Lensbaby's new Macro Converters! image©lensbaby
February 2nd, 2012 – Just announced and available immediately, the new 8mm and 16mm Lensbaby Macro Converters, compatible with all LB Optics!
Using Lensbaby's new 16mm macro converter.
read on for my take as well as price, specs and links…
I’m a fan of extension tubes/converters vs screw on “close up” filters largely because it doesn’t affect the optical performance of the lens you’re shooting through by having to look through another piece of glass as it were. Don’t get me wrong, I like close up filters in certain situations and for an on the fly type setup when event shooting, (think wedding rings, et al) they are handy. But, having an tube/converter which physically pulls the lens further from the sensor enabling closer focus is the way it is done in true macro lenses, so, suffice it to say, it is kinda the “real” way to do close up and macro photography. Add to that, the ability to tilt the plane of focus on a Lensbaby Muse, Composer, Control Freak, Tilt Transformer or Composer Pro, add on creative apertures via the disks for standard optics, super close focus with the fisheye optic for even more surreal results or further control DOF on the fly with an optic like the Sweet 35 and you have a quick and dirty creative macro set up for all kinds of fun.
When stacked, the two converters (8 + 16mm = 24mm of extension) will enable a standard optic (double glass, single glass, soft focus, etc) to produce a nearly 1:2 magnification classifying this as “macro” by most accounts. With the Sweet 35 optic, you gain even more magnification, closer to 1:1.5 which means you’re closing in on that 1:1 / lifesized close up image. Pretty cool add on that will immediately allow you to further enhance your Lensbaby arsenal.
You can buy them now directly from Lensbaby.com HERE (link includes a chart for focus distance and magnification) for $50!
Happy shooting!
Tyson
Tyson Robichaud Photo-blography 
SO rad! i want one!
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They’re super cool. I want to play around with the converters and fisheye optic… Get it all weird up in here!
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Very cool! Now if they could tackle the other end of the spectrum, so to speak, and deal with telephoto.
I am getting a bit frustrated trying to bring real telephoto to my Panasonic GH1. The best so far is the 14-140 kit lens. The two legacy lens (no OIS) a 300mm Prinz (not the finest piece of glass but cheap) does barely ok and the 200mm Olympus Zuiko does worse, IMO – tests at http://www.flickr.com/photos/35742767@N04/sets/72157629121193731/ running the gamut from real blurry to kinda-sorta-ok.
The 45mm PanaLeica works like a champ – tests at http://www.flickr.com/photos/35742767@N04/sets/72157628845611013/ – macro works great and as a 45mm baby telephoto also works great.
My wife is gonna kill me if I go for the PanaLeica 100-300!
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Hi Terry,
I think that a true tele/lensbaby might be a bit more challenging than most of use might be up for, but I do think a nice portrait focal length/short tele might just be the ticket 🙂
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T… hehehe
you are gear addict! ewww… mouth watering…
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Yeah, I’m lucky in that I live in the same city as Lensbaby so they’re gracious enough to contact me when they have really fun new stuff to play around with.
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Pingback: *Published! | Tyson Robichaud Photo-blography
Amazing photographs, did you made then using the “Lensbaby Macro Converters”?!
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Yep 🙂 everything above is shot with the converters, aside from the shot of the converters themselves 😉
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Ok, so now I know what I’ll buy next 😉
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