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Swords Fight - Muscat Festival (Nikon D700 with the Lensbaby Composer + Sweet35 Optic)
Two years ago I came to know about Lensbaby and their optical system which gives the photographer the ability to have selective focus on the subject , which blurs the photo except for the "SWEET" spot you select. I was not really interested at that time since the "APERTURE" is changed manually by inserting a different aperture every time.

Lensbaby introduced last year the Composer Pro with the sweet35 optic which allows you to change the Aperture from the lens itself without the need to change the aperture disk. I was interested in it and thought of giving it a shot. I bought it from adorama.com at $400.

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My personal Experience:

I have received the lens last week, and today I tested it in the field as it's the first day I go shooting in Muscat Festival, as it's a place where I love to shoot portraits and people. And here are my PROS & CONES of the lens from my personal perspective.

PROS:
  • Well built and easy to tilt around in a smooth motion
  • Light and compact which makes it easy to go around with
  • Easy way to change the aperture from the top ring of the Sweet 35 
  • The selective focus along with the wide aperture give a new experience in isolating the object. which makes it easy to shift the viewer's eye to your subject.
Cons:

  • Overpriced for its optic quality, which for me I think the quality at F2.5 is not usable as you can never get a very sharp image, that's why I use it at F4 and F5.6 most of the time.
  • All manual function, the camera couldn't give me any readings and I had to use the Manual mood and the light meter doesn't even help you, thankfully in the digital era you get to experiment.
  • Dim Viewfinder : While you go to F8 the viewfinder becomes dimmer and it will be difficult to use, that's why I had to move the the Liveview mode.
  • Evil focus and sweet spot: It's really hard to focus and set the sweet spot and it takes real effort to do so, shooting people is not practical with it unless the model/person is willing to cooperate and stay still for 5 minutes till you get it right. (I wear glasses and I almost got headache after half an hour of shooting)
My Final Verdict:

I would say the lensbaby is a great lens to play around and have fun with or to produce a theme in your mind. It works well, at F4 and F5.6 the sharpness is not an issue as long as you get the focus right. I would prefer it on static objects rather than shooting people since it will be very hard to focus while people are moving. And I think by time you get used to it. Finally, it's a lens that you either like it or not, there's nothing in-between.






 


Comments

Ali
01/27/2012 09:25

عمل رائع ..والعدسة أروع

Reply
Ahmed Al-Shukaili link
01/29/2012 01:23

أشكرك أخي علي :)

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Yahya Alazri
01/28/2012 21:11

Hi Ahmed,

I liked your CV and the blog, it is awesome.
Though, I don't understand in professional photography but I always like your work. I have a renewed desire of being a professional photographer but I have never utilized it as a talent...


All the best,

Yahya Alazri

Reply
Ahmed Al-Shukaili
01/29/2012 01:24

Thank you Yahya, I am happy that you liked the website and it's good to read these encouraging comments from you.

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Salim
01/31/2012 04:40

Very useful article about lensbaby, Thanks buddy :)

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Ahmed Al-Shukaili link
02/09/2012 06:40

Thank you Salim, I hope you find it useful.

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Mohammed AL-Raqmi
02/03/2012 22:18

تحية لك معلم صراحة
موضوع جميل وتجربة طيبة
أحييك فعلا معلم
مثال جدا طيب للمصور العماني "المثالي"

أتمنى تواصل بهذا النهج الرائع

تحية كبيرة لك أستاذي

Reply
أحمد الشكيلي link
02/09/2012 06:38

تحية طيبة لك أخوي محمد , وأشكرك على كلماتك الجميلة ... هي محاولة مني لنقل بعض ما تعلمته في عالم الضوء إلى الآخرين, وانا أيضاً اتمنى أن أتواصل ...

وإن شاء الله سأكتب كل جديد في صفحتي بشكل دائم :)

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Giggle Noodle
02/10/2012 00:46

Very interesting Mr. Ahmed. I liked the effect the lens gives to the photo, the blurriness around the centre object.

Thanks for the thorough description and personal perspective. Your work is much appreciated. Looking forward for your next post!

GN

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Ahmed Al-Shukaili link
02/24/2012 00:22

Hey Giggle Noodle,

Thank you for the lovely comment. Yes indeed, the effect of the lens is what makes it special and excites you to get one. I really liked the effect and I think sometimes it's good to use it for a change.

And I give my honest feedback as an enthusiast photographer, far away from marketing or anything else :)

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