Lensbaby releases the new Edge 80 Optic

Lensbaby made a name for itself in the filmmaking world when world renowned cinematographer Janusz Kaminski used a PL-mount Lensbaby to great effect on The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in which we see a skewed sense of the world from the point of view of a man who has suffered a debilitating stroke. Since then, Lensbaby have gone on to release a number of innovative products, including the Muse, Composer Pro, Sweet 35, etc., that let you control depth of field at the fraction of the cost of tilt shift lenses. Although the majority of Lensbaby lenses and optics are primarily targeted towards still photography, filmmakers have gravitated towards them for their specialized look in motion pictures, especially with the rise of DSLR filmmaking.

This week, the Portland, OR-based company has recently released the 80mm Edge 80 Optic, an optic that is compatible with the Composer Pro, Composer, Muse, Scout and Control Freak. The Edge 80 allows shooters to “straight” edge-to-edge photos or movies when the optic is pointed straight ahead but then create your usual selective focus blur when the lens is tilted. The Edge 80 features Lensbaby’s internal 12-blade adjustable aperture, which has an aperture range of f2.8 through f22.  It’s minimum focusing distance is 17″ when the optic is extended forward in close focus mode and fully tilted and a maximum focusing distance of infinity. Since it’s an 80mm, the Edge 80 is perhaps best suited for portrait photography.

Shot with the Edge 80 by Fritz Liedtke