The Lensbaby is such an eccentric concept I had to have one: it's a bellows lens for an SLR ...

More specifically, it's a bellows lens designed so that only the central area is in focus - the remainder of the frame is distorted.

The idea is for creative effects in-camera.

The lens is focused by compressing the bellows. This is achieved by pulling the outer metal ring towards the body of the camera.

To enable you to position the sweet-spot outside the centre of the frame, you can bend the bellows in any direction.

The best way to compress the lens, direct the sweet-spot and fire the shutter is to use three hands. However, if, like me, you were only issued with two, using the lens can take a bit of practice.

The lens is f/2.8, but is supplied with some screw-in masking rings to provide f/4, f/5.6 and f/8 apertures also. As the Lensbaby is purely mechanical (even 'mechanical' is a bit of an overstatement in this case!), and the D70 requires the lens to communciate aperture information electronically, it can only be used in manual mode with the aid of an external light-meter or the 'sunny 16' rule.

Samples below, and details here.

www.benlovejoy.com | Photography | Lenses | Lensbaby