Lensbaby The Control Freak for Nikon F mount Digital SLR Cameras

by Lensbaby

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.2 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches ; 3.7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001GCUC8G
• Item model number: B001GCUC8G
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Style: Nikon F

From the Manufacturer

The Control Freak is one lens in Lensbaby's Creative Effects SLR lens system. This model is optimized for table-top and macro photography due to the fine degree of control if offers. The Control Freak ships with the Double Glass Optic installed and is compatible with all other optics in the Lensbaby Optic Swap System, except for the Fisheye Optic.

With the Control Freak, photographers compress and bend the lens to find the desired focus, and then lock it in place with the push of a button. Once locked, the barrel focusing ring can be rotated to fine tune focus, and tilt (placement of the Sweet Spot of focus) can be altered by rotating the knobs on the end of the Control Freak's three metal posts.

The Control Freak focuses from 18 inches at rest to infinity when compressed. Pushing out on the focusing collar allows the user to focus as close as 9 inches away from their subject matter. Another unique feature of the Control Freak is the option to shoot in either free form or locked mode. Photographers can easily switch from shooting in locked mode with fine focus and tilt control for a table-top shoot, to shooting street photography quickly and seamlessly by choosing not to lock the Control Freak in place. The ability to choose modes can also be particularly helpful when shooting video due to the very dreamy and surreal look the Control Freak produces when shooting in free form mode, as compared to the more controlled blur when shooting with the Control Freak locked down.

Control Freak Optic Product Specs

• Provides film makers with the unique ability to shoot both free-hand and locked down
• Compatible with all Lensbaby Optic Swap System optics except the Fisheye (due to the extremely wide angle of view of the Fisheye Optic, the metal rods and knobs will always be visible in the image)
• Focus Type: Manual
• Aperture Type: Interchangeable levitating aperture disks
• Apertures: f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22
• Minimum Focus: About 9in/23cm
• Maximum Focus: Infinity
• Features three metal rods to fine tune tilt (placement of Sweet Spot of focus)

Recommended Lensbaby Accessories for use with the Control Freak

• Lensbaby Macro Kit
• Lensbaby Optic Swap Kit
• Lensbaby Wide Angle/Telephoto Kit
• Lensbaby Creative Aperture Kit
• Lensbaby Creative Aperture Kit Blanks
• Lensbaby 0.42 Super Wide Accessory Lens
• Lensbaby Step-Up/Shade
• Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic

Control Freak Box Contents

• Control Freak lens with Double Glass Optic installed
• f/4 aperture disk installed in optic
• Aperture case containing f/2.8 through f/22 apertures
• Microfiber bag
• User guide

Control Freak Sample Photos

Product Description

All Lensbaby™ selective focus SLR camera lenses provide photographers with a new way to control depth of field by bringing one area of a photo into sharpest focus with that Sweet Spot surrounded by graduated blur. By bending the Lensbaby lens, the photographer moves the sharp area around the photo for customized creative effects.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool little lens!, September 17, 2010

By 

-=BlackStrike=- - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lensbaby The Control Freak for Nikon F mount Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I heard a lot of positive and negative about this lens. From complains about quality of manufacture (cheap glass and plastic etc) to superb photos it produces. I decided to bite and buy one. Now, I'm a professional photographer and graphic designer - Nikon cameras and Photoshop are my best buddies so I know what I'm talking about that this lens is worth having.

First of all, this lens is MANUAL focus. Period. On top of all, it has FIXED aperature. Yep, you CAN'T change it - at least not in a way you are used to. It actually has built-in f2.0 aperature that you can change by adding a metalic ring in front of the glass - all the way to f22. Ring is held in place by 3 magnets and it looks pretty secure. Neat, huh? There's something you don't see every day.

Once you put lens on your camera, then it gets tricky. When you check the user guide, you will find one interesting thing - you are supposed to use BOTH hands to use this lense. I mean, both hands on the lens, that is. So, unless you're a freak with extra arms you will need something to support your camera with. If you have tripod (or monopod) that solves the problem but if you don't, you better hope your fingers are long enough to manage this baby. With professional cameras with flash, grip, gps, etc you can imagine how difficult it can be sometimes to handle everything. Still, no worries, eh? :) With my hands (5'8", 240 pounds, medium sized hands) I did pretty well, although I'm trying to use one hand only. Getting there, albeit slowly ;)

I won't go into details what is what on this lens, although looking at a picture of it you will find it looking kinda freakish. Believe me, it's very intuitive. Once you go through SMALL (tiny, rather) users manual it will explain all you need to know, everything else is just practice. And, here it goes - the trickiest part. This lens requires you to put some effort to learn how to get the best result. If you're pro with decades of experience and you used film camera, manual focus lenses and you can do color correction with your eyes closed and you snort at people using any lens cheaper than $1500, yes, you will immerse yourself into this little thing and start getting good stuff almost right away. For all others (me included), it takes some time to skill up. But you don't have to be PhD in photography or serious pro to work with it. Good heavens, no!

Word of caution - this is not a lens to SNAP a photo in a second - it takes time to focus properly and get a result. What is so nice about it is that result you will get will make people go WOW!

Tricky to use, but darn fun lens, if you ask me and if you are into photography and want to add some flavor to regular (and somewhat boring) photos, here's your solution. Anybody with kids around your home, try this lens and you will see that your photo albums will change completely - to better!

All in all, this review is more than positive on this lens. You will find here and there some "professional" which has $40k Hasselblad, Mamiya or Leica whining about how this lens is cheaply made and how glass isn't perfect quality and blahblahblah. Well, tell ya what - if you prefer $40k camera with $8k lens and you can afford it, go for it.

But bottom line for this lens is - it's fun, it gives a new dimension to your photos and it might teach you a trick or two about aperatures and similar. If you buy it, do yourself a favor and buy LENSBABY CREATIVE APERATURE KIT (it's $10 so you won't bankrupt). Get a heart shaped ring and your sweetheart as a model and see her/him melting when they see photos! I had my whole team of professioanl photographers (13 of us) drooling over the photos I took with my junky old Nikon D200 as a test camera. If we are impressed, hey, do you need any more convincing? By the way, this is a 4th lens of this type that came in this team, and not the last one. We'll be buying more...lot more.

Do yourself a favor and get one. It is far from cheapest (I'd say it's a bit on expensive side) but it's worth it. You live only once, right?

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Happy as a baby, February 15, 2011

By 

Alejandro Lavalle "Jano" (Lima, Peru) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lensbaby The Control Freak for Canon EF mount Digital SLR Cameras (Electronics)

Not as easy to use as it seems but once you get how to take the most of it, you will be happy as a baby and you will expand your creative possibilities in any shoot you are in.

Maybe this is not the profesional choice but it sure get's the work done.

Really recommend it.

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