LENSBABY FUN
Sometimes you just have to mix pleasure with business!
I attended a Canon Owners Workshop at Calumet Photographic of Santa Barbara today – more to learn about calibrating my lenses to my cameras. A Canon rep was on hand to walk us through this process and answer any and all questions we may have had about our Canon equipment.
As some of you know, I have been having serious problems with the focus on my cameras and I really need to get this issue under control. Having sent my Canon 5D back to Mack Camera and Video Repair in New Jersey twice (by the way , it is still there, under going repair for the dislodged mirror that occurred smack dab in the middle of a wedding on August 1st), I am still not convinced that everything is good to go. Even my new Canon 5D Mark II doesn’t seem to be ‘spot-on’ – and it is not my eyes!
So, now I know how to calibrate my lenses to my camera (the 5DM2), only the manufacturer can calibrate the lenses to the original 5D.
But that is not all of the story. Calumet’s staff . . . Brad, Christy and Craig . . . are such wonderful and customer oriented people, one just has to spend time with them! It’s not business as usual – go in, make a purchase, and leave – it is more of a ‘lets get together and chat’ atmosphere. So no matter what I go to Calumet for, I always add 1/2 hour, at least!, to my time – to chat, to visit, to catch up on the goings-on . . . to socialize.
And each time I go in, I always end up at the rear counter gawking at the Lensbaby display. The real question here is – WHY? I already own a Lensbaby 3G (the control freak version) along with the macro, wide-angle and telephoto add-ons. So what is it that draws me to this display?
Have you ever used a Lensbaby 3G? It’s very simple, and yet very difficult – no contradictions here! It’s effects are dreamy and surreal, but using it at a wedding is not as easy as it seems because of the time constraints. The Lensbaby 3G takes time to manipulate in order to be creative and get the sweet spot correct, and there are way too many times at a wedding when you just don’t have that freedom or luxury!
The new Lensbaby configuration (the composer) however, is much more simple and quick in its manipulations and handling. And that is the draw . . .
So now that I have written a novel, allow me to share a few of the images I took with the Lensbaby (my old system) while I was there – all images were taken by permission.
oh how time flies! (this is my favorite)
a miniature globe, set inside a display case
a miniature globe bank
all 3 globes, same display case - seems Brad is a globe connoisseur
colorful seamlesses
more colors - can't tell where my focus point is on this one!
Craig's handiwork in display case design
a much better focal point and angle of view
Do you get the idea? So much fun, so little time . . . and . . . oh, the things you can do with this fun little lens!
But really, the story doesn’t end here – there are optic add-ons for the new composer system as well! Not only can you get the macro, wide-angle and telephoto (and now the double wide-angle) accessory kits, there is an optic swap system that compliments the 3 basic lenses that allow you much more creative control and experimentation: the double glass optic gives you the sharpest sweet spot; the single glass optic gives you a softer, not so tack-sharp sweet spot; the plastic optic produces images with very soft effects and great chromatic aberrations; and the pin-hole optic produces an even softness across the entire image – and you can dial in the softness . . . it’s all greatness ! ! !
hmmmmm . . . I should be a walking billboard for Lensbaby ! ! !
Perhaps I need to sell the first system to get the new one! Now that’s an idea!