A few years ago I picked up a Lensbaby Sol 45, wanting a creative push, something outside of how I normally see and shoot. I popped it on my camera, made a few images that definitely didn’t scratch that itch, and it has largely sat in my camera bag ever since. I’ve found it to be a bit fussy, and more effort than reward at the time that it showed up. It has a super selective slice of focus that you can move by tilting the lens. You can adjust the bokeh using these magical little bokeh blades. 

I have been kind of taking an inventory of my gear lately, and thinking about the things I have that I don’t really use all that often, and this little guy rose right to the top of the pile. I like that the lens itself is small, I don’t need to use the z-adaptor for my camera body so my carry-around is kept pretty tidy. Aside from not wanting to have a whole pile of gear that I don’t really use sitting around, the easy-carry is a big driver to wanting to figure this little lens out. So a week or so ago, I popped it on and have been trying.

I don’t know that it’s going to be any kind of a go-to for me. I also think I probably need to give it a fair shake in the lighter, more outdoors oriented times of the year. Dark, indoors, January in the northern part of the US might not be its sweet spot. I’ll likely take it off for a while now, but I plan to come back to it. 

Do you have gear sitting around that you have meant to get to know better? What helps you keep going with that challenge? I’d love to hear about it!

All the best,
Alison