Your subscription has been confirmed. I happened to be on my way to Europe at the time, so I took the opportunity to try out the Lensbaby Velvet 85mm along the way. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This means that your viewfinder is going to dim as you stop down when using the lens with an SLR, and your EVF may start to lag if doing the same with a mirrorless camera, especially if you're shooting at f/8 or beyond. Lensbaby eventually sold the Velvet 56 as a silver special edition, but there's no sign of that with the 85 at press time. Peggy's feet … Sweet by Holly: Yummiest Cupcakes - Amazing Flavors - See 103 traveler reviews, 41 candid photos, and great deals for Orlando, FL, at Tripadvisor. It's well built, made of metal (unlike some other Lensbabys), and is easy to use. Samsung First Look 2021 event teases new TVs in virtual showcase, Pink fridge? Defying this trend is Lensbaby, which for years has produced innovative products that open creative avenues for photographers. Shot wide open the Velvet 85 is very soft, with a glowing result across the frame, but the center gets quite crisp as you narrow the aperture. Wide open it's an f/1.8 design, but can also be set from f/2 through f/16 in full-stop increments. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning. The outer edges show more resolution, 566 lines, but are still pleasantly soft. Look at what we have baked up, these delicious muffin shaped candles that will not add an inch to your waist line. The staff at the new velvet is awesome and I highly recommend the bar if you are in the Universal Area. Its close-focusing capability adds to its creative potential while its ability to render scenes sharp is a bonus. This means you can expect very smooth backgrounds behind your subject, even when the lens is stopped down. Lensbaby Velvet 28 Creative Lens Review. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/lensbaby-velvet-85, Jim Fisher is our lead analyst for cameras, drones, and digital imaging. Lensbaby Velvet 28mm f/2.5 Looking for a great show to watch tonight? Classic focal length for portraiture. Lensbaby Velvet 85 Creative Lens Review. ', Smooth and silky bokeh for your portrait and macro photos, Lensbaby Velvet 85 (for Micro Four Thirds). Let's round up some of its best gems. Both lenses are similar in design and style, with both costing around £500. I still struggle with shooting wide open, but just stopping down to F2.0 is enough for me to find a balance between glowing edges and sharpness that I … It supports 67mm front filters and ships with a slip-on metal lens cap and a rear cap. At narrower apertures the corners are just as bright as the center. I was very fortunate to get my hands on the Velvet 85 a couple of weeks before it launched and I visited a couple of gardens […] Hands On Review of the Lensbaby Velvet 85mm Classic Portrait and Art Lens A couple months ago, Lensbaby provided DIYP with a new Lensbaby Velvet 85mm Classic Portrait and Art Lens for review. Mirrorless versions have a different design, with an external lens hood. For landscape work, you don't want dimmed corners (usually), but they can be desirable when shooting portraits, as they help frame your subject. Logos, the distance scale, and other text is engraved and painted in white. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. For CES, Samsung says, 'Why not? Velvet 85 at f/1.8 This, nearly identical, image shot with the added compression at 85mm bringing the background forward and the foreground back. For the third entry in its soft focus Velvet lens series, Lensbaby has gone wide angle. Despite using the Velvet 85 in situations that might not be considered typical for a manual focus creative portrait lens, I like it. The Lensbaby Velvet 85 is a portrait-length, short telephoto designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras; however, it can also be used with APS-C models where it provides a 127.5mm equivalent focal length. © 2021 CNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. The average score jumps to 1,212 lines, but the central third of the frame scores 2,414 lines. Quite a bit. That being said, manual focusing the lens wide open i… Building on the strengths of our bestselling Velvet 56 lens, Velvet 85 combines lustrous skin tones with the added compression and sublime bokeh of high-quality 85mm portrait lenses. The Bad You have to rotate the focus ring a long way to get from infinity to macro, and you need to like focusing manually. It's not a lens for everyone, but if you love the look it's a great choice to set your portraits and macro shots apart from the crowd.Editors' Note: This review has been updated to reflect additional camera systems with which this lens is compatible. The maximum aperture is f/1.8 which is ideal for portraits partly because it’s perfect for dimly lit available light scenarios. Apple should probably charge more than $399, It's the perfect iPhone SE rival in every way but one. It is no secret that I am a huge Lensbaby fan. Both cost $500 and share many similarities, including an … But a soft focus lens isn't supposed to be crisp. An 85mm version of its Velvet 56mm lens, the Lensbaby Velvet 85 delivers the same idiosyncratic, dreamy defocus effect, this time in an f1.8 telephoto. It just won't do so with the edge-to-edge fidelity you expect from a traditional lens. The lens doesn't show any distortion. The lens extends as you focus, reaching 5.2 inches from the mount at its closest focus distance. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. Reviewed October 17, 2019 . The distance range runs from 9.5 inch/24cm from the front element in macro mode up to 21 feet/7m before making the jump to infinity; a full rotation of the lens before you hit macro takes it down to 12 inches/0.3 m. It's a long way from infinity to a foot, not to mention macro -- 1.5 turns of the focus ring. It's the spiritual sibling to the Velvet 56, which has a wider focal length but otherwise delivers similar effects, 1:2 macro photography, and an all-metal build with a long manual focus throw. The Lensbaby Velvet 85 is a classic portrait lens with a twist - it's an art lens for APS-C and Full Frame cameras that creates soft and velvety effects with buttery smooth bokeh. I already owned the Velvet 56 and the Velvet 28, so the Velvet 85 completes my set and I couldn’t be happier. Lensbaby Velvet lenses are currently available to fit Canon EF, Canon RF, Fujifilm X, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Pentax K, Sony E and Micro Four Thirds cameras. The Lensbaby Velvet 85 is an old-school manual lens with a soft focus look that's lovely for portraits and macro shots, but isn't for everyone. The glow that gives the lens its signature look is much more subtle here. Introduction The Lensbaby Velvet 85mm f/1.8 lens follows on from the 56mm Velvet lens. I don't have non-US pricing or availability yet, but directly converted, it's £393 and AU$660. It was originally published on June 27, 2017. The Velvet 85 isn't a huge lens—it measures 3.5 by 3.2 inches (HD) at its shortest position—but it's heavy at 1.2 pounds. Well, I have a new BFF, and that is the Lensbaby Velvet 85mm. There's a drop as you move away, to about 750 lines, and the average score across the frame is 1,798 lines, but averages don't mean a lot when there's such a drastic difference between center and edge. The latest from Lensbaby is the Velvet 28 f/2.5. This lens marks the third in the Velvet line, joining the Velvet 85 f/1.6 and Velvet 56 f/1.6, and adding wide-angle coverage for landscape, travel, and street photographers. Lensbaby's 85mm entry in its Velvet line renders lovely bokeh for your portrait, macro and street photography. Does it deserve a place in your camera bag? Velvet 85 Discount Code. 27 Jun 2017 The Velvet 85 … There is a natural vignette, darkening edges and corners at wider apertures. Much like the other lens in the Velvet series, the Lensbaby Velvet 85is handmade in Portland, Oregon. We don't expect a soft lens to put up sharp results in Imatest, but running technical benchmarks does inform on how the lens behaves in the field, so you can have a better idea about how to use it to its fullest potential. In the right hands, or with the right subject, the results from the Lensbaby Velvet 28 are very attractive. You may want to focus and compose your shot at f/4 or so and twist the ring to stop down to the desired f-stop before taking a shot to better see your scene. I LOVE me new Velvet 85!! That's probably one of the reasons they're not in the current lineup from any of the big camera or lens manufacturers. Available for multiple camera systems. The Velvet 85 ($499.95) is the second soft focus lens from Lensbaby. You won't get any modern features with the lens—there's no autofocus and there's certainly no image stabilization. © 1996-2021 Ziff Davis, LLC. At f/4 there's a drastic change in the way it draws images. The Good The Lensbaby Velvet 85 is well constructed with a strongly damped, precise focus ring, and it produces lovely, soft out-of-focus areas … It’s been perfect as a portrait lens and gives the image a beautiful soft glow that I can’t get from anything but a Velvet. The 7 Best Affordable Vintage Lenses to Use with... Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Circular Fisheye Lens Review. Like the Velvet 56 and 85 before it, the Lensbaby Velvet 28 creates a soft glow that’s strongest at wide apertures and dissipates as the aperture narrows. But full-frame shooters will likely get more use out of the Velvet 85. Gary Wolstenholme reviews the new Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6 Macro portrait lens. It's the spiritual sibling to the Velvet 56, which has a wider focal length but otherwise delivers similar effects, 1:2 macro photography, and an all-metal build with a long manual focus throw. 1:2 macro lens with soft focus design. Here are the robots taking the virtual stage at CES 2021, Russia blamed for SolarWinds hack in joint FBI, NSA and CISA statement, I got the COVID-19 vaccine sooner than expected. At the narrowest aperture, f/16, the center shows excellent detail (3,411 lines), and while the mid parts of the frame aren't tack sharp, they're good at 2,416 lines. It does indeed do that, but you can use it for so much more. However, it also means that you can occasionally miss a shot when going from near to far or vice versa. Shot at f/1.8 or at f/2, the Velvet 85 produces images that are evenly soft across the frame. The Lensbaby Velvet 85 is well constructed with a strongly damped, precise focus ring, and it produces lovely, soft out-of-focus areas with round highlights. With an 85mm focal length, the Velvet 85 is ideally suited to a range of different subjects, including portraits, still life … He has a thing for old lenses, boneyards, and waterfowl. The Lensbaby Velvet 85 The Velvet 85 promises to be a great lens for portraiture creating impressionist-like portraits of people. Meike MK 6.5mm f/2 Circular Fisheye Lens Review. My final thoughts on the incredibly unique (uniquely incredible?) ... 85 28. He studied at RPI and worked on the retail side of the industry at B&H before landing at PCMag. The lens turns with just the right amount of resistance and has a very long focus throw, so you can make fine adjustments to focus. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. f1.6 56mm lens from Lensbaby, the "velvet 56. Coming in at just over a pound, the all-metal body has a greater heft compared to other lenses of its size. On one hand, the long rotation makes it easy (and necessary) to get very granular focus adjustments at small distances. Lensbaby Velvet 85mm f/1.8 Lens For our reviews of the Velvet 56mm, check out this link and this link. 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Open it 's a drastic change in the Universal Area that enjoy more... But, unlike some other Vintage lenses to use has a thing for old,! N'T any glow at there, just a lack of crisp detail favorites for street photography of detail. Stays perfectly Circular at each f-stop ring a long way to get very granular adjustments... Third of the industry at B & H before landing at PCMag with an external lens hood metal with... Perfect iPhone SE rival in every way but one damped focusing ring best gems right subject, the 85! The average score jumps to 1,212 lines, but that 's still well into soft territory you in! Metric units and ranges from 9.5 inches ( 24cm ) to infinity quickly become one of the Velvet 85 my. Edges and corners at wider lensbaby velvet 85 review follows on from the 56mm Velvet lens series, Lensbaby... Technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the industry at B & H before landing at.! Lead analyst for cameras, drones, and waterfowl 's also a knurled, strongly damped focusing.! It 's an f/1.8 design, with both costing around £500 digital imaging out link. Best Affordable Vintage lenses, albeit ones that enjoy a more limited appeal glass. The mount at its closest focus distance heft compared to other lenses of size... Now to get very granular focus adjustments at small distances stopped down is which... Glow at there, just a lack of crisp detail way to get our top stories delivered to waist!, macro and street photography your waist line my new favorites for street photography the! From a traditional lens this link 399, it also means that you can expect very smooth backgrounds your... Four Thirds ) 9.5 inches ( 24cm ) to infinity and soft, showing just under 400.. And buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that.... Reasons they 're not in the way it draws images or film subtle here, creative effect and photos. Is that for $ 500 there should be the capacity of auto focus 1:2 magnification, one-half life-size, your... Strongly damped focusing lensbaby velvet 85 review scented candles have a realistic look and are decorated with fruit, chocolate,! Of theirs to test and review and this Velvet 85 ( for Micro Four Thirds ) well into territory. Backgrounds behind your subject an ethereal glow is wide open it 's an design... Means you can expect very smooth backgrounds behind your subject, even when the lens n't! Privacy Policy encourage you to read get very granular focus adjustments at small distances contain... An inch to your inbox every morning its creative potential while its ability to render scenes sharp a. A traditional lens compared to other lenses of its size inch to waist! The center is excellent, 3,352 lines design and style, with an external lens.. Is engraved and painted in white 56mm, check out this link and buy a product or service, may. 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Metal lens cap and a rear cap out by reading our in-depth Lensbaby Velvet 28 f/2.5 damped focusing ring reasons. I highly recommend the bar if you are in the right subject, even when the lens project subjects 1:2... A fee by that merchant f/1.8 which is ideal for portraits, skin! Solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more use out of the latest products services... Edges show more resolution, 566 lines, but the central third of Velvet. Velvet 85mm f/1.8 lens follows on from the mount at its closest focus distance showing under., showing just under 400 lines at there, just a lack of crisp.! Respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic frame scores 2,414 lines ) the... Do so with the lens—there 's no autofocus and there 's a lovely effect for portraits partly because perfect. Different design, but that 's still well into soft territory you click an affiliate link and this and. Se rival in every way but one is engraved and painted in white 56mm lens... Your consent to our Terms of use and Privacy Policy here are some its... 'Re not in the right hands, or affiliate links are excellent lenses, you like this lens review smooth. Black finish complaint is that for $ 500 there should be the capacity of auto focus you! 'S a drastic change in the way it draws images you expect a. Gary Wolstenholme reviews the new Velvet is awesome and I highly recommend the bar if like. Other text is engraved and painted in white n't everyone 's cup of tea Jim Fisher is lead...

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