Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Product Description
Don't already own a Lensbaby lens body? You'll need one to put your Edge 80 into - Lensbaby recommends the Composer Pro with Double Glass or the Composer Pro with Sweet 35.
The Edge 80 Optic is a 80mm, flat field of focus optic with a 12-blade adjustable aperture and is compatible with all Lensbaby lens bodies. When tilted, the Edge 80 delivers a slice of tack sharp focus through the image, bordered by soft blur. When pointed straight ahead, the Edge 80 can be used just like a high-quality straight lens.
When tilted, the size of that slice of focus depends upon the aperture used, and the placement of the slice of focus depends upon the degree and direction of tilt. Rotating the aperture dial on the front of the optic changes between apertures from f/2.8 through f/22.
The Edge 80 also features a special close-focus function. Photographers can extend the front of the optic to focus as close as 17" away from their subject. Want to see even closer? Add on the Lensbaby Macro Converter.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
The Lensbaby Edge 80 Optic is one of Lensbaby's "swappable" optics for its line of lenses. It has a focal length of 80mm and features a 12-blade aperture with a range from f/2.8 through f/22. It can function as a regular 80mm f/2.8 lens when facing forward on your camera, but this optic's special feature is that it allows you to employ the usual Lensbaby bend and tilt to reposition your plane of focus along any point not parallel with your camera's sensor plane.
The usual Lensbaby lens tilt allows you to place the point of focus (with varying diffusion all around that point) but did not allow you to change the plane of focus itself. With this optic you can put a "slice of focus" through your image in creative ways. For example, you can highlight a certain aspect of the photo (such as producing a portrait where the eyes are in sharpest focus and everything else is softly blurred), or you can create the "false miniature" effect where the objects photographed take on the appearance of miniature scale models. The optic also has a close focus mode that will allow a close focus distance of 17".
There is a bit of learning curve for this optic. Expect to play around for bit before you get the hang of it. There are some good video tutorials on the Lensbaby site. I included a couple of example photos with this review.
You don't need to swap lenses to get back to "normal." As I mentioned earlier, the Edge 80 behaves like a normal 80mm lens when you aren't employing any of its tilt features. The aperture ring on the optic adjusts smoothly, and focusing and tilt occurs on the lens body itself. The shift from regular focus mode to close focus mode is a little tight -- you have to firmly pull the front edge of the optic outward. But, I imagine that's as it should be to avoid it shifting by itself.
My one source of frustration so far is in detaching the optic from the lens itself. Suffice to say you will need to review Lensbaby's instructions for this, and practice several times before you can successfully detach the optic. My first try took almost half an hour, which is not a delay you would want to experience in the field. I did get better with practice, but it's still a bit of tricky. Older hands might suffer more than younger hands. I've found in practice you can get by with swapping out other Lensbaby optics from the lens without detaching the lens from your camera, but with the Edge 80 optic, you really need to detach the whole lens first in order to get the optic out of the lens. That will allow you to get the best grip on the components when performing the detach maneuver.
Note that the optic in this product listing is not sold with a lens. The Edge 80 only works with the latest line of Lensbaby Lenses (NOT the 1.0, 2.0 or 3G). You need at least one of the current Lensbaby Lenses to use this optic. The optic works with the Muse, Composer, Control Freak and Scout lenses; it can also work with the Composer with Tilt Transformer, but you need to buy the Macro Converters in order to use the Edge 80 optic with that lens. Note too that if you want true macro capability, you will need to buy the Macro Converters anyway, regardless of which Lensbaby lens you have (their earlier Macro accessories will not work with this optic).
Normal in-lens tilt-shift lens are expensive ($1200-$2500). While the Edge 80 does not give you all the features of such a dedicated lens, it is a highly affordable alternative that provides enough capability for many tilt/shift needs. It's a great way to get into this type of photography without breaking the bank. Highly recommend.
The usual Lensbaby lens tilt allows you to place the point of focus (with varying diffusion all around that point) but did not allow you to change the plane of focus itself. With this optic you can put a "slice of focus" through your image in creative ways. For example, you can highlight a certain aspect of the photo (such as producing a portrait where the eyes are in sharpest focus and everything else is softly blurred), or you can create the "false miniature" effect where the objects photographed take on the appearance of miniature scale models. The optic also has a close focus mode that will allow a close focus distance of 17".
There is a bit of learning curve for this optic. Expect to play around for bit before you get the hang of it. There are some good video tutorials on the Lensbaby site. I included a couple of example photos with this review.
You don't need to swap lenses to get back to "normal." As I mentioned earlier, the Edge 80 behaves like a normal 80mm lens when you aren't employing any of its tilt features. The aperture ring on the optic adjusts smoothly, and focusing and tilt occurs on the lens body itself. The shift from regular focus mode to close focus mode is a little tight -- you have to firmly pull the front edge of the optic outward. But, I imagine that's as it should be to avoid it shifting by itself.
My one source of frustration so far is in detaching the optic from the lens itself. Suffice to say you will need to review Lensbaby's instructions for this, and practice several times before you can successfully detach the optic. My first try took almost half an hour, which is not a delay you would want to experience in the field. I did get better with practice, but it's still a bit of tricky. Older hands might suffer more than younger hands. I've found in practice you can get by with swapping out other Lensbaby optics from the lens without detaching the lens from your camera, but with the Edge 80 optic, you really need to detach the whole lens first in order to get the optic out of the lens. That will allow you to get the best grip on the components when performing the detach maneuver.
Note that the optic in this product listing is not sold with a lens. The Edge 80 only works with the latest line of Lensbaby Lenses (NOT the 1.0, 2.0 or 3G). You need at least one of the current Lensbaby Lenses to use this optic. The optic works with the Muse, Composer, Control Freak and Scout lenses; it can also work with the Composer with Tilt Transformer, but you need to buy the Macro Converters in order to use the Edge 80 optic with that lens. Note too that if you want true macro capability, you will need to buy the Macro Converters anyway, regardless of which Lensbaby lens you have (their earlier Macro accessories will not work with this optic).
Normal in-lens tilt-shift lens are expensive ($1200-$2500). While the Edge 80 does not give you all the features of such a dedicated lens, it is a highly affordable alternative that provides enough capability for many tilt/shift needs. It's a great way to get into this type of photography without breaking the bank. Highly recommend.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By T. K. kim
Amazon Verified Purchase
This is not a cheap optic, so I was a little hesitant to buy the Lens Composer + This optic.
Remember you cannot use this optic alone, you will need to buy the Composer Lens Baby first.
So the total investment cost me around 700 dollars (bought 2 optics + Composer Pro).
For a manual focus and something that to some might feel like "toy lens", it is very expensive.
After receiving the lens and trying out, I am satisfied with the purchase. The optic feels solid. It is the best lens baby optic. The bokeh and tilt-shift effects are very fun to play with, and it does take amazing sharp photos. I mount on a nikon D800, and I can create many creative photos. If you want to expand your photo creativity, I definitely recommend this lens.
Remember you cannot use this optic alone, you will need to buy the Composer Lens Baby first.
So the total investment cost me around 700 dollars (bought 2 optics + Composer Pro).
For a manual focus and something that to some might feel like "toy lens", it is very expensive.
After receiving the lens and trying out, I am satisfied with the purchase. The optic feels solid. It is the best lens baby optic. The bokeh and tilt-shift effects are very fun to play with, and it does take amazing sharp photos. I mount on a nikon D800, and I can create many creative photos. If you want to expand your photo creativity, I definitely recommend this lens.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By michwilk
Amazon Verified Purchase
I own the lensbaby composer (& the optic that comes with it- double glass i think??) & the fisheye optic. This is a fun new addition! I prefer it over the other optics. I still have some playing around to do with it. Occasionally I think I have things focused straight on, but the area in focus turns out being more on a diagonal plane. I figure there's just a little of a learning curve though.
