56mm
Primary Effect: Soft & Velvety (Velvet 56 installed)
Optic Swap Compatible: No
Aperture Range: f/1.6 - 16
Minimum Focus Distance: 130mm (5in)
Maximum Focus Distance: Infinity
62mm filter threads
Focus type: Manual
Format Compatibility: 35mm Full Frame; APS-C; and 4/3rds Sensors
Camera Compatibility: SLR and MIL cameras
Diagonal Angle of View: Full Frame: 42.2°; APS-C (1.5x): 28.4°; 4/3rds: 21.9°
Diaphragm Blades: 9
Elements/Groups: 4 elements / 3 group
Coating: Broadband multi coated anti-reflective
Lens hood only included with mirrorless lenses.

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COMPATIBILITY

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SPECS AND DETAILS

Focal Length: 56mm
Primary Effect: Soft & Velvety (Velvet 56 installed)
Optic Swap Compatible: No
Aperture Range: f/1.6 - 16
Minimum Focus Distance: 130mm (5in)
Maximum Focus Distance: Infinity
62mm filter threads
Focus type: Manual
Format Compatibility: 35mm Full Frame; APS-C; and 4/3rds Sensors
Camera Compatibility: SLR and MIL cameras
Diagonal Angle of View: Full Frame: 42.2°; APS-C (1.5x): 28.4°; 4/3rds: 21.9°
Diaphragm Blades: 9
Elements/Groups: 4 elements / 3 group
Coating: Broadband multi coated anti-reflective
Lens hood only included with mirrorless lenses.

WHY Velvet 56

"This lens will definitely do it for macro and nature photographers. The halation gives such a beautiful softness, yet dimension at the same time. It is truly magical. "
- Victoria Hederer Bell

"I am IN LOVE with this lens! The thing that makes me most excited, and the reason I never want to take it off my camera, is the way it jumps from macro to far away shooting. I adore it!"
- Caroline Jensen

"If I had to choose just one lens to use for photographing flowers for the rest of my life, it would be my Lensbaby Velvet 56."
- Kathleen Clemons

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COMPATIBILITY

Lensbaby lenses are compatible with loads of different cameras. If you are curious if your camera is compatible with our lenses we have made the this compatibility tool to help you along the process of finding your perfect lens. Just fill out what lens you are interested in and what camera you have and we will do the rest!

I want the Lensbaby

My camera body is the

Please enter your camera body

Can’t find what you are looking for? Download our full compatibility PDF. You can find discontinued products and much more. Click here.

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Customer Reviews
4.8 Based on 120 Reviews
5 ★
92% 
110
4 ★
2% 
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3 ★
2% 
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2 ★
3% 
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Customer Photos
98reviewers would recommend this product Write a Review Ask a Question

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Filter Reviews:
    CR
    01/03/2023
    Cheryl R.
    United States
    I recommend this product

    Nice optics!

    The optical quality and effect is great. Like all my Lensbaby products so far, there is a bit of a learning curve to get what I want out of it, but very happy with this purchase. I am a little concerned that it seems to grind/drag as the barrel rotates in one area. I will probably call to see if this is normal, but it is not affecting images or usage.

    SO
    12/16/2022
    Silvia O.
    United States United States
    I recommend this product

    Not sure if this is a good sense for a micro four third camera

    I can’t say I liked this lens. I keep on being told that it takes time, check your diopter, and so forth and so on. Yes, maybe so for people who never used a manual lens, or lenses with low apertures f/1.4 or f/1.2. The issue I had with the Velvet 56 was that at f/1.6, it has zero point of focus at a distance. None. Totally blurred, when it should’ve kept the center of the frame with certain definition. There would be focus (again, at a distance) at f/2.0 or f/2.8, but not enough to say, have enough definition for the eyes of a person. By f/5.6, almost everything in the frame was in focus, not just the center of the frame. Maybe I just got a bad copy; I could get a much better shot at f/5.6 and lower with my Helios 44M, than with the Velvet 56. A shame, since I had high expectations of being able to take some environmental portraits of my pregnant daughter with it. I didn’t want to risk it, and return it. In its place, I ordered the Sol 22, which was made for MFT, and a Trio, just to play with, but definitely not to serve my original purpose. I added the OMNI color expansion but not the holders, and with that and my current MFT lenses, I’ll have to make do for now. PS: I’m forced to select whether I recommend this product or not, I have to choose NO but my no is qualified to MFT.

    Velvet 56

    Our most popular art lens - the Velvet 56 adds ethereal mood to any scene with tack-sharp detail layered underneath edge-to-edge velvety glow effect.

    Look into the Velvet 56 for a vision of the world you’ve never seen before. With a buttery smooth, vintage glow at wide apertures, you’ll create dreamy, and intricate images—perfect for everything from magical macro scenes to intimate, soulful portraits.

    Color
    x