The Composer, the Muse, or the Control Freak lenses, and can be swapped with several other attachments as part of Lensbaby’s Optic Swap System. Other items in the Optic Swap Systemm include Double Glass, a 1.6x tele attachment, and Pinhole. The 0.42x will be available for approximately $79.95.
Photo ©Lisa Smith Studios taken with Lensbaby 0.42x Super Wide attachment.
For details, read the Lensbaby press release:
Lensbaby Introduces 0.42x Super Wide Lens
New 0.42x accessory lens designed exclusively for use with all Lensbaby lenses
Las Vegas, NV (March 2, 2009) PMA Booth #M230 – Lensbaby announces today a new 0.42x Super Wide Lens for use with their new line of selective focus lenses – The Composer™, The Muse™, The Control Freak™ and their companion Lensba System™ consisting of Double Glass, Single Glass, Plastic, and Pinhole/Zone plate interchangeable optics. The .42x Super Wide lens has optics that are optimized for use with Lensbaby lenses, eliminating the diffusion and reducing the vignetting that occur when industry standard wide angle conversion lenses are used with a Lensbaby lens.
Like the current line of Lensbaby accessory lenses (which includes a 1.6x telephoto, 0.6x wide angle, and +4 and +10 macro filters), the 0.42x Super Wide Lens simply screws onto the front of any Lensbaby lens via its standard 37mm screw thread. The 0.42x Super Wide Lens converts Lensbaby optics from a 50mm focal length to an ultra-wide 21mm focal length. It retails for $79.95.
Lensbaby President and Co-Founder, Craig Strong, stated, “Many Lensbaby users are shooting with cropped-sensor digital cameras, and are looking for a wider angle of view. With this new 0.42x Super Wide Lens, we are offering the widest angle-of-view yet for selective focus lenses in one of the lightest, most compact 0.42x conversion lenses available. The 0.42x Super Wide Lens can be used with any Lensbaby lens and optic combination. My favorite use of this accessory lens is to combine the 0.42x with the Lensbaby Pinhole/Zone Plate optic to provide expansive views and the widest pinhole and zone plate photography currently possible with an SLR camera.”
Product Pricing and Specs:
• Will retail for $79.95, and begins shipping by the end of March 2009
• Converts Lensbaby SLR lens optics from a 50mm to a 21mm focal length
• Has inherent macro capability, allowing photographers to focus as close as 2.75” (7cm) from the front of the lens
• Compatible exclusively with all Lensbaby lenses using the Double Glass, Single Glass, Plastic, and Pinhole/Zone Plate optics as well as Lensbaby 3G, Lensbaby 2.0, and the Original Lensbaby
• Lighter, more compact, and featuring a wider angle of view than industry-standard 0.42x wide angle accessory lenses
• Measures 2” W x 1.75” H (5.1cm x 4.4cm)
• Weighs 2.4oz (68g) (50% less than typical .42x super wide angle conversion lenses) • Eliminates the diffusion that occurs when industry standard super wide angle conversion lenses are used with Lensbaby SLR lenses
• Significantly reduces vignetting. Unlike industry standard super wide angle lenses, the Lensbaby 0.42x Super Wide Lens minimizes vignetting on crop sensor cameras. On full frame cameras, will vignette only when tilted, not when pointed straight ahead (most industry-standard 0.42x super wide angle accessory lenses vignette on full frame cameras with the Lensbaby pointed straight ahead).
• In contrast with the Lensbaby 0.6x wide angle lens, the Sweet Spot of focus shrinks in size with enhanced blurring and prismatic color shifts on the edges of the photo
• Attaches via 37mm screw thread onto the front of any Lensbaby for ease of use
All Lensbaby 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 gradually increasing blur. By bending the Lensbaby lens, the photographer moves the sharp area around the photo for customized creative effects.
Three new Lensbaby lenses – The Composer, The Muse and The Control Freak, – make up the line of Lensbaby SLR lenses. Each features the new Lensba system. With the Composer, Lensbaby introduced a completely new lens, based on a ball and socket configuration that delivers smooth selective focus photography with unparalleled ease of use and greater precision. The new Composer retains its position after being bent and is easy to use. The Composer stays in the desired bent position without requiring a locking mechanism and is compatible with the new Lensba System.
