Lensbaby_Flexbody compare with LF camera

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

I want to use lensbaby or flexbody but read below
I read Ansel Adams books , I have several AA catalogs and old german large format magazines.
There , tilting and shifting used to correct architectural or get a deeper effect of composition.
But nobody use tilting and shifting for to lose sharpness on image.
I got Hasselblad catalogs on flexbody and i visited lensbaby galleries. There , manufacturers describe the function of their products as a sharpness loser or maker of sweetspot at image.
I did not like it , but i could not find any difference between flexbody construction and large format camera.
What is going on ?
Is it a advertisement tactic ? Cant I use them as full sharp , perspective control tool ?

Best ,

Mustafa Umut Sarac

[John Koehrer]

Mustafa,
The lensbabies are made for those "creative" photographers who are tired of the same old Holga thing.
You're not going to find enough correction in the lens baby to give you a sharp picture no matter what you do to it. Short of replacing the lens, that it.
That could be an option for you. replace the lens with a real lens/shutter & you may get what you're looking for.

[david b]

well...the cheapest flexbody on ebay is $1750 and the most expensive is $3000.

There are many Crown Graphic cameras for under $500 on ebay.

What's your budget and film size preference?

[DrPablo]

Even the Canon Tilt-Shift lenses are a compromise compared with real view cameras. The movements aren't nearly as liberal as with view cameras, and the 24mm version is pretty soft as well.

[Pinholemaster]

"But nobody use tilting and shifting for to lose sharpness on image."

Says who?

I do it all the time for selective focus in portraits. Been doing it for years.

Tilting and shifting is just for sharpness anymore. Grin.

[Philippe-Georges]

Yep, pinholemaster, the Scheimpflug camera movements the other way around and 'play' with the aperture... have fun!

Philippe

[Jim Jones]

Certainly a Lensbaby compares to large format, just like a wheelbarrow compares to a BMW.

[catem]

Can only agree with the above. I have a lensbaby - which I have to say rather quickly fell into disuse after I got it - and I have used a LF camera - er....twice to be exact. So not the most experienced, but experienced enough to say that although the principle is 'kind of' the same the controls and results are not comparable.

[User Removed]

I saw a whole series done by a photographer that used a LensBaby, and I must say...the whole effect that the lens was giving was really repulsive. I'm sorry, but I think it's a really terrible product that gives very gimmicky results. I found it hard to take the photographs seriously.