The Lensbaby Composer produces pleasingly diffused and arty images and makes selective focusing easy.The Lensbaby system of creative optics has consistently evolved since it was first introduced and this latest version takes the format a step further. All Lensbabies feature a lens that can be tilted independently of the camera’s focal plane (the place where the sensor sits) and this creates a selective focus effect that standard lenses can’t replicate. Pushing the lens around moves a ‘sweet spot’ of focus to any area of the image and this gives pictures a look similar to those from a tilt-and-shift lens, at a fraction of the cost – a Canon TS-E 24mm f3.5 L lens, for example, will set you back at least £850, compared to the Lensbaby Composer’s £160.
The Lensbaby Composer is by far the easiest Lensbaby to use yet. Gone is the traditional bellows-style system that required constant pressure to keep the sweet spot in place before it was locked; it’s now replaced by a ball-and-socket approach – you just tilt it where you want and it stays put as you use the focus collar to refine sharpness. There’s a locking ring at the rear, but as the ball and socket is reassuringly stiff, it wasn’t usually needed.
Focusing isn’t so good. Though rubberised, the focus ring has a very light and flimsy feel – there’s little resistance and adjustment can be jerky at times, making manual focus (understandably, there’s no AF support) tricky. It’s by no means unusable, but it would feel sub-standard even on a kit lens costing half the price, while the closest focusing distance of 46cm makes working with smaller subjects a bit tricky.
Aperture control is via the insertion of small metal disks into the front of the lens with a range of f/2–f/22. This system is quirky and okay up to a point, but hopefully the next generation will have some sort of integral aperture system – the disks are fiddly and, if swapping them outdoors, they could be dropped or lost. Also interchangeable is the Optic Swap System (£65 extra), which lets you expand your options by slotting in a range of additional lenses, instead of the supplied Double Glass optic.
The Lensbaby Composer can be used in Aperture Priority mode on some D-SLRs, but our Nikon-mount model required full Manual shooting. This isn’t really a problem as you can check exposure on screen, and though it could worry newcomers, it’s a good way to learn.
Sharpness in your chosen sweet spot is excellent, though tends to fall off when the extremes of aperture are used. The blur effect generated by tilting the lens is great, though it’s far more pronounced on a full-frame D-SLR, and pushing it to the extremes on smaller sensors will render the whole scene soft.
With current high resolutions and crisply focused images, the Composer provides a very different option and aside from our gripes about focusing, it’s a fun device that makes experimenting with selective focus easy and comes in Canon, Nikon, Sony & Pentax fits. However, the £160 price tag is steep when you consider you can get a Canon or Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens brand new for about £70, so it’s only worth going for if you’re nuts about this style of photography.
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