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09/08/2012
Lensbaby’s 0,6x and 1,6x adapters
I have a Lensbaby Composer (not the Pro), and I actually shoot a lot of pictures with it.
With it’s Optic Swap System, you can remove a lens and put another one. Each lens does give a special look to the shots you make
with it.
Usually I use the Double Glass and the Single Glass. These two lenses have the same focal length: 50mm.
While on a Full Frame digital camera, 50mm is considered a normal lens (that is, it has the same “zoom” as your eyes), on my D7000,
which is not a Full Frame camera, but a crop sensor camera, I find 50mm a bit long, that is: it has “too much zoom” for my taste.
To solve this situation, Lensbaby offer a kit of two adapters, that can be screwed in front of the lens:
- The 0,6x adapter multiplies the focal length per 0,6, effectively converting the 50mm into a 30mm lens.
- The 1,6x adapter multiplies the focal length per 1,6, thus you end up with a 80mm lens.
I do a lot of walkaround photography, and I find the 0,6x adapter a great addition to my Lensbaby kit. Actually, I use this one a lot, and 0,42x also, but this is another story, for another entry :)
For this little article, I’ll concentrate in the 0,6x adapter. The best way to understand what it does is to compare these two pictures:
The first one is taken with the x0,6 adapter screwed in front of the lens. The second one, is taken using just the Double Glass lens. Both shots done with 1 minute of difference, and using the f/4 disk.
There are two basic differences:
- The size of the sweet spot (the “in-focus” zone) is bigger with the x0,6 adapter on, although the aperture disk was the same.
- The barrel distortion is quite clear with the x0,6 adapter on. Easy to correct on the GIMP.
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