Lensbabies 3G Review - 5/21/2007

The Lensbaby 3G is definitely an eye catching photo accessory. I was excited to go out and give it a workout and found that while walking around with it attached to my camera I had several people ask what it was. It takes a little practice to get the results you want, but feels very natural after just a short time.

The 3G is a very cool looking design - matte black with its corrugated tube body and 3 long fine tuning screws with comfortable ball handles sticking out like antennae.

The product is a selective focus SLR lens, which can be ordered with mounts for most digital SLRs. There are 2 medium format version available as well for Pentax 67 and Mamiya 645. I tested the Canon version on a Canon 10D. Full specs are here:

• Coated Optical Glass Doublet (Same optic as Lensbaby 2.0)
• Focal Length: 50 mm
• Focus Type: Manual/Fingertip, with barrel fine focus
• Aperture Type: Interchangeable levitating aperture disks
• Aperture: f2 (no disk), f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8, f/11, f/16, f/22
• Minimum Focus: about 12"
• Maximum Focus: infinity
• Size/Weight: 3" (6.72cm) high x 3" (6.72cm wide / 5.7 oz. (161.6 grams)

The 3G, as its name implies, is the third generation of the Lensbaby line. It improves over the design of the Lensbaby 2 with the addition of a collar lock and fine tuning screws. These features allow you to precisely compose your image, positioning the focused sweet spot exactly where you want. It works very nicely on a tripod or other fixed mount, where you can set up a studio arrangement and experiment with exact composition, but you still have the option of hand holding and positioning the flexible tubing with your fingers when you are out and about and a tripod is not needed.

The collar is locked using a button and released by squeezing 2 release pins together. Additional positioning can be achieved by tightening or loosening 1 of 3 fine tuning screws.

You focus the Lensbaby manually - it does not communicate with the auto focus mechanism of your camera. Rough focus can be set via extending or contracting the flexible tube. Finer focus is achieved via a focusing barrel. 37mm threads on the front of the barrel allow for the addition of filters, although the tuning screws would prevent the attachment of a larger adapter (say, for drop in filters like a Cokin system).

Changes in aperture are accomplished by using drop in "aperture rings". The 3G has rings that provide aperture settings of f2, f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8, f/11, f/16, f/22. The rings are store in a small plastic case (with an old film cannister cap for a cover) that includes a magnetic tool for removing the ring from the front of the Lensbaby. I found it a little cumbersome to have to switch out the rings for aperture changes and I would be concerned over time about losing rings in the set, but the process of changing them out is quick and easy to do. I would also like it if future versions have labels or marks on the rings to identify the sizes for quicker visual reference when making changes.

The selective focus of the lens and the ability to move the sweet spot around exactly where you want it is what gives Lensbaby images their unique dreamy look.

The convenience of being able to fire off a set of Lensbaby shots, moving the sweet spot around in a variety of subtle positional changes over the time it would take in post processing to achieve a similar effect would pay for the Lensbaby in a single afternoon. It's a specialty tool, but a terrific tool for portrait or wedding photographers as well as anyone looking for a fun and creative, and relatively inexpensive accessory.

Lensbaby products and accessories are available at lensbabies.com.