(This often happens with blog posts, actually. The images languish somewhere in the blogger server while I try to think of what the heck to say about them.)
So I think I'll keep it short and sweet so there's some hope of hitting the 'Publish' button this time.
I got a fun new (toy) lens over the summer, the Lensbaby Edge 80 optic, which is pretty much an 80mm f/2.8 poor woman's tilt shift lens, without the amazingly superior image quality that comes with most T/S lenses.
Basically, you insert the Edge 80 into a Lensbaby lens (I have the composer) and then you tilt or shift it anywhere you want to move around the slice of focus. You can use it to extend focus (make it parallel to the plane of whatever you're photographing) or you can use it to shorten the focus into a tiny slice, which cuts across your photo wherever you want.
So really, it's just about fun.
Like many other lensbaby optics it suffers from a tendency to blow out the highlights easily (I think this is because they are all engineered to be pretty high contrast out of the box). But if you pay attention it's not much of a problem.
These images make me think of summer. I miss summer. Come back soon!
If you pull out the front of the lens, you can focus on items closer to the lens. You can also use Lensbaby's macro extenders to help you focus closer. This is a fun lens for macro photography.
However, it must be said that the lens doesn't handle flare very well.
Food photography, on the other hand, is a natural application for it.
So all in all, it's a nice change of pace from my other lenses, and it's nice to have something fun you can pull out of the bag to get a different effect in camera. Recommended!
Other blog posts with images from the Edge 80:
Strawberries, Sightglass, Against the Sky, and Ocean Beach.(The first two on film, the last two digital.)
Posts
