Lensbaby Macro

I had forgotten that I had a 52mm lens reversing ring that I purchased before the Nikon BR-2A. I haven’t used it much, but I’ve found a new home for it. Along with the 46-52mm step-up ring I purchased for my Nikon P5100 Kit, way, way back, it will now become part of my Lensbaby kit. 

With this setup, You can reverse mount the new generation of Lensbaby optics (such as the Sweet 35 and Twist 60 that I own) 

A Sweet 35 Memorial Day

The last time I used my Lensbaby composer was at the Reeves-Reed Arboretum on my D610. It was great to finally be able shoot aperture priority AE, even if it did mean stopped-down metering. I could concentrate on focusing and composition, and at last work at 50mm instead of 75. 

I quickly learned the drawback of Waterhouse stops. Those little magnetic disks are great fun…until you have to actually use them in the field. Studio work, no problem. But there must be a better way. And there is. 

Last December I treated myself to a Sweet 35, and a new Composer. Not the newest Composer Pro II, but the previous Composer Pro. I was not particularly impressed with the newer model, which actually has a lesser degree of tilt than its predecessor.

I don’t often sell my old gear, but I would be willing to let go of my original Composer. The new model’s wonderfully smooth and damped focus ring and ball pivot are a tremendous improvement. And then there’s the Sweet 35 optic. It was very easy to quickly hone my technique.

I start by setting up a 35mm f/2.5 non-CPU lens configuration. The D610’s focus sensors now go up to f/8.0, so I set the Sweet 35’s aperture ring to f/5.6 this is easily bright enough to compose and then set focus with the matte screen when the sweet spot is off-center (fastest). But if I adjust the focus point, I can use the focus confirmation dot from f/4 (periphery) to f/8 (dead center).

Focusing, even on this overcast Memorial Day, is very easy, and silky smooth. It almost feels like a traditional, old school MF AI-s lens. 

Once I’ve got my sweet spot where I want it, and my composition and focus is in a good place, I reach for that aperture ring and give it a click (f/8) or two (f/11). This is the great part, because now I can dial in the effect I want, something I could never do before.

Later, when I’ve gotten my fill of shots, I swap out to my AF NIKKOR 35mm f/2.0 D. And, I don’t even bother flipping the AF lever on the D610. The NIKKOR 35’s manual focus is also silky-smooth (in that non-damped, auto-focus kind of way) and very satisfying. I even use its aperture instead of the command dial, which the D610 lets me do. Unlike the focus ring, it’s not the best experience, but certainly good enough, and very nostalgic. 

All this extra work and thinking makes me feel like I’m making a photograph, not just taking a photograph. And that means a world of difference. 

No Wide Lenses for Portraits

We know this. But selfies have given way to wide-angle lense use for portraits, and now there’s a 30% increase in requests for corrective dental work in the UK.

So, selfie sticks might actually be a good thing.

First Impressions: Diana F+ Premium Glass Lens

With the success of the Holga HGL-N Project, I could’t help but wonder about the Diana+ Premium Glass Lens. And so, this great little three-element coated glass lens found its way into my stocking this year, along with a Diana-Nikon lens adapter.

On a full-frame DSLR, this 75mm lens makes a great portrait lens, and compared to the standard plastic Diana lens, is super sharp and focuses to within 1 meter. But even better is how it breathes new life into the Diana F+ 120 film camera. Unlike the Holga HL-N, this lens is made primarily for the Diana F+ film camera, with the added plus that it can be used with an SLR with a simple adapter.

However, on a full-frame DSLR the adapter/lens combination makes for a compact setup, with the f/11 aperture being part of the adapter itself. But I can’t help but think how cool it would be if the adapter had the aperture “turret” that the Diana camera does. Looks like mod potential to me!

Compared to the single-element Holga lens, the Diana is brighter and much sharper, though a little more difficult to focus.

What prevents this from being the ideal walk-around lens is its long length. But the thing about shooting at 75mm on a full-frame DSLR is that you quickly get used to its clean, undistorted perspective. You can be a comfortable distance from your subject; the scale of nearby objects doesn’t fall grossly out of proportion; the angle of view is most flattering for portraits and figurature. It grows on you. As long as you’ve got room to foot-zoom, you’re good to go. 

Because this lens is capable of such sharp focus, you’ll find yourself wanting to focus it like any other lens. And with a DSLR, you can certainly do that. But, the Diana lens beckons to be used as a zone focus lens, and its front focus encourages that. No worries, it works equally well either way. I see a Holga/Diana glass lens shootout in the future.

Here are some samples:

Love of Lensbaby

I love Lensbaby; I really do. I bought the Composer, four optics and some accessories when I had my Nikon D90, but didn’t use it very much. When I purchased my Nikon D610, I began to use it more and more, but the aperture disks do slow things down a bit. I like the simplicity of them, and the fact that I can use swap them for the soft focus or special effects apertures. But when Lensbaby came out with the metal-bodied Composer Pro bundled with the Sweet 35 optic, I became immediately enamored with it. But, just now that I’m just getting around to ordering it, the Composer Pro II comes out, and throws a monkey wrench into my plans.

This is where my relationship with Lensbaby gets a little rocky. If the Composer Pro came bundled with the Sweet 35, I might have bought it on the spot. But, instead it comes bundled with the Edge 50. A nice optic, especially since its flat field optic more accurately simulates the “tilt-shift” effect. And, I was looking for something a little wider. Lensbaby can’t tell me if or when the Composer Pro II will be bundled with the Sweet 35, and I’m not prepared to pay $424.95 for it when it has less tilt range than the standard Composer Pro (or my original Composer for that matter.)

Now, I’m also thinkin’ about two other Lensbaby products. Liking the Velvet 56 for sure. But $499.95? (And then there’s the special edition in silver with copper accents for $100.00 more.) For $469.95 I could get the venerable NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4. But instead, I get a lens with one of the worst wide-open performances ever made. Not that I’m opposed to the aesthetic. But more on that later.

The other is the Circular Fisheye, and at $299.00 (right now available for $249.95) it’s both accessible and fun. So, no complaints here.

So while these two hold appeal for me, the Velvet 56 just doesn’t resonate, even though its aesthetic does. And this gets me thinking. When was the last time I encountered such significant coma that it created an ethereal, soft-focus effect? The last time I shot with a Minolta MD lens wide open…on my Nikon that is!

Yep, you read right; below f/4, those inexpensive optical lens adapters turn a normal lens into a soft-focus portrait lens.

The extra length increases the effective focal length, and the optics create coma that imparts a soft glow while letting sharp detail show through. 

So, if you love Lensbaby like I do, but you’re on a budget, choose wisely, and remember there are other options.

New Life for my Canon SD780 IS

The 8MP iPhone 4S bested my 12MP Canon SD780IS in low light. The iPhone’s physically smaller sensor had just the right number of pixels for its size to yield a photographically superior image. 

However, the Canon is now back in the game since Apple crammed one third more pixels, (12.2 MP to be exact), into three quarters of the space. The iPhone 6S images may look good to the casual observer, but zoom in and you can see the over-sharpened, heavily processed results of an overcrowded sensor. 

The iPhone is also just a tad too wide, unless you’re a dedicated 28mm shooter (it’s actually the equivalent of 29mm). So, objects are 18% smaller. This means that cropping to zoom in is even more troublesome. The SD780IS’s 33-100mm zoom lens gives it a significant advantage here too. 

So, the verdict is, while the iPhone’s camera is quite competent, it’s not so much a photographer’s camera any more; it’s a camera for the masses. There are better options out there for aspiring lensmen. 

First Impressions: Holga HGL-N

The Holga HGL-N is a 60mm glass lens for the Nikon F-Mount. Only, you can’t buy one, because it technically doesn’t exist. But, you can make one, if you have a mind to. It’s simply the Holga HL-N with the plastic lens replaced by the glass lens of the 120GFN. And the good news is, you don’t have to actually remove the lens from the barrel; you can simply loosen the stop screw and unscrew the whole barrel assembly. And if you want your 120GFN back, you can just swap ’em back; without the stop screw, they’ll both focus a little bit closer.

Wow! What a difference! I drilled out the “vignetting” mask long ago for use with my full-frame DSLR, and the “real” Holga lens has a much larger aperture on the barrel assembly than the HL-N! That means faster, and sharper due to the glass lens. It solves many problems associated with the original HL-N.

One thing; I think infinity focus might be a little off, just as it is with the plastic lens. But that should be easily corrected with another minor mod.

Here are a few samples. Some are taken with the Holga close-up lenses (also glass) which fit perfectly on the “HGL-N”.