Lensbaby Creative Effects and Pro Effect Kit
I recently received two Lensbaby kits that I spent quite a bit of time playing with. I used both the Pro Effects Kit and the Creative Effects System Kit on my Canon 5D Mark II. For DSLR shooters who are looking to explore their creative edge and really push the limits of what their eye is accustomed to seeing, I found that Lensbaby optics are a sure-fire way of getting you there. In general, the way a Lensbaby works is by twisting and turning the front of the lens to create a blurred vignette around a small sweet-spot that remains in sharp focus.
With the two kits I have, the Creative Effects Kit and the Pro Effects Kit, I was able to swap in different optics and aperture rings to produce a variety of looks. The different optics gave my images differing and stylized looks. Crisp and clear focused edges or soft ethereal images, each Optics selection determined the overall look and effect of the image produced.
The Edge 80 and the Sweet 35 were two Lensbaby Optics that I used most often. The Edge 80 provided a selective focus and I noticed that it gave objects a miniature effect. The Sweet 35 optic has a proper aperture ring for dialing in the size of the lens hole. This allowed me to control the depth of field without swapping out the magnetic aperture rings. The focused sweet spot can still be achieved with the Sweet 35 optic as well. The same idea that is used to to swap apertures can also be used to produce creative bokeh. The creative aperture kit allows you to drop in magnetic disks with different designs for varying bokeh effects. Lensbaby also has macro extensions that are available as a set containing one 8mm converter and one 16mm converter, you can also stack them together to make a 24mm converter. On the Lensbaby website, they do a really good job of showing a multitude of Macro Comparison Examples to give you a feel for what this kit has to offer.
Ultimately, I had a lot of fun learning how to shoot with these Lensbaby kits. The photos I captured are unlike anything I’ve seen a lens kit capable of producing. There are hobbyists and professionals alike out there using Lensbaby optics and you can really see why when you open up all of the possibilities these lenses can offer.
For tons of photo galleries, in-depth info and more, check out Lensbaby.com. Also, I have my own Lensbaby photos, you can check out the OliviaTech Facebook Page HERE for OTech PHOTOS.
LensBaby Creative Effects and Pro Effects Kits
thanks for the review.