First Impressions!
When FedEx delivered my Lensbaby 3G, I was so excited until I pulled it from the plastic shell and out of it's silky black sack... "What have I gotten myself into?" I'd been so excited, because the photographs that I'd seen on Lensbabies.com were exactly what I was trying to achieve. The results I wanted were those I had gotten with Holga filters on my old film Nikon. But this "space ship looking" contraption was so complex looking that I was intimidated.
Lensbaby 3G Focus
With great anticipation, I attached my Lensbaby 3G just like any other Nikkor lens. With a few adjustments in pushing or pulling the bellows and tilting the direction of the lens, I was up and running! Fine tuning the focus was easy and the resulting photographs were a delight! What an amazing piece of camera equipment!
WOW! What is THAT?
And don't think you'll be able to take photos in a "STEALTH MODE" with the Lensbaby 3G attached to your camera body... Everyone kept asking, "Wow! What is that?" And when they saw the results, the WOW was even greater! For those of who are Photoshop CS3 users, and say, "I can do the same thing in Photoshop!" I agree. You can duplicate the same results, but not without several layers, filters and lots of time. For me, I'd rather get the results right from the moment I snap the photograph. First and foremost I want to spend my time having fun and taking great photographs with less time tweaking them in Photoshop.
Two Cameras, One With Lensbaby 3G
Because I don't want to change lenses outside or during a special event, I've started using the Lensbaby 3G on my extra Nikon so that I can shoot the traditional shots for the client on my main camera. Then I switch to the camera with the Lensbaby 3G for creative version. It means carrying around more equipment, but the clients love having at least a few of the Lensbaby 3G shots and for the professional that means more revenue!
Aperture Ring Labeling
Because my brain doesn't discern left and right well, I decided to label the aperture rings so that I could make changes faster. I took an old type correcting tube and made a puddle on a piece of paper and dipped a fine tip pen into the puddle to write the numbers onto each ring. A fine dipped silver pen would work better.
Examples of Effects created by Lensbaby 3G
Recommendation
The Lensbaby 3G is a MUST HAVE for my camera bag! Buy IT, and have some FUN! (NOTE: The Lensbaby 3G is being replaced by the "Control Freak.")