The new Lensbaby Velvet 85mm f/1.6 lens is now available for preorder at Adorama and BHphoto.
Dan Mandell (Click here) wrote a first impression review:
I could justify buying it simply because of its increased situational versatility. While you have the option to go full artsy with this lens, you can dial it down or season to taste if you prefer. It would have been interesting to really see how this lens works in even more diverse scenarios. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few things. There are probably ways to exploit what the lens does to create more targeted areas of effect. Using spotlights or fresnels, you could literally paint in or pinpoint areas of light that would receive the effect. Even light painting or long exposure shots have interesting possibilities here.
I’m happy to see Lensbaby making some moves in this direction. I look forward to more and more interesting entries into the market from them.