Perhaps a rule bender, or a light bender – both can be done through the use of a specialty lens called a Lensbaby. . Certainly the Lensbaby is not a new type of lens, they are now on their 4th generation or so. The operating principle of this lens is that you can bend the lens barrel to create very selective focus points. The other parts of the image, depending on the aperture disk you are using, go into a characteristic blur.
I have multiple versions of the Lensbaby, each one seemed to get better and address some key opportunities for improvement. . Even though I have had these gadgets for awhile, I often found it hard to make images I really liked with them It takes awhile to develop an eye for what situations might work. . There were also ergonomic issues in operation that might prevent me from taking it out of my camera bag as often as I would have liked.
If you have ever used some of the versions prior to the 3G, you know that maintaining focus on your ‘sweet spot’ can be rather difficult because you have to hand hold the bend position. . The 3G addressed this limitation by creating a lock down feature, with micro-adjustment screws, that made for a strange-looking contraption on the front of your camera. . Despite this added control (which the product is now appropriately named “Control Freak”), manipulating can be rather cumbersome. However, I was able to photograph a tame Sandhill Crane with it in this previous post.
As much as I did not want to buy yet another version of the Lensbaby, the Composer just seemed to be the right fit for me. Gone is the quirkyness of operation of the 3G, while the ability to lock the lens in place couldn’t be any easier now. Instead of bellows type operation, the lens barrel is now like a ballhead, with a focusing ring that allows a greater range. It is quite innovative, more refined in its design and ergonomics, yet does not give up any of the bending capabilities of the prior versions. With a lock down ring that also acts like a tension control, you can move the lens around and it will just stay in place.
I just finished my first day in the field with my new Composer and am very pleased with how this lens operates. . Creativity is all about freedom of expression – and if your tools make part of that difficult – you are less likely to use them. . I think this latest (and hopefully final) version of the Lensbaby will be out of my camera bag much more often now.
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