Fun Lenses You Need to Try

Let’s face it: Shooting film and video isn’t just a job for most of us, it is something we love. Everything that we do contributes to creativity of the images that we make. But the toll the day-in and day-out work can take on our creativity can be devastating. Sometimes you just need a break, something to reinvigorate you, like a fun, non-professional optic. Sometimes you need a different challenge, working with a different set of limitations; experiment, explore, create without having to worry about others judging or the consequences of messing up a shot. Sometimes you just need to play. And who knows? Along with recharging your creative juices, remember that—after all—some of the most memorable images came about by accident.

While this article is about lenses, I wanted to mention lens attachments. For example, I once found an old anamorphic projection lens, and was able to rig it so that I could rotate it and having the anamorphic effect spin made for a lot of fun with in-camera effects on the right music video. Wide-angle adapters and converters can be a simple and inexpensive way to “play around” with weird and warped imagery.

Baby, oh Baby, oh Baby

I remember when Lensbaby came out with its first lens, and EVERYONE was buying it. It was a free-form, freehand swing/tilt lens that looked like a lens mount and an optical element with a pool hose in-between, and replaceable magnetic Waterhouse stops for controlling the exposure. The tilt function of the lens allowed you to control focus and select only a specific area of the frame to be in focus, while the rest of the frame was blurred. The newer generation of Lensbaby lenses allows you to set the focus area so it doesn’t shift while shooting or, if you desire, you can manipulate it during the shot.

Lensbaby has expanded and improved its lineup since then with the Composer Pro II—with interchangeable optics, for additional control of your selective focus, the Sol 45mm, Sol 22mm (for Micro Four Thirds only), then adding more than selective focus with the Twist 60 (for swirly Bokeh reminiscent of Petzval lenses), and the Burnside 35mm that allows you to control both focus and bokeh effects. The Velvet series of lenses are modern macro lenses designed to allow you to shoot sharp images or open the aperture to add a glow to your image. Lensbaby also makes what it calls a Circular Fisheye. I love fisheye lenses—the distortion makes for strange and weird images, and you can crop out the vignette and make for wonderful use of the frame. The Lensbaby Trio comprises three lenses in one, allowing you to switch rapidly between the Twist, Velvet, and Sweet Optics of the Composer Pro II. Lensbaby has also developed “Optic Swap” kits: the Intro, Macro, and Founder’s Collection in Canon EF, RF, FUJIFILM X, MFT, Nikon F, Z, Pentax K, and Sony E. Each kit includes a sleek carrying case with a Composer II body and several swappable optics. While discussing Lensbaby lenses, it is worth noting that Lensbaby also makes a few filter accessories with its OMNI system, to add creative flares in your image. If you’ve never used one, you really owe it to yourself to check out the options.

SLR Magic

Known for sharp glass in a variety of mounts, formats, and styles, SLR Magic also produces a “Toy Lens” for the MFT format. The image rendered is sharp in the center, while the edges are noticeably softer. Colored replacement focus and iris rings allow you to customize the appearance of the lens to suit your mood. The Toy Lens is just the thing for a trip back to the early days of photography and cinema, before lenses, film stock, and sensors became so razor sharp.

Wide Angle and Fisheye

I like the wide warped look, for stills and video. I know that many people prefer longer lenses, with their straight lines and compression, but I love to get close, get under and around and explore the subject in a way that most shooters don’t. Narratively, images from fisheye lenses can become hard to read and you risk losing your audience, but when used well, the fisheye effect can do far more than just distort your image or make your subject seem crazed. Most fisheye lenses fall into the 7 to 8mm focal length range, but the Venus Optics Laowa is a 4mm fisheye with a 210-degree angle of view. There is nothing quite like getting in close with a fisheye, and they are quite popular in sports video, as well as in skateboarding videos. The Laowa 4mm is available for Canon EF-M, FUJIFILM X, Sony E, Leica L, as well as MFT. Meike’s 3.5mm for MFT mount is insanely wide, and a lot of fun, especially pushing down a long hallway, but do be warned that you may, as I often do, catch the fingers holding the camera in frame. Meike also has a 6.5mm lens for Sony E and other mounts, while Opteka has a 6.5mm in Nikon and Canon EF mounts. Rokinon features a 7.5mm MFT mount fisheye and 8mm fisheye lenses in a variety of mounts for APS-C sensors. Nikon makes an 8 to 15mm fisheye zoom lens that covers full frame, and Canon, of course, not to be outdone, makes its own full-frame 8 to 15mm fisheye zoom.

Wide-Angle Non-Fisheye

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you just might want to take a look at the ARRI Ultra Prime 8R (8mm Rectilinear). This is a special lens, being wide angle without any distortion, with all lines remaining parallel. It makes for quite the effect, especially as subjects approach the lens. Not quite as wide, and only covering Super-16, is the Abakus 381-S16 Stadium Lens. With a 210-degree angle of view, it also provides a wide angle with no distortion or bending of lines.

Pinhole

There really is nothing quite like pinhole photography, which usually requires long exposures due to the limited amount of light that hits the sensor, but in this day and age of extremely high ISO sensor ranges, pinhole videography has become a whole lot more feasible. You can make your own pinhole lens by drilling an ever-so-tiny hole into the lens port cap of your choice (do not drill the hole with the lens port cover on your camera—this is a bad idea—or you can look at a wide variety of pinhole lenses available at B&H from Thingyfy, Lensless Camera in Canon EF and Nikon F, Rising Standard, and SLR Magic with a pinhole MFT port cover.

Mobile Device

Just because you are shooting using a mobile device doesn’t mean that you get left out of the fun. Mobile photography lenses are a great way to have a lot of fun and add creative effects to your mobile device’s built-in camera. This includes wide-angle adapters, telephoto adapters, and even anamorphic adapters.

You can check out all the special effects lenses that we have here at B&H Photo, and see which ones tickle your fancy.

Go out, shoot, capture, explore, play, and feel free to share your experiences and thoughts on your own fun lenses to play with, in the Comments section, below.