What do I think of the Lensbaby Composer?

This is a more 'typical' - and I use the term loosely - Lensbaby shot. This effect can be mixed up by using the various Optics available in the Lensbaby range.

What do I think of the Lensbaby Composer?

I love it.

My first experience with a Lensbaby was the Lensbaby Muse - around two years after I 'got into' photography, I was already starting to tire of painting myself, getting attacked by my cat when I tried to get him to sit still, flinging ink into water & seeing how many different colours I could dye flowers - I'd always tried to create weird & wonderful photographs. So, after a bit of shopping around, I went looking for something new; and I found it in my local camera dealer. Or as I refer to it, the toy shop.

The Lensbaby was exactly what I'd been looking for, and as soon as I practically ripped apart the packaging outside the shop and twisted it onto the front of my D70s, I was hooked.

The resulting photo of a manhole cover is still in my photography archives somewhere.

Start of a new era and all that.

I've always been known to get incredibly enthusiastic about certain things in particular - Polaroid, Lomography, various types of 'different' photography and lenses. It's hard to shut me up. My love for Lensbaby is no different, and while it took me a few attempts with the focus on the Muse - the closer the object, the more you squeeze /and tilt - it was brilliant. As I tell anyone that'll listen, 'It's just AWESOME'.

The Lensbaby Composer I acquired recently, along with the Double Glass optic for clarity, is different from the Muse - the focusing technique is something the general photographically-inclined population will be more likely to grasp straight off. It's a manual lens, of course, and requires manual metering (use the magnetic aperture set to mix this up). I'd liken the Composer to a ball and socket tripod head, without the locking knobs, and the focusing is done by twisting the ring on the front of the lens - as done pretty much by anyone who doesn't use an auto-focus lens.

You can either keep it angled straight forward - I do, and I'll explain why in just a mo' * - or you can tilt the front of the lens up, down, side to side, you get the idea. Goes wherever you want it to.

*The reason I keep it angled straight forward is because the further you move it away from the centre, the less area you'll find you have in focus. When you're trying to focus on something that's likely to fill the frame, (my toadstool, for example), it might become a tad tricky when you've got a smaller range than usual. That's really the only thing I can think of that might bug somebody, but it's a very small thing, and it does depend on what you're shooting.

Another thing I love about the Lensbaby is that the depth of field is just so useful to me. I got into photography when I discovered the 'macro' function on a compact camera, and I've recruited my Lensbaby in my ongoing attempts to transform everyday objects into something to be seen in a new light. Now, I will say now that it is NOT a macro lens, although you can buy a Macro kit - do it! - but the shallow depth of field means that I can do what I love most, and bring something into its own without worrying about something in the background taking it away again. 

Ignoring the compression quality, (sorry!), this is what I was referring do when I mentioned the shallow Depth Of Field technique using the Lensbaby Composer.

I've used the Composer for everything from photographing flowers to some classic cars at the last show I went to. Bit of a change from the rest of the telephoto lenses that were being bundled about!

Now, there will be a few hiccups as you get used to your Lensbaby, but they'll smooth themselves out with use. It's something different to get used to, but oh heck, it's just so fun and it opens up a door to so many other ways to photograph EVERYTHING (you WILL do this the first time - everything from fridge magnets to my poor cat suffered when I took the Muse home!) around you.

The Composer is so easy to use, so brilliant in its simplicity, that it's the one I'd recommend to any new Lensbaby user. If you're not sure, pop into the store and we'll let you try one out.

Deal?
Deal.

See what you can Compose.