Lens Review: Lensbaby Velvet 56mm 1.6
11 years ago I bought a Lensbaby Lens. It was a plastic articulated within-my-college-budget lens that made all my photos look weird and I loved it. Also, it was manual focus. I had just entered a BFA program Majoring in Photography, I had chosen this specific school (Tyler School of Art, Temple University) because it was a hybrid program. I had been shooting film since I was 14, self taught in everything from exposure to loading film to making prints in a darkroom (AKA my parent’s basement). I knew I needed to learn digital photography if I was going to make a career out of it, but my first love was film, and I wasn’t ready to let that go.
Cut to last week, when I impulsively purchased the Lensbaby Velvet 56mm lens. I had long ago lost my first Lensbaby, but have still kept a creative lens in my bag at all times, the 45mm Tilt Shift. (See Example below)
What does a tilt shift lens do?
A tilt-shift lens (also called a perspective control lens) changes the position of a lens in relation to a camera's image sensor. When the lens tilts so that it is no longer parallel to the camera's image sensor, it shifts the plane of focus and alters the depth of field.
Ever since I began my formal career in photography, I knew I needed to shoot (Primarily) digital If I was going to have a successful business (at least on the east Coast. Film Photography is more popular in West Coast areas like CA and the Clientele are usually willing to pay the premium rates for it). That being said, I still love the ethereal look of film, and there are tons of presets available for purchase that help digital photographers Achieve this look without the expense.
That being said, I have never stopped shooting film of my family life, and I favor the Mamiya7 II for that work (see below).
I mention this because it plays into something that I lOVE about this lens (and all Lensbaby products), that non-film shooters may dislike: Manual Focus.
Yes, you have to adjust the focus by hand. For every photograph.
As you can see from the photos above, I have young children at home. So I am fairly practiced at manually focusing for a moving target.
So, when I decided to take this lens for a test run upon Receiving it, I reached out to my friend Emily to ask if I could visit with my new toy. Her daughter is just over 3 months old.
I’ll be honest, I am normally a very fast shooter when I have a digital camera in my hands. I shoot weddings (Primarily) and families with young kids like myself, so I needed to test this on a moving target. And, if you’ve ever held a baby who only recently came into the world and discovered neck control you would know I chose the perfect test model.
So here’s what I love about this lens: It makes me feel like I’m shooting film again.
THAT was why I bought it.
For a digital photographer who still shoots film at home, this is a best-of-both-worlds situation.
This lens is SOLID. It has the same feel as my film lenses (Aluminum Alloy) and that perfect weight was so satisfying to experience right out of the box. being forced to adjust aperture on the lens itself is also a vintage lens design, and Lensbaby did an amazing job keeping that satisfying click as you rotate the ring. It truly felt like I was bringing my two ways of shooting together.
This lens creates a vintage glow at wide apertures.
You have complete control over how severe you want the effect to be, with f 1.6 being the most dreamy, and f 16 with no effect at all (it is simply a manual focus 56mm lens at that point, all crisp edges).
F 1.6
I tested the lens on a flower while waiting for the baby to get ready.
Here is a Strong light source hitting the subject against a dark wall. you can see the Chromatic Aberration that occurs with these settings, so if you ever shoot 2.6 you want soft, even lighting.
F 2
I switched to even soft light for the second flower.
F 4
F 4 was my favorite setting, particularly with the introduction of a human figure. I still used 2.8 and I found myself trying out 5.6, but I never went above that for fear of losing the effect, and 1.6 felt like too much for me in most cases.
F 2
This was a shot where the insane Halation worked, for me. I caught a quick moment of baby and mom’s hands together, and this shot wouldn’t have worked otherwise.
Additionally, The side lighting gives a dynamic and moody feel that match the vintage dreamy effect.
Samples from the shoot
#1. Out of Focus
Nailing the focus on this lens, particularly with a moving baby, is difficult.
-> Make sure your diopter is set Correctly! I wear contacts, so I always doubt my own eyesight. Some people enjoy focusing in Live View, and I find that to be incredible helpful when you can zoom in, however I don’t personally do it often as I or my subject are moving too fast. If you shoot live view, this will be easier for you.
However, I find that out of focus photographs are still really beautiful. In fact, I went into this test session hoping to see how a purposefully out of focus image would look. I often say,
“The memory doesn’t exist that way, so why should the proof?”
Version 1
I often edit my out of focus images into black and white.
Our memories don’t always register color, so a black and white edit both mimics the mind and renders it “Timeless”.
Version 2
This is the Same Image, but edited with some film grain added. Out of focus images look like film because we know that technology didn’t exist until recently. (1977 to be precise)
#2: Macro
This is advertised as a macro lens. As someone who actually shoots a 100mm macro lens with babies I would say that it’s a close second. I was pleasantly surprised at how close I could get with essentially a portrait lens. For anyone looking to purchase a versatile lens that gives a close to macro effect while also having a portrait lens at the same time., I highly recommend this one! I really enjoyed the wide focal range from a single lens.
100 mM Macro
For reference, this is a shot I took during my last newborn session with a 100mm macro lens. I had originally purchased it for ring shots on wedding days, and found the ability to capture baby details far outweighed its use for a product shot.
Below Is the same shot idea (foot detail) with the Lensbaby Velvet. I personally prefer this soft effect that I got over the crisp lines of the macro. It’s all a matter of personal preference.
#3 Portrait
This is a great lens for portrait photographers. If you are looking to change up your kit, add something creative but also versatile, and you enjoy the manual elements of photography, the Lensbaby Velvet 56mm is great.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a paid advertisement. I wrote this review of my own accord, without reimbursement or direct contact with Lensbaby LLC.
