Lensbaby Unveils Composer with Tilt Transformer: Two New Products in One for Micro Four Thirds and Sony α NEX cameras:
New creative effects lens for Micro Four Thirds and Sony α NEX cameras features the Tilt Transformer, letting photographers shoot tilt photography with Nikon mount lenses with an unprecedented amount of tilt
Portland, OR September 21, 2010 – Lensbaby announces today the newest addition to the Lensbaby Creative Effects camera products line-up, the Composer® with Tilt Transformer™ available immediately for Panasonic Lumix™ G Micro System and Olympus PEN® digital cameras and in Q4 2010 for Sony® α NEX cameras.
The Tilt Transformer allows photographers to mount any Nikon® mount lens onto their Micro Four Thirds or
Sony α NEX camera and tilt up to twice the amount of standard tilt-shift lenses, delivering photos that have a
slice of focus through the image, bordered by a soft blur.
“The more creative tools available, the better a photographer can express her or his unique vision.” said Craig
Strong, Lensbaby Co-Founder and President. “We got excited when we realized that the Lensbaby Optic Swap
system could be extended to include Nikon mount camera lenses, including primes, fisheyes, zooms and
macro lenses. This unique design for Micro Four Thirds and Sony α NEX cameras gives photographers more
freedom to capture images they see in their mind’s eye by opening up unprecedented new creative
opportunities. I’m looking forward to seeing the unique and compelling photographs that photographic artists
make with these new creative tools.”
The Tilt Transformer also serves as the foundation for the Composer Focus Front. When used together, they
become the Composer with Tilt Transformer, for use on Micro Four Thirds or Sony α NEX cameras. This
provides photographers with access to the limitless creativity offered by the Lensbaby Optic Swap™ system.
TILT TRANSFORMER:
The Tilt Transformer allows photographers to fluidly tilt their Nikon mount lens up to twice as much as a
standard tilt shift lens, giving photographers extraordinary control over the size and placement of a slice of
focus through their photograph. The Tilt Transformer’s swivel ball is based on the patent pending design
Lensbaby developed for the award winning Lensbaby Composer® creative effects camera lens. The front of
the swivel ball has a Nikon mount, allowing photographers to mount Nikon mount lenses.
Tilting a Nikon mount lens on the Tilt Transformer will place the slice of focus in different orientations within the
image. Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal slices are possible depending on the direction the lens is tilted.
Objects in both the foreground and background can be in focus within that slice. For example, a photographer
can focus on one person close up in the left portion of the frame while also focusing on someone standing
much further away from the camera on the right side of the frame. The ability to focus on several items at once
(while blurring out the rest of the image) when each item is placed at a different distance from the camera, is
typically possible only with traditional tilt-shift lenses or view cameras.
The size of the slice of focus is dependent upon the aperture used. For example, f/1.4 will produce a very thin
slice of focus with abundant blur. F/22 will produce a very wide slice of focus with just at tiny bit of blur. Also,
when tilting extremely and shooting at a very wide open aperture like f/1.4 the slice of focus will appear even
thinner than when shooting at f/1.4 with minimal tilt.
Due to the extraordinary tilt available with the Tilt Transformer, photographers can produce a more extreme
angled slice of focus than possible with standard tilt-shift lenses. For instance, with the Tilt Transformer a
photographer can focus on an object very close to the camera in the extreme lower left hand corner of the
frame while simultaneously focusing on an object in the extreme upper right hand corner at infinity.
Tilt Transformer product specs and features:
- Available immediately for Panasonic Lumix G Micro Series and Olympus PEN digital cameras, and in
Q4 2010, for Sony α NEX cameras - When used with a Nikon mount lens, produces a slice of focus through the image
- Width of focus slice is dependent upon aperture – f/1.4 will produce a very thin slice of focus with
abundant blur, while f/22 will produce a very wide slice of focus with just a tiny bit of blur. Extreme tilt at
a very bright aperture will make that slice appear even thinner - Tilts up to twice as far as standard tilt-shift lenses making it possible to achieve more extreme blur
falling off of a very thin slice of selective focus, as compared to the usual slice of focus width and focus
fall-off of a typical tilt-shift lens - Built-in mechanism allows Nikon G lenses to function properly at all apertures. Nikon G lenses do not
have an aperture ring on the lens itself. This mechanism allows the aperture to open and close by
manually rotating the lens. - High quality metal swivel ball for smooth, fluid tilt
- Easy grip, metal locking ring controls ease of adjusting tilt
- All metal, precision construction
Composer with Tilt Transformer:
The Lensbaby Composer is a manual focus lens based on a ball and socket configuration that delivers smooth
selective focus and other creative photography looks with unparalleled ease. Photographers can simply tilt the
lens to a desired angle and then focus with a manual focusing ring. The Composer stays in the desired bent
position without requiring a locking mechanism.
The Composer with Tilt Transformer is compatible with the Lensbaby Optic Swap System* and ships with a
Double Glass Optic installed. Additional optics can be swapped in and out, providing photographers with a
wide range of creative effects including: Single Glass, Plastic, Pinhole/Zone Plate, and Soft Focus.
Composer with Tilt Transformer specs and features:
- All of the Tilt Transformer Specs and Features, plus the following:
- Ships with the Double Glass Optic and optical adapter installed
- The photographer can change the aperture using the included aperture disks from f/1.6 with no disk
installed to f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/13, f/22 - Supports the Lensbaby Optic Swap System*, allowing photographers to swap out the Double Glass
Optic and swap in Single Glass, Plastic, Soft Focus, and Pinhole/Zone Plate - Optical adapter reduces actual focal length of above lenses to ~40mm (~80mm effective focal length)
- Focus Type: Manual
- Aperture Type: Interchangeable levitating aperture disks
- Minimum Focus: approximately 12” (30 cm) / Maximum Focus: Infinity (and beyond)
*Includes the Composer Focus Front Optic Adapter that allows Lensbaby Double Glass, Single Glass, Plastic, Soft Focus and Pinhole/Zone Plate optics to focus to infinity when used with the Composer with Tilt Transformer. As Micro Four Thirds and Sony α NEX cameras do not have an internal mirror, the lens is closer to the sensor than with SLR cameras, requiring this adapter. The Fisheye optic is not compatible with the Composer with Tilt Transformer.
The Tilt Transformer and Composer with Tilt Transformer are available from select specialty photo stores
worldwide and from www.lensbaby.com, amazon.com, adorama.com and bhphotovideo.com. The Tilt
Transformer retails for $250 MSRP. The Composer with Tilt Transformer retails for $350 MSRP.
About Lensbaby
Lensbaby is a Portland, Oregon based manufacturer of award-winning Creative Effects SLR camera lenses.
Lensbaby was launched in February 2004 by Craig Strong, a professional photographer and the inventor of the
patented Lensbaby Creative Effects SLR lens system. Lensbaby sells to photographers all over the world
through its website, www.lensbaby.com, by calling 877-536-7222 / 971-223-5662, at tradeshows, in leading
photo retailers and through a growing global network of international distributors.
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