Lensbaby camera lenses are a line of camera lenses produced by Lensbabies that combine a simple lens with a bellows for use in special-effect photography. Lensbaby lenses can be used on cameras which accept interchangeable lenses, mainly of the 35mm or digital SLR formats. The focal length of the Lensbaby is approximately 50mm, making it a normal lens in 35mm format.
The front standard can be manipulated off axis to move the sharpest area of focus (called the "sweet spot") to almost anywhere in the frame. Therefore the important part of the subject can be rendered fairly sharp with everything else out of focus, even if it is the same distance from the camera. Aperture is controlled by a series of interchangeable discs (basically a Waterhouse stop). The Lensbaby naturally focuses at approximately 2 feet; closer focus is achieved by pushing the front of the lens out, and infinity focus is achieved by pulling the front of the lens toward the base of the lens.
Results achieved with a Lensbaby mimic that of the Holga camera (though without the light leakage) or other toy cameras. There is extreme speherical and some chromatic aberration outside the central sweet spot. The lens produces oval bokeh that point to the sweet spot, as seen in the sample photo on this page. The effect is unique and well suited to portraiture, some landscapes, and product photography.
The Lensbaby has no electronic components and does not communicate information to modern cameras. Because of this, some modern cameras may not recognize that a lens is attached at all and may require special settings to operate with the Lensbaby attached. Autofocus is unavailable on any camera because of the basic structure of the lens; additionally, the spherical aberration can make focus confirmation unpredictable or unavailable. For best results, the manufacturer recommends shooting in aperture priority or fully manual mode. The Lensbaby design also makes it impossible to include an index mark for infrared photography. However, infrared photography is certainly possible with the Lensbaby and very effective images have resulted.
The Lensbaby is available in several different lens mounts: Canon EF (EOS), Nikon F, Minolta Maxxum/Sony Alpha, Pentax K, Olympus Four Thirds System, Leica R, Olympus OM, Canon FD, Minolta SR (MD), Contax/Yashica, and screw mount.
