Warehouse Door and Lamp. Single Glass Optic f/4, Lensbaby Composer.

Warehouse Door and Lamp. Single Glass Optic f/4, Lensbaby Composer., originally uploaded by scalespeeder.

It's hard to describe the sheer variety of looks you can get with the Lensbaby Composer. You've got the variable sweet-spot, different apertures to play with, and the ace-in-the-hole, the Optic Swap System.



Quite simply, you can change the glass inside your Lensbaby Composer lens. Today I've moved onto the Single Glass Optic, as used in the original Lensbabies - not as sharp as the Double Glass Optic, and less blurred than the Plastic Optic.



So, with the Composer on the front of my Canon Eos 350d / Digital Rebel XT, I headed off to see what I could see!

I've chosen to process my images through to Black and White with Nik's Silver Efex Pro. It's not that I don't like shooting in colour, the reverse is true, but that (as happens too often in Gosport) the light was very grey today. Overcast skies can make everything look drab, and I think that a b&w conversion can lift the images a little.

The Lensbaby Single Glass Optic, used here at f/4, sits in a nice place between the Double Glass and the Plastic Optic. The images have an overall softness that isn't distracting, and the transition to from sharp to blurred is quite subtle.

I took these shots in and around the Explosion! Museum in Gosport, Hants, UK, and by Forton Lake. I have a thing for bricks, and I definitely like to have the Spinnaker Tower in at least one photograph from a set!



Cheers, Rob.

Pier Hut. Plastic Optic, f/4, Lensbaby Composer

Pier Hut. Plastic Optic, f/4, Lensbaby Composer, originally uploaded by scalespeeder.

Having experimented with the Double Glass and Pinhole Optic, today I slipped the Plastic Optic into my Lensbaby Composer and headed out on my "go-to" Photowalk - Fort Brockhurst to Priddys Hard.



The plastic optic gives an overall softer feel, reminiscent of Holgas, Dianas and kids cameras. You still get the fall off from the sweet spot in blur / softness, but the sweet spot itself isn't as sharp as on the Double Optic.

Unfortunately the light was very grey and flat - typical overcast English Weather. I was hoping for some Sunshine to bring out the best in the Plastic Optic, but I think I did OK and I'm sure we'll have some bright-crisp weather to look forward to as the Autumn draws on.

I did a little practice in our Garden with the Lensbaby Plastic Optic before I went out, trying different apertures to get one that was a good compromise between overall softness and the look I wanted. I found that f/4 looked promising, and that's the f-stop I used for all these photo's.

Post processing was done in Adobe Camera Raw, where I pumped up the contrast, then the Black and Whites were worked on in Nik Silver Efex Pro. The vignettes you see are artificial enhancements made in the Nik software, I like the way they add a vintage feel to the images.

I have to say that I really like the Lensbaby Composer Plastic Optic. The shots are pinhole-like, without the complication of bringing a tripod along and using long exposures.



Another winner for the Lensbaby Composer and my Canon Eos 350d / Digital Rebel XT.



Thanks, Rob.

Lensbaby Composer Video Review - Optic Swap System & Wide Angle / Macro Converter

What a cool system! One lens, five different "optic options" - Double Glass, Single Glass, Plastic Optic, Pinhole and Zone Plate.

When you first get hold of a Lensbaby Composer it's hard to decide where to start, there's so many creative possibilities, it's like having a band new camera and a set of lenses all rolled into one!

Check out the shots of some Lensbaby Experts, at Lensbaby.com.

Cheers, Rob.

A Video Introduction To The Lensbaby Composer

One thing I didn't explain in the video is which modes you can shoot in when using a Lensbaby Composer. With Canon's you can use Aperture Priority or Manual Mode, with most Nikon's you'll be shooting in Manual Mode, and most other SLR's will work in Aperture Priority Mode or Manual Mode.

Check out a great slideshow of Lensbaby Composer Photographs on Flickr.

Cheers, Rob.

SCL Photo Podcast 62 - Lensbaby Composer and Qoop.com

First impressions of my new Lensbaby Composer, and a look at Qoop.com, perhaps a way to make some cash from our photographs...

Subscribe on Itunes. (Will open Itunes, then you need to click on the "subscribe" button.) (Free)

Subscribe with other Podcatchers. (Google Reader, etc) (For Free)

Download / listen to the mp3. (Right-click then "save target as" / "save link as".) (Did I say it was free?)

Download / listen to the LOW BANDWIDTH mp3. (Right-click then "save target as" / "save link as".) (Again, free!)

Lensbaby.

Qoop.com

Cheers, Rob.