An ultra-wide-angle addition to the Lensbaby Sweet Optics family is the Lensbaby Sweet 22 pancake for full-frame and APS-C mirrorless cameras.
The Lensbaby Sweet effect refers to a unique visual effect created by Lensbaby Optics, known for their selective sharpness capabilities.
The existing Sweet 35, Sweet 50 and Sweet 80 allow photographers to sharply isolate a specific part of the image, while gradually blurring the surrounding area. This creates a Sweet Spot of sharpness that can be moved across the image by tilting the Lensbaby Optic in the Lensbaby Composer Pro II.
This effect is often used to draw attention to a particular subject, giving the image an artistic or dream-like quality. It is popular in different types of photography, including portraits, landscapes and still lifes, when the photographer wants to emphasize a point of interest or creatively create a sense of depth and dimension.
Lensbaby Sweet 22 pancake lens
The Lensbaby Sweet 22 pancake has the smallest Sweet Spot with the largest blur outside the Sweet Spot of all Lensbaby Optics. This ultra-wide-angle prime lens is available for Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E, Fujifilm X and Leica L mounts.
With its compact, robust metal body and manual focusing as close as 13 cm from the front element, this new creative-effects lens for mirrorless cameras produces dramatic optical effects in photographs and video. The small, sharp, centered sweet spot created by the Sweet 22 adds a sense of movement to still images.
This field of impressionistic blur, which gradually transitions into a precise, sharp sweet spot, enables photographers to create more dramatic images than with previous Lensbaby selective-focus optics.
Combine this dramatic selective-focus effect with an ultra-wide field of view of almost 90 degrees on full-frame cameras, and you can create striking wide views. You can also isolate a single subject from its surroundings and focus as close as 13 cm from the front element.
Lensbaby Sweet 22 Kit
The Lensbaby Sweet 22 has a fixed F/3.5 aperture to maximize the blur effect. In very bright sunlight the camera’s maximum shutter speed may not be fast enough to prevent overexposure. The Sweet 22 kit therefore includes a 3-stop ND8 neutral-density filter to reduce incoming light.
The Lensbaby Sweet 22 has a 46mm filter thread, so other filters, including a CPL polarizing filter, can also be used. The kit also includes a hard lens case and a Lensbaby lens-cleaning cloth.
Unique features
• Sweet Spot offers the ability to isolate a specific sharp part of the image with a gradual blur effect around it.
Ultra-wide angle: The 22mm f/3.5 provides a field of view of almost 90 degrees on full-frame cameras and 64 degrees on APS-C cameras (effective focal length is then 33mm).
• Manual focus only, with a minimum focusing distance of 13 cm
• Maximum reproduction ratio of 1:5
• Fixed aperture of F/3.5 for maximum bokeh effect
• 46mm filter thread
• Designed for mirrorless cameras with Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E, Fuji X and Leica L mount.
• Compatible with full-frame and APS-C cameras
Availability and prices
At the time of publication, the Lensbaby Sweet 22 and Sweet 22 Kit were announced for the following mounts: Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E, Fuji X and Leica L mount. The suggested retail prices at publication were € 199.99 for the lens and € 239.99 for the kit, including VAT.
