anyone have one, used one or have commentary on them?

I owned one.
Buy a filter and some vasalene.


Seriously, they're a cheap tilt/shift lens and you can have some fun with perspective control with them and learn how that all works. But my issue was you always have blurry edges no matter what you do, so for me it wasn't a good option... If you don't mind always having the edges blurred go for it as they are a lot of fun to play with. I had the 3G so you could lock it in place and recreate the same thing over and over (otherwise you're doing everything with your fingers so it's hard to be the same in any 2 shots). It was fun, but since you live and die by the blur I sold it.

hrmmm...i was talking to carl about buying one exclusively for my ghetto home studio (food, product photography) and shooting produce, flowers and art at the pike place market. i think it MAY be a good idea for me.

Ben, does the lensbaby actually do any shifting? I thought it was mostly tilt.

I could see Dan using it for some of his stuff. It can do some pretty extreme tilts from what I understand so if that's what he wants it will get him there.

I helped design the housing of the latest version at my internship this past summer. I did some of the modeling and molded test parts.

Past that, I think they're pretty stupid. I played with the demos we had. Also, I could never decide if the engineering guy who I worked with at Lensbaby was just really awkward or a complete tool...

- Scott

I love how utterly simple they are. If I wasn't lazy I'd come up with something like it myself

I'd like to have one and then monkey with the optic in it.

Originally Posted by Stime187

I helped design the housing of the latest version at my internship this past summer. I did some of the modeling and molded test parts.
- Scott

So you can setup a group buy at a HUGE discount then?

pinche scott!

hrm. should i let him talk me out of it?

for you I can see how it would be a lot of fun... Basically, look at their adds/website. If those types of images appeal to you, get one, they are a lot of fun, and can get you out of a creative rut... But if you shoot what I shoot, and want fully sharp images, then it's not for you (me). You can always sell them for ~$25 less than the B&H price if you don't like it and sell in LNIB.

Well, see my problem was it just felt gimmicky. That's the best way I can describe it. Nothing I shot with it looked normal or right, or even was wrong in a good kind of way. It was a pain getting it adjusted and I just didn't like the thing.

But yeah, buy one, give it a try, if you hate it sell it for a small loss. That's the beauty of camera gear, it all retains value pretty well.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Basically, look at their adds/website. If those types of images appeal to you, get one, they are a lot of fun, and can get you out of a creative rut...

pretty much what I told him

Originally Posted by Stime187

That's the beauty of camera gear, it all retains value pretty well.

not the digital cameras

Originally Posted by emorphien

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

Basically, look at their adds/website. If those types of images appeal to you, get one, they are a lot of fun, and can get you out of a creative rut...

pretty much what I told him

Originally Posted by Stime187

That's the beauty of camera gear, it all retains value pretty well.

not the digital cameras

They don't? I bought a 2nd Rebel XT body a while back for a few hundred bucks then sold it a few months later for $20 more...

I've lost more than $2k on my 1D MK II

Well that's your fault emo. I used my 1DmII for 18 months and it cost me $500.
It's all in the timing. Yes bodies are harder to keep the losses low, but factor in the film cost into that equation and I'd bet it's still not bad at $2k...

No, it's not. And I've had it for 3 years now.

Well that's baiscally my point.
You have to look at bodies as $/time. You buy early or keep it a long time or both, and you're going to loose more money. If you wait for prices to drop, and get out before the new version arrives, you have less depreciation... You just have to figure out what works for you, how bad you need the newest body, and if the $$$ is worth it.

extreme examples:
If you bought a 1D originally it was $5k, sell it now for ~$800, or a $4,200 loss!!!
If you bought one this year for ~$800, you're almost guaranteed to be able to sell it for the same price.

I picked up my 1DmII after the prices dropped and when they had a MIR (even though I hate them, for $500 I'll do it). Then I sold mine before the 1DmIII was available, so the used prices were still OK. I'm pretty sure you bought yours earlier and obviously you have it later.

But still, how many frames have you shot with it? Multiply that by whatever your film costs were with development, and I'd bet you're far ahead.

Originally Posted by SlvrScoobie

I tried to make my own lens baby for my g/f since she wanted one.. I had the HARDEST time finding something that would work like the hose thing they used.. I got the Tmount, and the optics down (working for an optics company helps but I could not get something that would perform like the 'vacuum hose' i thought they used..

you tried....to make......one?

Originally Posted by b84wm

you tried....to make......one?

There really isn't much to 'em. I took them apart and put them back together all the time. Like he said, the optics would be the only hard part to get but he worked for an optics company so yeah, why not?

Yeah really the hardest part to me (I've thought about making one as well) was finding a flexible tube to use as the bellows. I got myself caught up on that because I'd want to be able to hold it in place. While I could have come up with something, and spent a lot less than if I had bought a 3G Lensbaby, it's not something I'd really use much.