On 2/24/2023 7:15 AM, Wayne Shumaker wrote:
At 2/24/2023 02:58 AM, Moose wrote:
I have too many lenses now that need adapting, and not sure how much my
interest will hold. This Oscillo Raptor adapts reasonably well I may ditch the
rest.
And there is the reason I have leaned toward LenBaby and been selective about
vintage lenses.
On 2/21/2023 12:48 PM, Wayne Shumaker wrote:
I have yet to purchase a Lensbaby. Still hoping to find interesting older
lenses.
Interesting older lenses, to me, is limited to those that are fully functional
and have mounts easily adapted to Sony E mount with commercial adapters.
The new Meyer-Optik lenses are expensive also and not sure I want to pay that
much. But I would like new lenses with the old designs, they just seem a bit
expensive. I also like easy to adapt lenses. It seems the swirly bokeh is in
vogue but not my interest. I like to see more complex bokeh.
Even then . . . my Canon 58/1.2 diaphragm starting acting up. It's now in
pieces in a little box, while I use another one. The interest of my younger
years in deep dismantling, futzing with diaphragm mechanisms, etc. is either
past or in remission. Today, I need to replace the supply hose for the
dishwasher that's started leaking - that's enough for now.
The LensBabies are new, clean, have good mounts, work as intended and do interesting
things none of the old lenses can do. Whether you like it artistically or not, this
illustrates some of the
differences.<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=Home/Holiday_2022&image=_DSC0271.jpg>
The original LBs use a unique Waterhouse stop system. The stops are held in a magnetic
spot just in front of the glass. So there's none of the problem of dust, damp incursion
of the Lomo designs. There are also creative shaped aperture disks and"sink
strainer" softening disks.
Most later Optic Swap System Optics went to conventional, 12 blade diaphragms.
There are now two updates to the old designs, Soft Focus II and Double Glass
II, with both the magnetic disks, for special effects, and the conventional
diaphragm.
Another feature from the beginning has been tilt. My first LB had their Spark
body, a corrugated tube that focused, tilted, even shifts a tiny bit, under
finger pressure. More common are the Composer series of bodies that allow tilt
in any direction.
The above pic uses tilt to put the sweet focus spot far off center combined
with a heart shape aperture disk.
Another thing that may not be obvious, what with Lomo making such a big deal
about how beautiful and solid their lenses are, is that LBs are solid, well
made devices. The stand alone lenses are real metal, hefty and impressive for
fit, finish, etc.
I was tempted by the Burnside but one review complained of the low quality and
it wobbles on the camera. That turned me off.
Clearly anomalous. I just counted. I have too many LBs, I suppose. 😉 With seven stand alones and eight Optic Swap
bodies, I have a sample of 15 LB mounts, including Sony E, Canon EF, Nikon F and µ4/3. None are anything but solid.
OTOH, I doubt the Burnside is a good starter for you. You've said that neither swirl nor sharp center with soft edges
attracts you. Burnside is swirl based.
The extent to which it swirls depends a lot on subject/background distances and aperture, so yes, there are situations
where bokeh may be interesting, without obviously swirling.
I also have an old bias from a photography workshop leader (20 years ago) who
was full of himself and used Lensbabies.
So, if you knew and an asshat who used A7s, you wouldn't have tried them? 😁
I guess I have not seen a Lensbaby lens that strikes my fancy yet.
Their array can be bewildering, and not all the descriptions are complete.
For example, the Sol lenses (22 mm for µ4/3, 45 mm for FF), in addition to an all directions tilt, include a unique
structure in front of the glass, with two "bokeh blades" that may be turned into the lens view, singly or in
combination, just edges or overall, and the whole shebang rotates. The LB site description doesn't mention this, nor do
a couple of on -line reviews.
At a guess, you might like some combinations and would dislike others. Too many
options, in a way.
Still interested in the cult Tamron 70-150 (51A) soft focus. The Lensbaby sharp
center and soft edges effect is not of interest either.
Some of the older lenses with 12+ blades were probably before auto-diaphragm.
All of them, I think. Way too much resistance, esp. to fast operation, for the
auto mechanisms.
I'm not too interested in disassembly of a lens either unless there is some
clear examples online. But so far I have had good luck. Some lighter fluid can
loosen up things followed by 99% alcohol. The Helios 44-2 aperture ring click
is really tight, but I think by design. Nothing like losing the small aperture
ring ball bearing on the floor during disassembly. For the bokehish stuff, as
long as the aperture is stuck wide open, the lens is usable for me.
Remember, though, all these effects, swirl, soft away from center, bubble bokeh, overall wide open softness, etc. may be
adjusted in intensity with the size of the aperture. That ability to tune the effects is important, to me.
For most of my photography, though, nice sharp lenses win.
Same here. Around home, I futz with all sorts of lenses, mostly on Sony A7
bodies. Even, as with you, get just a few miles from home, and the straight
stuff comes out.
For instance, a recent local hike (5 miles up the road) I took several lenses,
but ended up only using the Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 Nokton classic on A7Riii. I
now have a few OM lenses and was thinking this might be a great hike for the
OM-4T and some Provia.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2knLfhh3D7MtKG3d9 (zoom-in-able)
These are nice.
I would go crazy with just one field of view. Here are two sequential shots,
taken a couple of seconds apart:
Vultures<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=Travel/NorthEast_2022/Maine&image=_9283624oofm.jpg>
Leaves<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=Travel/NorthEast_2022/Maine&image=_9284870oofm.jpg>
Pretty typical of my wandering eye. ðŸ˜
I like your wandering eye. I stuck with one focal length because I was lazy.
Just glad I could get out hiking post prostate surgery.
Congrats!
I wouldn't want a crazy Moose running loose.
I think he is slower than you, eye and camera are all that's fast. 😁
The Vultures actually has some interesting background bokeh.
Agreed. Looong lenses are slooow. So that shot is ISO 3200. Sharpening worked great on the foreground subjects. But it
screwed up the background rendering. So, foreground is Topaz Sharpen AI (Motion Blur, very blurry 36 0) and background
is Topaz Denoise AI (Clear M L 15 0), which knocked out the noise without messing with the rendering.
I know modern lenses go for that "perfect" smooth background bokeh,
Not as much with long focal range zooms. 😉
but sometimes a bit of structure to it can enhance the subject and make the
overall image more interesting.
Yup. I like it in this shot.
Great shots both.
Thanks!!
Bo Keh Moose
--
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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