Selective Focus Medium Format Lens Locks in Bent Position, Allows Precision Focusing
Press Release
Lensbabies, LLC announces that the medium format version of its 3rd generation selective focus lens, Lensbaby 3G(TM) has received the prestigious 2008 Hot One Award from Professional Photographer magazine in the medium format lens category. The medium format version of this award-winning lens expands the Lensbaby product family’s capabilities for the first time into the medium format realm of photography.
The Medium Format Lensbaby 3G is now available for Mamiya 645 and Pentax 67 camera bodies. The Lensbaby 3G for Mamiya 645 features an 80mm fixed focal length and possible aperture settings ranging from f/3.4 to f/39. The Lensbaby 3G for Pentax 67 cameras has a 100 mm fixed focal length and has possible aperture settings ranging from f/4 to f/45.
The Lensbaby 3G medium format lens allows photographers to lock the Lensbaby in a desired bent position simply by pressing a button. Then, using its traditional barrel focus mechanism, photographers can do fine focusing and precisely place the sweet spot of sharp focus before pressing the shutter release. The Original Lensbaby(TM) lens and the Lensbaby 2.0(TM) lens require the photographer to manually hold the Lensbaby in a bent position while pressing the shutter release.
Once Lensbaby 3G is locked into place, additional fine focus can be achieved by turning the barrel focusing ring, which moves the optic in and out like a normal manual focus lens. Also, in the locked position, a photographer can make small adjustments to the placement of the sweet spot of focus by turning any combination of the three focusing rails.
The optic in the Medium Format Lensbaby 3G produces the same effect as the optic in the Lensbaby 3G for SLR cameras. However, the optic in each Medium Format Lensbaby 3G is optimized for the specific camera body.
“It’s an honor to be selected for the fourth time in a row by Professional Photographer magazine to receive a Hot One Award in one of their lens categories,” said Craig Strong, the inventor of the Lensbaby and Co-Founder of Lensbabies, LLC. “Popularity of the Original Lensbaby, Lensbaby 2.0 and the Lensbaby 3G SLR lens has been phenomenal. It was only logical to expand our product offering to medium format photographers, especially studio photographers who want to repeat Lensbaby photos exactly the same each time, whether they are shooting food, fine art nudes, or designer shoes. In addition, studio portrait photographers can shoot with greater confidence in the sweet spot’s sharpness and placement. Outdoor and location photographers can also shoot longer exposures than are possible with the Original Lensbaby and Lensbaby 2.0. We hope Lensbaby 3G will meet medium format photographers’ needs for precision and repeatability while stimulating their creative vision.”
The Professional Photographer Hot One Awards honor the photography industry’s best new products for professional application. The mission of the awards is to provide Professional Photographer magazine’s readership with a compendium of the newest, hottest, most innovative products available. Each year, Professional Photographer editors oversee a submission and judging process that calls on companies in all subfields of the photography industry. For the 2008 awards, nearly 150 companies competed in 58 categories. There were more than 220 total products entered in the contest, making this the biggest Hot One Awards ever.
Lensbaby 3G medium format lenses can be ordered now for US$390.00 on www.Lensbabies.com, by calling 877-536-7222 / 971-223-5662, and from select specialty photo stores. Optional accessories include the Lensbaby Macro Kit(TM), the Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle/Macro Lens, and the Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle / 1.6X Telephoto Conversion Kit.
The Lensbaby can be bought from B&H Photo.
Lensbaby 3G for Mamiya 645 Medium Format Specifications:
Optic: Multi-coated optical glass doublet
Focal Length: Approximately 80 mm
Focus Type: Hybrid Manual Compression / Manual Barrel
Aperture Type: Interchangeable levitating aperture disks
Apertures: f/3.4, f/4.8, f/6.8, f/9.5, f/13, f/19, f/26, f/39
Minimum Focus: Approximately 1.5 feet (45.72cm)
Maximum Focus: Infinity
Size: 3″ (7.62cm) high x 3.25″ (8.89cm) wide
Weight: 6.7oz (161.59g)
Lensbaby 3G for Pentax 67 Medium Format Specifications:
Optic: Multi-coated optical glass doublet
Focal Length: Approximately 100 mm
Focus Type: Hybrid Manual Compression / Manual Barrel
Aperture Type: Interchangeable levitating aperture disks
Apertures: f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, f/45
Minimum Focus: Approximately 2.5 feet (76.2cm)
Maximum Focus: Infinity
Size: 3″ (7.62cm) high x 3.25″ (8.89cm) wide
Weight: 6.7oz (161.59g)
Note: A Lensbaby does not communicate electronically with the camera body.
About Lensbabies
Lensbabies, LLC is a Portland, Oregon based manufacturer and marketer of award-winning selective focus SLR camera lenses. Lensbabies was launched in February 2004 by Craig Strong, a professional photographer and the inventor of the patent pending Lensbaby selective focus SLR lens. Lensbabies sells to photographers all over the world through its website, www.lensbabies.com, at tradeshows, and through specialty photographic equipment retailers.