The Lensbaby Control Freak SLR Lens is a direct replacement for the 3G version, but now also incorporates the Optic Swap System. This special effects lens works on the same principal as the other Lensbaby versions, but also allows you to lock the lens into place once you have found your “sweet spot” of sharp focus and then to do fine focus adjustments. It is the ideal tool for photographers who require precise focusing, complete control, longer exposures, and repeatability.
When working with dynamic subject matter you can focus the Lensbaby Control Freak just like the other Original or Muse Lensbabies – by compressing and bending. For slower moving or static subject matter, you can lock the lens in place simply by pressing a button on the focusing collar. You can then fine focus using a traditional barrel focusing ring and fine tune the tilt to place the sweet spot exactly where you need it.
The Lensbaby is a hybrid between a bellows camera and a tilt-shift camera. The SLR lens can be compressed, extended, and/or bent off-center in any direction for different effect. It will add a unique perspective on the world that is a radical departure from the precision of digital or even film photography. It allows for selective focusing with SLR cameras. Effects like blurring, glowing highlights, and subtle, prismatic color distortions can all be achieved without software manipulations.
The Control Freak comes supplied with the Double Glass Optic, which provides the sharpest focus in its range. It offers a tack sharp sweet spot, with minimal diffusion at all aperture settings. Also available optionally are the Plastic optic for an ultra-soft and ethereal look, the Single Glass for that vintage look, or the Pinhole/Zone Plate for softer, dreamier focus images that are equally sharp from edge to edge.
- Optic Swap System
- Lensbabies has developed a line of different “optics” that can be interchanged with the Control Freak, Muse, and Composer versions. This provides artists with an almost unlimited variety of looks and styles to capture their unique visions.
- Selective Focus Control
- The lens tubing is the part of the Lensbaby that allows you to control the effect that it gives. It can be compressed or extended by pulling or pushing the focusing collar at the end of the Lensbaby. This in turn controls what is in focus, with fully compressed focusing on infinity and full extended focusing about 1 foot ahead. To focus on subjects that are between these distances, you have to partly compress the Lensbaby.
- No electronic communication is possible between the camera and the lens. All operation is strictly manual. Automatic light metering is possible by shooting in aperture priority mode with almost all digital and film SLR camera bodies.
- The lens aperture can be changed by inserting different size aperture discs. The shielded magnetic aperture disc system makes it easier and faster to change apertures.