Anyone tried Lens Baby's? (distortion effect lens for 35mm cameras)

Jeffrey A. Steinberg · Dec 14, 2004

Has anyone tried one of these:

www.lensbaby.com ?

Its a low-cost distorition effect lens for 35mm cameras.

Just wondering before I bought one.

--Jeffrey

David A. Goldfarb · Dec 15, 2004

If you're in New York City, Photo Gizzmo has them in stock, and you could try one out. Location at www.photogizzmo.com.

rbarker · Dec 15, 2004

I don't have one myself, but I've seen interesting work done with them, ranging from very strange to tastefully artistic. Certainly appears worth the price.

Leon · Dec 15, 2004

just get a holga and have done with it - bigger neg too

Nige · Dec 15, 2004

from what I've seen, not the same as a Holga. Looks interesting to me, I'm going to have a go making one myself at some stage.

Neil Souch · Dec 15, 2004

Purchased one after reading the article about them in the B&W mag. They certainly deserve a place in the camera bag and I have made a couple of interesting images with the lensbaby on my EOS 3. My wife uses it more that I do with her colour work.
Like all special effect devices you have to be careful what you use it on. Recommended all the same.

Neil.

zenrhino · Dec 15, 2004

Leon said:
just get a holga and have done with it - bigger neg too

And the Holga has the advantage that if you're shooting out of the sunroof of your car and a bird knocks the thing out of your hands and it gets run over by a Metro Transit light rail train, you're only out $12.

TPPhotog · Dec 15, 2004

That's why I have all my kit insured, if my F100 bounces down the road it's oooops send me a new one please

Bob Carnie · Dec 15, 2004

Looks a little like a pictrol diffusser, I use this all the time in the darkroom, does any one think this lens baby would work on a enlarger???

rbarker · Dec 15, 2004

Bob Carnie said:
. . . does any one think this lens baby would work on a enlarger???

It might. All it would take would be a gaffer's tape adapter on an empty board to try it.

It's amazing what one can do with gaffer's tape

elekm · Dec 15, 2004

Spiratone made something like this in the 1970s and 1980s -- the Portagon. And it was A LOT cheaper than $100. I think I paid something like $20.

You probably could do just as well with the lens from a magnifying glass and a piece of PVC pipe. Again, a lot less than $100.

Mongo · Dec 15, 2004

Check out the PlungerCam at:

Dead Link Removed

for a d.i.y. version of the same idea.

rbarker · Dec 16, 2004

Ah, but the Spiratone Portragon didn't have swings, tilts, rise, fall and shift.

Anyone tried Lens Baby's? (distortion effect lens for 35mm cameras)

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