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Home >> Photography >> Film Equipment Lensbaby
2.0
An included plastic tool is required to pry the rubber stopper out and sometimes the force and action would combine to have the stopper and disc flying out a ways. Other times, depending on the disc, the aperture disc would be jammed in at the bottom and require some careful coaxing out with a pinkie fingernail. It became enough of a hassle that I've read of some users just selecting one disc and leaving it in all the time, so that the Lensbaby becomes a single focal length, single aperture lens. I admit to being one of those types of users. I offered the idea that since the front part of the Lensbaby is tapped to accept a screw-on lens cap, screw-on aperture discs could be the way to go. Not that I know anything about designing lenses and how practical the idea would be, but it was just a thought. However, for a mere US $100, I felt the Lensbaby was a great way to just kick back and wander around taking photos in a unique fashion even if it was, in practicality, a single aperture lens. Not even a year later and the folks at Lensbabies LLC, the manufacturer, have come up with the Lensbaby 2.0, which offers up a new way to change apertures and promises even better quality thanks to the use of a multicoated, dual-element lens. The original Lensbaby has but a single element that’s not coated. Intriguing and when the offer was received to check out the new Lensbaby 2.0, how I could say no?
I’ll refer you to my original review for the basics of the Lensbaby and the philosophy behind the concept. For this review, I’m going to go straight into what the Lensbaby 2.0 is all about, what it offers, and how it differs from the original Lensbaby. About the Lensbaby 2.0 and Specifications (as lifted from the Lensbaby literature)
The Lensbaby 2.0 (LB2) is the same size and weight as the original Lensbaby (LB). The LB2 costs US $150 while the original LB is still available for US $99. The Lensbaby can be bought directly from the Oregon-based company, or for us Canucks, through Vistek, the largest photo store in the country, for CAN $130 and $190 respectively for the original and the LB2. Other than some different lettering on the front of the LB2, it looks identical to the original LB. Is the increase in price justified? Once I started using the LB2 and checked out the new method of changing aperture discs over the original LB, I had to say that the convenience factor for the LB2 went a long ways to justify the increased cost, never mind the potential increase in resolution offered by the coated, dual-element lens. The LB2 uses magnetized aperture discs that you just drop into the lens well of the LB2 and three tiny little ball bearing magnets catch the disc to secure it in place. Even if you somehow mess up the dropping of the disc in, a simple little nudge will correct the placement and you’re good to go. It’s very cool and kudos go to Craig Strong, the inventor/designer for coming up with something so effective over the original method.
To remove an aperture disc, you don’t use the plastic tool with the aperture storage well. Instead, you use the cleaning tool that also comes with the LB 2.0. This cleaning tool has a soft tipped brush at the end and can be used to clean the LB safely. So, we now have a much more convenient version of the Lensbaby, but how does it compare to the original and will the use of a dual-element, multi-coated lens actually translate into better image quality? It’s somewhat curious that I should look at resolution detail for what I consider to be a fun lens, but I had to look at something to see if the LB2 is worth the extra cost over the LB besides the aperture changing process. I did
comparison shots between the LB and LB2, as well as throwing in a
recently purchased Nikon 50mm f1.8D AF lens into the mix. The 50mm
f1.8 is a cheapskate’s delight, considered by many to be one of Nikon’s
sharpest lenses and all for less money than the LB2. In
Lensbaby versus Lensbaby 2.0 The new lens element of the LB2 definitely improves resolution over the original LB. Focusing distance with the LB2 at its default setting is farther away than the original LB, however, minimum focusing distance with the bellows extended is about the same. While the new LB2 does provide improved clarity and contrast, the original LB does have a certain charm with its very gauzy look and softness. It’s very romantic and dreamy and I like the look. All sample shots below have been given the same amount of sharpening and converted to JPEG via Nikon Capture 4.2.
Note the farther focusing distance compared to below, but also note the very obvious improvement in resolution at full aperture.
Magnification
LB2 versus Nikon 50mm f1.8D AF We won’t discuss edge sharpness because there isn’t any with the LB2 J For center sharpness, the LB2 does well against the Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens. To my eyes the Nikon wins out by a tiny margin, but the LB2 is not embarrassed in any way and is certainly head and shoulders above the original Lensbaby. $50 extra to get this improvement in quality is a bargain and consider that in a lot of cases, the difference between a consumer zoom lens versus a profesional one is a lot less than this difference, but would still cost you hundreds of dollars more.
Conclusion The Lensbaby 2.0 is a rather interesting beast compared to the original Lensbaby. Increased resolution and quality are definite pluses and nearly on par with a good prime lens. For users who liked what the Lensbaby offered for creative photos, but wanted better quality for the part of the photo that they wanted in focus, the Lensbaby 2 addresses that need. The sample of the Lensbaby 2.0 that I received fits my D100 much more smoothly than the original Lensbaby with less force required to mount and dismount the lens from the camera. The smoothness of operation extends to the new of method of changing apertures and has been simplified very effectively. So much so that I’d suggest potential buyers to give the original LB a pass and just buy the LB2 to gain the much appreciated convenience for a modest increase in cost. When I was doing the test photos, swapping aperture discs with the LB2 was so fast and simple and took a few seconds to do. Conversely, after I finished the test with the original LB, the f8 disc got jammed and took several minutes of gentle coaxing with my fingernail and slapping onto my palm to get out. So, is the new Lensbaby 2.0 worth the 50 percent increase in price? Hell yes, and let’s keep in mind that we’re still only talking about US $150 here. I paid more for upgrading the cable (Zu Mobius) for my Sennheiser HD580 headphones that don’t provide nearly as much an increase in quality as the LB2 does over the original LB (I’m getting big into headphone listening as of this writing, hence my rather weird and unrelated comparison J The fella's at Lensbabies have done a fine job of improving on the original product and the quality (in the center) is now on a par with a good prime lens. Get one and go out and have some fun! October 21, 2005 - LensBabies has introduced a macro kit to go with their unique flexible bellows-style lens. The kit consists of a +4 and +10 lens that screw onto the front of the LensBabies and costs US $29. While the original LensBaby could focus quite close, the superior quality LensBaby 2 does not, so the macro lenses could be quite an interesting option to pull you in closer and magnify more. Sample Photos
For some photos I took, I was struck by how I could get a shot reminiscent of a slow shutter speed, zooming effect AND a radial pattern in the same shot, as seen below. No camera movement, just the Lensbaby 2.0 allowing for the movement with the bellows focusing.
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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When
I looked at the original Lensbaby last August, I found it to be a
fun little lens to use. It’s a way to be creative using some imagination
and just trying all the permutations of the flexible lens body. The
only major gripe I had is with the manner in which one had to 
You
still need a tool (included) to pry the aperture disc away from the
magnets, but it requires much less force and is faster and much more
convenient than with the original LB. Storing the extra aperture discs
is also less of a hassle than with the original because the LB 2.0
comes with another plastic tool implement with a round storage well
to hold those discs. A cap that looks like a refugee from a Kodak
film 
