Lensbaby
Encyclopedia
Lensbaby is a line of camera lenses
for SLR cameras that combine a simple lens
with a bellows
or ball and socket mechanism for use in special-effect photography
. A lensbaby can give effects normally associated with view camera
s. The lenses are popular with photographs for the creative possibilities of the selective focus and bokeh
effects.
Overview =
Lensbabys can be used on cameras that accept interchangeable lenses, mainly of the 35 mm motion picture film
or digital SLR
formats. The focal length
of the Lensbaby is approximately 50 mm, making it a normal lens
in 35 mm format
.
(called the "sweet spot") to almost anywhere in the frame. This allows the important part of the subject to be rendered fairly sharp with everything else out of focus, even if it is the same distance from the camera. The Lensbaby naturally focuses at approximately 2 feet; closer focus is achieved by pushing the front of the lens out, and infinity focus
is achieved by pulling the front of the lens toward the base of the lens.
There is extreme spherical
and some chromatic aberration
outside the central sweet spot.
Lensbabys have no electronic components, disabling auto-focus when mounted on modern cameras. The use of auto-focus is further undermined by the spherical aberration
in the lens. In most cases Lensbabys require aperture priority
or fully manual mode. The Lensbaby can also be used for infrared photography
, but don't include an index mark for infrared photography.
Aperture
is controlled by a series of interchangeable discs (basically a Waterhouse stop
).
The lens with the default cicular aperture disks produces oval bokeh
that point to the sweet spot, as seen in the sample photo on this page, and patterned aperture disks can be used to shape the out-of-focus areas to non-circular shapes.
(EOS), Nikon
F
, Minolta
Maxxum/Sony
Alpha, Pentax
K, Olympus
Four Thirds System
. All lenses have 37 mm filter threads.
Some lens models are available in PL mount versions.
requires the photographer to maintain the focus manually.
The Muse is available with a plastic or multi-coated glass optical doublet installed, and comes with f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, and f/8 aperture disks. It is compatible with 35mm cameras and PL mount.
The Composer's stability also allows for the long exposures usually needed for pinhole photography. The Composer comes with f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22 aperture disks and an f/2 multi-coated glass doublet optic installed.
Among the new products was a plastic optic capable of producing the distortion and chromatic aberration familiar to Holga
and LOMO
users, a full circle fisheye lens
, a pinhole
for infinite depth of field, zoneplate optic for very soft-focus effects, and an uncoated glass singlet
.
Photographic lens
A camera lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically.While in principle a simple convex lens will suffice, in...
for SLR cameras that combine a simple lens
Simple lens
In optics, a simple lens or singlet lens is a lens consisting of a single simple element. Typical examples include a magnifying glass or a lens in a pair of simple reading glasses....
with a bellows
Bellows (photography)
In photography, a bellows is the pleated expandable part of a camera, usually a large or medium format camera, to allow the lens to be moved with respect to the focal plane for focusing....
or ball and socket mechanism for use in special-effect photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. A lensbaby can give effects normally associated with view camera
View camera
The view camera is a type of camera first developed in the era of the Daguerreotype and still in use today, though with many refinements. It comprises a flexible bellows which forms a light-tight seal between two adjustable standards, one of which holds a lens, and the other a viewfinder or a...
s. The lenses are popular with photographs for the creative possibilities of the selective focus and bokeh
Bokeh
In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."...
effects.
Overview =
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
or digital SLR
Digital single-lens reflex camera
Most digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera....
formats. The focal length
Focal length
The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light. For an optical system in air, it is the distance over which initially collimated rays are brought to a focus...
of the Lensbaby is approximately 50 mm, making it a normal lens
Normal lens
In photography and cinematography a normal lens, also called a standard lens, is a lens that reproduces perspective that generally looks "natural" to a human observer under normal viewing conditions, as compared with lenses with longer or shorter focal lengths which produce an expanded or...
in 35 mm format
.
Focus
The front standard can be manipulated off axis to move the sharpest area of focusFocus (optics)
In geometrical optics, a focus, also called an image point, is the point where light rays originating from a point on the object converge. Although the focus is conceptually a point, physically the focus has a spatial extent, called the blur circle. This non-ideal focusing may be caused by...
(called the "sweet spot") to almost anywhere in the frame. This allows the important part of the subject to be rendered fairly sharp with everything else out of focus, even if it is the same distance from the camera. The Lensbaby naturally focuses at approximately 2 feet; closer focus is achieved by pushing the front of the lens out, and infinity focus
Infinity focus
In optics and photography, infinity focus is the state where a lens or other optical system forms an image of an object an infinite distance away. This corresponds to the point of focus for parallel rays. The image is formed at the focal point of the lens....
is achieved by pulling the front of the lens toward the base of the lens.
There is extreme spherical
Spherical aberration
thumb|right|Spherical aberration. A perfect lens focuses all incoming rays to a point on the [[Optical axis|optic axis]]. A real lens with spherical surfaces suffers from spherical aberration: it focuses rays more tightly if they enter it far from the optic axis than if they enter closer to the...
and some chromatic aberration
Chromatic aberration
In optics, chromatic aberration is a type of distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point. It occurs because lenses have a different refractive index for different wavelengths of light...
outside the central sweet spot.
Lensbabys have no electronic components, disabling auto-focus when mounted on modern cameras. The use of auto-focus is further undermined by the spherical aberration
Spherical aberration
thumb|right|Spherical aberration. A perfect lens focuses all incoming rays to a point on the [[Optical axis|optic axis]]. A real lens with spherical surfaces suffers from spherical aberration: it focuses rays more tightly if they enter it far from the optic axis than if they enter closer to the...
in the lens. In most cases Lensbabys require aperture priority
Aperture priority
Aperture priority, often abbreviated A or Av on a camera mode dial, is a setting on some cameras that allows the user to choose a specific aperture value while the camera selects a shutter speed to match. The camera will ensure proper exposure...
or fully manual mode. The Lensbaby can also be used for infrared photography
Infrared photography
In infrared photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about...
, but don't include an index mark for infrared photography.
Aperture
Aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,...
is controlled by a series of interchangeable discs (basically a Waterhouse stop
Waterhouse stop
The Waterhouse stop or Waterhouse diaphragm is an interchangeable diaphragm with an aperture for controlling the entry of light into a camera. A thin piece of metal is drilled with a hole ; a set of these with varying hole sizes makes up a set of Waterhouse stops, corresponding to what today we...
).
The lens with the default cicular aperture disks produces oval bokeh
Bokeh
In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."...
that point to the sweet spot, as seen in the sample photo on this page, and patterned aperture disks can be used to shape the out-of-focus areas to non-circular shapes.
Compatibility
The Lensbaby is available in several different lens mounts: Canon EFCanon EF lens mount
Introduced in 1987, the EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens...
(EOS), Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
F
Nikon F-mount
The Nikon F-mount is a type of interchangeable lens mount developed by Nikon for its 35 mm SLR cameras. The F-mount was first introduced on the Nikon F camera in 1959, and features a three lug bayonet mount with a 44 mm throat and a flange to focal plane distance of 46.5 mm...
, Minolta
Minolta
Minolta Co., Ltd. was a Japanese worldwide manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as . It is perhaps best known for making the first integrated autofocus 35mm SLR camera system...
Maxxum/Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Alpha, Pentax
Pentax
Pentax is a brand name used by Hoya Corporation for its medical-related products & services and Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company for cameras, sport optics , etc. Hoya purchased and merged with the Japanese optics company on March 31, 2008. Hoya's Pentax imaging business was sold to Ricoh Company, Ltd...
K, Olympus
Olympus Corporation
is a Japan-based manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscope and thermometer businesses. Its global headquarters are in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, while its USA operations are based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania,...
Four Thirds System
Four Thirds System
The Four Thirds system is a standard created by Olympus and Kodak for digital single-lens reflex camera design and development.The system provides a standard that, with digital cameras and lenses available from multiple manufacturers, allows for the interchange of lenses and bodies from different...
. All lenses have 37 mm filter threads.
Some lens models are available in PL mount versions.
Muse
The Muse has a design similar to the Original Lensbaby and the 2.0. Its simple design consists of an interchangeable optic attached to a flexible tube bellows. The user both focuses and moves the area in focus by squeezing and bending the lens. It does not hold position andrequires the photographer to maintain the focus manually.
The Muse is available with a plastic or multi-coated glass optical doublet installed, and comes with f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, and f/8 aperture disks. It is compatible with 35mm cameras and PL mount.
Composer
The Composer features a ball-and-socket style body coupled with a manual barrel focus. Unlike the original design, the lens stays in position without any locking mechanism.The Composer's stability also allows for the long exposures usually needed for pinhole photography. The Composer comes with f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22 aperture disks and an f/2 multi-coated glass doublet optic installed.
Scout
The Scout does not have selective focus control and is intended for use as a traditional fisheye lens with a very close minimum focus distance. It is compatible with all of the other Lensbaby accessories.Accessories
Lensbaby sells wide angle, telephoto and macro adapters that screw onto the 37mm threads. In March 2011, Lensbaby introduced offers seven optics that a user can swap into and out of any of the in-production Lensbaby lensesAmong the new products was a plastic optic capable of producing the distortion and chromatic aberration familiar to Holga
Holga
The Holga is a medium format 120 film toy camera, made in China, known for its low-fidelity aesthetic.The Holga's low-cost construction and simple meniscus lens often yields pictures that display vignetting, blur, light leaks, and other distortions...
and LOMO
Lomography
Lomography is the commercial trademark of Lomographische AG, Austria for products and services catering to the Global Modern art community of Lomographic photography. The name is inspired by the former state-run optics manufacturer LOMO PLC of Saint Petersburg, Russia...
users, a full circle fisheye lens
Fisheye lens
In photography, a fisheye lens is a wide-angle lens that takes in a broad, panoramic and hemispherical image. Originally developed for use in meteorology to study cloud formation and called "whole-sky lenses", fisheye lenses quickly became popular in general photography for their unique, distorted...
, a pinhole
Pinhole
Pinhole may refer to:* Pinhole , a rock band from Liverpool, England, later to become The Dead 60s* Pinhole , a song by Japanese rock band Ogre You Asshole* Pinhole camera, a camera that uses a pinhole to form an image instead of a lens...
for infinite depth of field, zoneplate optic for very soft-focus effects, and an uncoated glass singlet
Singlet
A pair of spin-1/2 particles can be combined to form one of three states of total spin 1 called the triplet, or a state of spin 0 which is called the singlet. In theoretical physics, a singlet usually refers to a one-dimensional representation...
.
External links
- Official site
- Lensbaby example pictures (via flickr)
- Last Day Dream [HD] Chris Milk's film short – filmed entirely with a Lensbaby.
- Lensbaby Test Footage [HD] ThinkBig Test Footage of Lensbaby Muse on RedOne Camera