If you wanted to buy the Lensbaby Sweet, Twist 60 and Velvet separately, you’d be spending over $1,000. Now, you can get all three for only $279.95. At least, you can if you shoot Sony E, Fuji X or Micro Four Thirds. Lensbaby have today announced the new Lensbaby Trio 28mm f/3.5 lens which combines all three of these unique effects into a single lens. We caught up with Lensbaby CEO, Ken Mitchell at Photokina recently for a chat. While we were there, he gave us the full rundown on the new lens.
The new lens being designed specifically for mirrorless cameras means that it can be made much smaller. Small enough, in fact, to combine three lenses into one. Bad backs everywhere will be thanking them for this!
Focal Length : 28mmAperture : Fixed f/3.53 optics for 3 effects : Twist, Velvet and SweetMinimum focus distance : 8″Focus type : ManualDimensions : 2.75″ x 2.75″ x 2″Weight : 4.9ozTwist Optic : 4 multi-coated elements in 3 groupsVelvet Optic : 3 multi-coated elements in 2 groupsSweet Optic : 3 multi-coated elements in 3 groups46mm front threadsWhen shooting on full frame cameras, Twist will produce a subtle vignette
The three camera systems for which the new lens is available each have a different sensor size. Sony is full frame, Fuji X is APS-C crop, and Micro Four Thirds is a 2x crop. This means that each will provide a different field of view. So, on a full frame Sony sensor, you get the full 28mm field of view. On Fuji X-mount, you get the equivalent field of view to that of a 42mm lens on full frame. For Micro Four Thirds, with its 2x crop factor, it’s closer to a 56mm full frame equivalent field of view. This field of view difference makes it an interesting lens, possibly with a different purpose depending on what you shoot. On a Sony, or even the Fuji, it could make for a great street photography lens, while on Micro Four Thirds, you start creeping into portrait territory. This will also be the Twist’s entry into the world of crop sensors. The Twist 60 has previously been listed as “N/A” or “Not recommended” in the compatibility charts for crop sensor DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. Once the lens becomes available and gets into the hands of the buying public, it will be interesting to see if there is any difference in what people choose to shoot with it. The Trio 28 is available for pre-order now, and shipping begins on October 26th. You can find out more on the Lensbaby website.
Lensbaby Trio 28mm f/3.5 Lens for Sony E – $279.99Lensbaby Trio 28mm f/3.5 Lens for Fujifilm X – $279.99Lensbaby Trio 28mm f/3.5 Lens for Micro Four Thirds – $279.99
Will you be getting the Trio 28? On what system will you be using it? Do you use the Lensbaby Sweet, Velvet or Twist lenses? Does it bother you that you can’t move each lens’s sweet spot from the centre? Or do you think that just makes life a little easier? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
