Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: BernardLanguillier on April 07, 2015, 08:32:00 am

Title: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: BernardLanguillier on April 07, 2015, 08:32:00 am
You've gotta love the marketing tone! :)

http://www.canonrumors.com/2015/04/lensbaby-announces-velvet-56-the-most-versatile-portrait-lens-ever-made/

I wish Canon and Nikon could decide to do it that way instead of their usual solemn crap.

Cheers,
Bernard
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: Alan Smallbone on April 07, 2015, 04:07:25 pm
Very interesting, be interesting to see sample images.

Alan
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: spidermike on April 07, 2015, 04:18:00 pm
Very interesting, be interesting to see sample images.

Alan


Just follow the links in the article...
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: robdickinson on April 08, 2015, 12:32:42 am
What a waste of $500. Honestly.
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: LesPalenik on April 08, 2015, 01:05:00 am
+1
It would be a waste even at 50 bucks.
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: BernardLanguillier on April 08, 2015, 01:12:59 am
+1
It would be a waste even at 50 bucks.

No doubt that the lens sucks in its own cute way, but I still love the way they market it! ;)

Cheers,
Bernard
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: spidermike on April 08, 2015, 03:42:21 am
How about a more honest marketing strapline:

"You have bought the highest IQ camera you can afford, now spend another $500 on our fuzzy lens to bugger it all up again."
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: peterv on April 08, 2015, 05:07:33 am
A short review and some sample images:

http://carolinejensen.blogspot.it/2015/04/the-lensbaby-velvet-56-is-here.html
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: kers on April 08, 2015, 07:37:18 am
A short review and some sample images:
http://carolinejensen.blogspot.it/2015/04/the-lensbaby-velvet-56-is-here.html

The examples show this lens has special characteristics that are not easy ( or impossible) to achieve in postproduction.
Since everybody can produce sharp clean photographs people are getting bored and want to see something else.
There will definitely be a market for other special lenses. In a more subtle way the 58mm Nikkor is such a lens. More will follow.
It is expensive but the Imagon soft focus was more expensive i guess  and used by 'serious' photographers

Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: SanderKikkert on April 08, 2015, 08:43:58 am
The examples show this lens has special characteristics that are not easy ( or impossible) to achieve in postproduction.
Since everybody can produce sharp clean photographs people are getting bored and want to see something else.
There will definitely be a market for other special lenses. In a more subtle way the 58mm Nikkor is such a lens. More will follow.
It is expensive but the Imagon soft focus was more expensive i guess  and used by 'serious' photographers

+1

and I'm guessing (quoting loosely from the blogpost in the link by photographer Caroline Jensen) the "Dreamy Bokeh Dreamlens from the 60's I paid more than $2000 for and use via adapter on my A7s" likely is a 58mm Nikkor ?

Best Regards, Sander
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: Alan Smallbone on April 08, 2015, 11:44:21 am
The whole lensbaby line is way overpriced but it is interesting to see what they can pawn off on the masses, kind of like a hardware instagram look. I have seen some creative images with their product line but not enough that I would want to invest that kind of money. Unlike other lenses the Lensbaby have virtually no resale value, I know that is not a reason to make or break a purchase but it is an interesting data point. I purchased one of their early lenses for my Canon, the 3g that did not have the replaceable optics, never did like it, and when I went to sell it I could not really give it away for the cost of postage. So that was a lesson learned, I have never seen a lens lose so much in value. Still fun to see what they are doing.

Alan
Title: Re: Lens baby Velvet 56
Post by: Telecaster on April 08, 2015, 04:20:30 pm
Photography is a big tent pursuit. I own a number of lenses precisely so I can take advantage of their contrast-lowering, softening, flaring & halation-producing qualities. IMO anything that inspires or even provokes creativity is good.

-Dave-