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Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic Adds Built-In Aperture

We’re a bit late with this news, but we wanted to make sure we were going to be bringing these in before gushing about how awesome they are. We are, and so, let me introduce you to the Lensbaby Sweet 35 for their swappable optic (or “swaptic” as Nick and I call it) system. This interchangeable optic works in any of their current lens line-up (the Muse, Control Freak, Composer, or Scout) and widens things up from the traditional 50mm focal length to 35mm. More excitingly, it does away with the pesky magenetic aperture discs in favor of an integral aperture control like on any old film-era prime. Except, it’s shoved a jaw-dropping 12 blades into its diaphragm (3 more than on pro Nikon lenses), so, it should yield increddibly round diaphragms for buttery smooth bokeh. Which, of course, is important since a Lensbaby is designed to have a tack-sharp sweet spot and blur the rest into oblivion.

Detail-wise, the lens 4 multicoated elements in 3 groups, an aperture range of f2.5-22, and uses a new 47mm thread (the old lensbaby optics use 37mm threads).

The Sweet 35 will run $180 (and you’ll need a lens to put it in, remember), but delivers a vintage look for your digital with an unheard of ease. What look is that, you ask? Hit the jump for some sample photos.

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Gadget Lab Casually Reviews Lensbaby Fisheye and Soft Focus Optics

Lensbaby Soft-Focus Optic

So, Charlie Sorrel, Gadget Lab’s resident camera nut, has finished his casual hands-on review of Lensbaby’s two newest optics, the soft-focus and fisheye swappable optics for all of the current generation Lensbaby lenses. And, he tries them on a D700 and a Panasonic GF1, so you get both ends of the sensor-size spectrum.

Now, maybe it’s just my love of everything Dave McKean has ever done, but I do think the soft-focus lens is more useful and desirable than Charlie does, but I agree whole-heartedly with his assessment of the fisheye optic as a cheap route for those who want that and already have a Lensbaby.

Also, I never found the optics to be all so finicky to swap around, but your mileage may vary, of course.

Anyway, not much to say otherwise, if you want to know his thoughts you should really just hit the external link below.



Finally, A Reasonable Set of Lens Recommendations

So, I know it’s popular right now to love primes, especially among hobbyists, but for my money I think guest blogger Chris Folsom over at DPS is on to something when he says the three best lenses for a beginner to own (or anyone, for that matter) are a standard zoom, a telephoto zoom, and a macro prime. He argues that those will cover the bulk of any shooting situation, and then once you’re used to their limitations and what you shoot more you can expand your collection to match your needs,which I approve of. That’s why my kit consists of two mid-grade zooms, a single fast prime, and a Lensbaby.

Most prime fans I know counter with cost, primes are (typically) cheaper than zooms. My counter is that a mid-grade zoom (take my Oly 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 for example), I have marked on the barrel 14, 18, 25, 35, and 54 (that’s 28mm, 36mm, 50mm, 70mm, and 108mm for those of you not used to Oly’s system). That’s five good prime lengths there, and while 2.8 – 3,5 is a bit slow for some of them, it isn’t out of line for others even in primes. So, was it worth 400 bucks for 5 known focal lengths, and the 36 others in between? I think so, which is why always tell friends to get the best zooms they can afford for most of their work and fill in special needs with primes as needed. But, that’s me.

Check out the full post through the link. If you’re reading this on Facebook, jump over to our blog to see said link.



Lensbaby Seeking Entries to Be Published in Upcoming Book

Get-Published-Hilz_coverAre you like Nick and myself? Do you luffles your Lensbaby optics? If you do, and you think some of your pics have got the chops it takes to be published? Well, Lensbaby wants to hear from you. Got this in my mailbox:

LENSBABY CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Submit your best Lensbaby photos for a chance to be published in a new Lensbaby book by Lensbaby Guru Corey Hilz, due out from Focal Press in the Summer of 2010. The book will feature ‘how to’ and inspirational content, along with galleries of Lensbaby photos by some of the foremost Lensbaby photographers in the world.
Go to this link to submit your photos for consideration to be published. http://lensbaby.com/getpublished/

So, there we go. If you want to be in that sharp-looking book pictured in this post, get crackin’.



The Voice of Raw, Episode 10

0:22 – Fotorosa
1:12 Nikon D3s
3:37 – Sandisk Extreme, Extreme Pro
5:23 – Nikon AF-S 85mm DX Macro
6:24 – Lensbaby Props
7:00 – Facebook Fan Shoutouts

 


Oh, Lensbaby

The fine people at Lensbaby were kind enough to loan some of their new line to us during the months of September and October. I know I walked around with the 4/3 Composer for a few weeks and if you trundle over to our YouTube channel, you’ll see me fumbling with Derek’s E3, a Composer, and swappable optics.

More about the babies, and some pics, after the jump…
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Stomp-Stomp, Nick and Derek’s Photowalk in the woods

walkabout After a couple of weeks off we’ll be out again! Check the photo-calendar to confirm that yes, we’ll be going to the West Side Park in Greenwood, Indiana to start shooting Casey Monaghan in the leaves… I will finally be bringing along a lensbaby Composer in 3 mounts -4/3, Canon, and Nikon.

Next week we’re looking to hold a night shoot someplace creepy so we all can work on goosebumpy shots.



A Nice List of Stops (Aperture and Shutter)

So, while researching exactly what f/177 is, stopwise, I found this nifty darn PDF file with a list of the most common (and quite a few uncommon) stops, what their actual value is (instead of the nice, friendly rounded off ones we all use), and it tells you what the different shutters and apertures are typical of and used for, too. Very nice.

Check it out here, throw a copy in your camera bag, never hurts to have around.



Raw Footage and the Lensbaby Composer

A Friday special, from the dark corners of our footage folder, the Lensbaby Composer! Representing the newest of Lensbaby’s optical solutions the Composer features a ball-joint method for orienting the “sweet spot” and a true barrel-focus system, along with their new swappable optics (which we move to call ‘swaptics,’ you can have that off us, Lensbaby) which let you choose how much toy camera effect you want your Lensbaby to yield.



Oranje Goes Down Tomorrow

Click Image to Visit Oranje

Click Image to Visit Oranje

OK, tomorrow night is this year’s Oranje. Oranje, for those who (like me until last month) don’t know, is apparently a big art gala, with local artist of all types (painters, chefs, photographers, DJs, bands, etc) come and sell their stuff and do their thing and play on six stages in a 2 story warehouse all night.

So of course we encourage you to be a part of the art community and go to it. Former Roberts’ desk girl and all-around-fabulous photographer Jennifer Parker will be manning (er, womanning?) a booth there, among all the other festivities.

Tickets are 20 bucks, you can nab them at the door. Click the image for full details. Go there, find Nick and I (we’ll be there with our girlfriends and our good buddy Max), check out the local photogs, be inspired, come back to us and get some gear to go out there and unleash your artistic vision.

Like, for example, a Lensbaby Composer, maybe?




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