Ok guys, please give me some reasons why or why not I should by the Lenbabies 2.0, I reallneed to know..................................posts me some pics to back up your answer, please..........................................................................
pretty please

When used correctly, you get some awesome pics.

In my experience, a tripod was essential.

Even with a tripid, I found it difficult to focus where I wanted the sharp spot to be. I found I needed at least f5.6 or f8 to be able to focus it and that was still hit or miss unless I was on a tripod.

I found the three positioning rods a pain to use when fine tuning unless I have all the time in the world.

Mine sits in a box on my shelf. I have not thought about selling it until now...but I am open to offers. I have the custom bokeh inserts and the macro kit too.
I have the most recent (and expensive) version for Nikon.

It is ok for landscapes, but I could not use it effectively during a wedding. I have a few cake pix to show for it, but none of my people images worked well with the LensBaby.

I think there may be some decent PS plug ins that could perform a similar effect with greater cost effectiveness and ease of use in the field.

If you really want to buy one, buy mine...but I am warning you not to buy one.

Best,
Jeff

me loves my lensbaby, see:







i only just started using it this summer.

one more:

I've taken a few pictures with it since I got it about two years ago. When done right, the blur effects look awesome. But I've found it takes a lot of time and patience to set up the shot just right. It used to occupy a slot in my camera bag, but now it sits in a box in my closet. If you want examples, the Lensbaby website has a forum where users post their favorite shots. I will say that this lens delivers some awesome color on my Rebel XT and 40D.

Hi Nadil!

I can totally understand what J and Lori are saying about the time it takes to focus and set it up. But I have found, the more you use it, the faster you are. Just as with any piece of equipment I suppose. I bought the whole kit last year and use the 3G. At first it was weird and different to use, but now I am pretty quick. I LOVE IT. I personally haven't tried the lensbaby 2, but the 3G is awesome, I like the fine tuners especially for macro shots.

In my opinion, it adds something different to a clients gallery, something that MOST of them will have never seen before. Definitely go over to the site and look through the forum shots. Here are a few of mine...




Also, Ron Goldman and Kathlene Clemons teach a class on Lensbabies at www.ppsop.com. It's on my list to take, haven't had the time yet... but I can say that they are great teachers, I've taken some of their other courses.

Good Luck!

No pics cause I can't focus the darn thing (2.0)! I found a free action that does the same thing.

They are fun, but you have to have a different mind set when you are using them.
For weddings I have only used them for detail shots and when I wasn't the primary shooter.




For landscapes they can be a blast (they take more time for sure).

when i first started to use it, i was ready to put it on ebay. then the more i used it, the better i got. i love it, its fun, but its not a NECESSITY. its a fun toy to play around with, IF YOU HAVE THE TIME - during the wedding, you may not, but if you have some time during the getting ready stuff, it could be a lot of fun.

so i recommend you dont buy it, unless you have the extra money laying around. dont buy it because you think its necessary to have to shoot a wedding or whatever.

There are plenty of free actions out there that will give the same effects as the lens baby without the cost and trouble of focusing.

I've used the Lens Baby since it came out and have both the original and the 2.0. I like the lens and think the guy brought it to market at a great time, price point, etc. That being said I've pretty much not used mine in a long while. I find that I can get "close-enough" results with more control via a free Photoshop action that I use. You can find that action and other useful actions here. I like doing this way because while it isn't as fun as using the LensBaby lens I can decide later what I want to apply it to or more importantly not apply it to which for wedding work, etc is important to me as I don't want to miss a shot. I never found it a problem to focus the LensBaby and the 2.0 is a lot better in image quality with a sharper sweet spot and much less chromatic aberration (unless you like that). I also love it when used with the close-up accessory. I have purchased a tilt-shift since I got my LensBabies and for much of the stuff I do it fits my style better and has multiple uses plus is tack sharp when you need to use it normally.

Oh yeah take a look at OneOne softwares PhotoTools suite. They have a new plug-in called FocalPoint that works great and is very easy to use. You can create Lensbaby and Tilt-Shift like effects.

Lensbaby photos- here with the close-up accessory in use

Images with a 90mm tilt shift.

I love mine. It is a toy, though, and definitely not essential wedding gear. I've never pulled mine out at weddings, only when I'm shooting for myself for fun. Here's a couple of mine:

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Well, you kind of inspire me to dig mine back out from the closet and screw it on again. Nice shots and textures...

Thank you some much guys............................................
Dan thanks for those links also................................................
I think am gonna purchase it bacause one of my friends down here in Trinidad has one and I tried it and I think it's a good buy, when I purchase it I will upload some photographs that I shot with it and we will see how it goes...............................................

You guys are so very helpful .................................. Thanks again...........................

I have one and I am thinking of selling it. It is the original for Nikon.