Five multi-coated glass elements, in four groups, are sandwiched inside, with a dial on the front used to adjust the aperture. Lensbaby is positioning the new model for portrait photographers as well as those wanting tilt-shift style shots; there’s a simulator here which can mimic the sort of effects it’s capable of.

Close ups of 17-inches are supported, and because the Edge 80 mounts on Lensbaby’s existing lens bodies it’s overall a cheaper way of outfitting your camera bag with kit; assuming, of course, that you want more than one single effect. The lens bodies themselves start at $150 for the Muse.

The new kits are the Portrait kit and the Ultimate Portrait Kit. The smaller Portrait kit includes several things inside with the Composer with Double Glass Optic, the Soft Focus optic, Wide angle/Telephoto Kit, Creative Aperture Kit 2, and a Lensbaby System Bag. This kit sells for $470. The Ultimate portrait Kit sells for $590.

The more expensive kit has all the same components inside and adds a Lensbaby Scout to the mix as well. The hardware lets you play with focus and make some very cool photos. This might be great for the pro or amateur photographer looking to add something extra to the portraits they shoot. The kits are both available right now.

More professional focusing is also promised, thanks to a dampened focus ring. There’s still support for the Lensbaby Optic Swap System, however, meaning that the Fisheye, Soft Focus, Pinhole/Zone plate, Single Glass and Plastic lenses can be swapped in.

Lensbaby expects the Composer Pro to sell for $300 with the Double Glass Optic or for $400 with the Sweet 35 Optic. The regular Composer will see a price cut to $250.

Press Release:

Lensbaby Announces a New SLR Lens: The Composer Pro

The Composer Pro delivers ultra-smooth creative control for the most discerning professional photographers and videographers

Portland, OR – April 4, 2011 – Lensbaby announces its newest SLR creative effects camera lens, the Composer Pro. The Composer Pro refines and enhances the popular and award winning Lensbaby Composer by upgrading the swivel ball and focus mechanism to provide professional performance. The Composer Pro’s metal swivel ball design and refined focus mechanism deliver ultra-smooth focus and tilt control. The updated focus mechanism features a fluid and accurate dampened focus ring comparable to the focus mechanisms of the highest quality professional manual focus lenses. This smooth, fluid operation makes the Composer Pro the perfect choice for discerning professional photographers and videographers who want to create ground-breaking creative imagery.

The Composer Pro is compatible with the Lensbaby Optic Swap System and ships with either the Double Glass Optic or the new Sweet 35 Optic installed. Each optic creates a Sweet Spot of sharp focus that photographers can move around the photo by tilting the Composer Pro’s swiveling lens body. The Composer Pro is compatible with the complete range of creative optics in the Lensbaby Optic Swap System including the Fisheye, Soft Focus, Pinhole/Zone plate, Single Glass, and Plastic. Each optic can be swapped into the Composer Pro to deliver a different creative effect.

The Composer Pro joins Lensbaby’s growing family of lenses, which now includes the Lensbaby Composer, Scout, Muse, and Control Freak. The Composer Pro will retail for $300 with the Double Glass Optic installed or for $400 with the Sweet 35 Optic installed. The entry-level Lensbaby Composer will remain in Lensbaby’s product line but at a lower MSRP of $250.

“The Composer Pro builds on the strengths of its siblings in the Lensbaby family. In addition to being a core element in the Lensbaby Optic Swap system, it is smooth, fluid and precise to meet the needs of our community of photographer who want to see their unique visions through a precision piece of photographic equipment. Professional photographers continue to be at the core of our customer base.” said Craig Strong, Lensbaby Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. “The Composer pro is for them.”

Composer Pro Specs:

Refined metal ball design delivers ultra-smooth focus and tilt control
Ships with either the Sweet 35 Optic or Double Glass Optic installed
Compatible with the Lensbaby Optic Swap System
Focus Type: Manual
Size/Weight: 2.25” (5.71cm) high x 2.5” (6.35cm) wide / 4 oz (113.4g)
Tilts from zero to 17.5 degrees
Sweet 35 Optic Product Specs:
Focal Length: 35mm
12 blade internal aperture, controlled by a dial on the front of the optic
Aperture range from f/2.5 through f/22 (sweet spot size ranges from 15%, at f/2.5, to 40%, at f/22, of total image area on APS-C sensor cameras)
Selective focus optic (creates a sweet spot of focus surrounded by gradual blur)
Compatible with Lensbaby Composer, Scout, Muse, and Control Freak lens bodies*
Focus distance when used with Composer Pro: 7.5” to infinity
4 multi-coated glass elements, in three groups
46mm front threads**
*The Sweet 35 Optic is not compatible with the Composer with Tilt Transformer for Micro 4/3rds and Sony NEX Cameras.
**The Sweet 35 Optic is not compatible with current 37mm Lensbaby accessories.

Double Glass Optic Product Specs:
Focal Length: 50mm
Low dispersion, high refractive index, multi-coated optical glass doublet
Aperture Type: Interchangeable, magnetic aperture disks
Apertures: f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22
Selective focus optic (creates a sweet spot of focus surrounded by gradual blur)
Focus distance when used with Composer Pro: 18” to infinity
37mm front threads accept all Lensbaby accessory lenses

Composer Pro with Double Glass Optic is available now from Lensbaby-authorized photo specialty stores worldwide, and from Adorama, Amazon, bhphotovideo.com and LensBaby online. Composer Pro with Sweet 35 Optic will be available soon. Composer Pro with Double Glass Optic retails for $300 MSRP and Composer Pro with Sweet 35 Optic retails for $400 MSRP. For more information contact PR Representative Jessica Darrican at jessica@maxborgesagency.com.

The new optic clips onto the Lensbaby Composer, Scout, Muse, and Control Freak lenses, and supports up to 3-inch macro shots depending on mount. It’ll suit both full frame and APS-C cameras, too; there’s a demo video showing it in action here.

Sample shots of the sort of images the new optic can produce below, and plenty more to peruse here. The Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic is available now, priced at $180.

Press Release:

Lensbaby® Introduces its First 35mm Optic with 12-Blade Adjustable Aperture

The Sweet 35 selective focus optic has the sweetest spot of all

Portland, OR – March 1, 2011 – Lensbaby, manufacturer of award-winning Creative Effects SLR camera lenses, announces the addition of the Sweet 35 Optic to its Optic Swap System. The Sweet 35 Optic, a 35mm selective focus optic with an internal 12-blade adjustable aperture, creates a Sweet Spot of sharp focus that photographers can move around the photo by tilting their Lensbaby lens. The Sweet 35 Optic boasts the widest focal length of any selective focus Lensbaby optic, features close-focus capabilities, and is available now for use with the Lensbaby Composer®, Muse®, Control Freak™ and Scout lenses.

Departing from its interchangeable magnetic aperture system, Lensbaby has created its first optic with an adjustable aperture. With the Sweet 35, photographers can quickly and seamlessly change the aperture from f/2.5 through f/22, simply by rotating the dial on the front of the optic. The aperture opening is what controls the size of the Sweet Spot of sharp focus, giving photographers the ability to see the Sweet Spot change through the lens, without missing a moment.

“Changing the look of images from my Lensbaby lens with the Sweet 35 optic by quickly adjusting the aperture dial at the front of the optic has become habit-forming and allows me to create photographs I would never see through another lens,” said Craig Strong, Lensbaby Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer.

The Sweet 35 allows focus down to 7.5 inches from the front of the lens when used with the Lensbaby Composer and as close as 3 inches when used with the Muse. The 35mm focal length is just wide enough on full-frame cameras and just normal enough on APS C senor cameras, making the Sweet 35 perfect for landscape, environmental portrait, and event photography.

“The Sweet 35’s easily changed apertures, wider focal length, and close focus ability make it our most versatile and fun optic,” said Strong.

Sweet 35 Optic Product Specs:
Focal Length: 35mm
12-blade internal aperture, controlled by a dial on the front of the optic
Aperture range from f/2.5 through f/22 (sweet spot size ranges from 15%, at f/2.5, to 40%, at f/22, of total image area on APS-C sensor cameras)
Selective focus optic (creates a sweet spot of focus surrounded by gradual blur)
Compatible with Lensbaby Composer, Scout, Muse, and Control Freak lenses*
Focus distance when used with: Composer: 7.5” to infinity / Scout: 6.5” to infinity / Muse & Control Freak: 3” to infinity
4 multi-coated glass elements, in three groups
46mm front threads**
*The Sweet 35 Optic is not compatible with the Composer with Tilt Transformer for Micro 4/3rds and Sony NEX Cameras.
**The Sweet 35 Optic is not compatible with current 37mm Lensbaby accessories.

The Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic is available now for $180.00 (MSRP) from www.lensbaby.com, Lensbaby-authorized photo specialty stores worldwide, and from adorama.com, amazon.com and bhphotovideo.com.

Lensbaby has unveiled a new optic system called the Scout. Many of the offerings from Lensbaby move to allow you to create different effects, the Scout is a fixed system. It also ships with a Fisheye lens for wide-angle photography. The Fisheye optic has a 12mm focal length, can capture a 160-degree angle of view as close as half an inch from the lens and can create flare effects in the image.

Lensbaby says that DSLR users with full frame sensors will see a black circle around most of the image and APS-S sensor camera users will see black corners in the image. The lens system is available for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, and Olympus 4/3rds SLR and is available now for $249.95.

The Control Freak is an lens that replaces the standard lens on the camera just as any other DSLR lens would be added. It is designed for tabletop and macro photographers. The device lets the shooter compress and bend the lens to their desired focus and lock it in place with a button press.

The focus can be fine tuned and can focus form as close as 9-inches away from a subject. Filters can be added that let the Control Freak focus as close as 1.75 – 2 inches from a subject. The Control Freak comes with the Lensbaby double glass optic installed and can be used with other optics like the Fisheye with adapters. The Control Freak is available for several camera brands and sells for $350.

The two new optics are the Fisheye and the Soft Focus optic. The lenses are designed to work with the Lensbaby Composer, Muse, and Control Freak systems. The Soft Focus optic is used to create images that that lack a sharp area of focus giving the image a soft overall look. The Fisheye optic creates an image that is distorted looking and can capture a 160-degree view of what is around the lens.

The Fisheye optic sells for $149.99 and is an f/4 optic with removable aperture disks that drop into the front of the lens ranging from f/5.6 to f/22. The soft focus optic sells for $89.95 and has a focal length of 50mm. It is an f/2 optic with aperture disks for f/2.8 to f/22.

Turning to PMA 2009, SlashGear’s resident photography genius Daniel Lim picked out the latest and most interesting from the US show. You can find all the announcements and content with the PMA tag, but highlights include our exclusive Lensbaby 0.42x Super-Wide Lens and Composer demos, sample shots and video demos of Panasonic’s Micro 4/3 DMC-GH1, hands-on time with the JVC “Everio X” GZ-X900 1080p camcorder, and sneak-peeks at Pentax’s X70 and the eminently-interesting Samsung NX hybrid DSLR.

It’s a hard week to grab headlines in, but Apple managed it with not one or two but five products in their range getting significant changes. The Mac Pro, Mac mini and iMac all came in for some upgrade attention, while the Time Machine backup system and AirPort Extreme Base Station both got a shot of simultaneous dual-band capabilities, among other things. That makes for a great week for Cupertino, only marred by the news that more than a few 17-inch MacBook Pro owners are experiencing ongoing visual problems with their new unibody notebooks, possibly due to overheating.

We’ve also had time for a couple of reviews and a video unboxing, with Clickfree’s HD325 and Transformer backup systems showing that safeguarding data needn’t be a headache, while the Pixelar E-Reader demonstrated that reading ebooks off a screen needn’t, well, be a headache either. Finally we unboxed the Sleek Audio Customs, a $300 set of custom-molded earphones that have a lot riding on them. Look out for our review this coming week.

The Lensbaby 0.42x Super Wide Angle lens is new to the show. Compatible with any Lensbaby lens, it converts Lensbaby optics from a 50mm focal length to an ultra-wide 21mm focal length. It’s an inexpensive add-on but a wider version of the same selectively-focused optics with plenty of scope for fun and creativity. To learn more about Lensbaby’s composer, Muse and the new Super Wide angle lens, see the video below.

At the end of the day, I had little energy left to cruise around the Strip, but managed to snap a few shots with the new lens on my way back to the Paris hotel. It’s more suitable for crop-sensor based DSLRs, due to vignetting, but it made do with a Full Frame camera just fine.  The Lensbaby 0.42x Super Wide Angle lens is available to order now, priced at $79.95.