Lensbaby Velvet 56 mm f/1.6 portrait lens

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Lensbaby Velvet 56 (Black)

Pricing: $499.95 (Velvet 56) & $599.95 ( Velvet SE)
Available mount: Canon, Nikon, Sony A and Pentax
Availability: From April 13 at B&H

Key Features

  • Portrait-length 56mm focal length is compatible with full-frame format sensors as well as APS-C format sensors, where it will provide an 89.6mm equivalent focal length.
  • Fast f/1.6 maximum aperture offers extensive control over selective focus and shallow depth of field, and also benefits working in difficult lighting conditions.
  • The unique singlet-doublet-singlet lens design renders imagery with a soft, smooth, and glowing image quality reminiscent of mid-20th century portrait lenses.
  • Softness can be controlled by stopping-down the lens: when stopped-down to f/16, the image exhibits a smooth quality with greater central sharpness.
  • A 1:2 maximum magnification ratio and 5″ minimum working distance enable working with close-up subjects.
  • Silver edition lens features a clear anodized coating, silver-colored metal barrel, and engraved aperture and focus markings.
  • Manual focus design with a smooth, dampened focusing movement is complemented by engraved focus distance indicators.
  • Manual exposure control requires stop-down metering and manual setting of the aperture.

Additional images

Specs

Focal Length 56mm
Comparable 35mm Equivalent on APS-C Format Focal Length: 89.6mm
Aperture Maximum: f/1.6
Minimum: f/16
Mount Type Canon, Nikon, Sony A and Pentax
Format Compatibility Full-frame or APS-C
Minimum Focus Distance 5″ / 12.7 cm (working distance, from front of lens)
Maximum Magnification 1:2
Elements/Groups 4 elements in 3 groups
Autofocus No
Filter Thread 62 mm
Dimensions (Ø x L) 3.4 x 2.8″ / 86 x 72 mm
Weight 14.1 oz / 400 g

 

Lensbaby Velvet 56 is a 56mm f/1.6 SLR and mirrorless camera lens with 1:2 macro capabilities. This “new classic” portrait lens delivers a velvety, glowing, ethereal look at brighter apertures, and beautifully sharp but subtly unique images as you stop down — with gorgeous, velvety tones that give digital images a film-like, organic quality. Incredibly versatile, Velvet 56 enables photographers to move seamlessly from shooting an environmental portrait, to capturing details in a subject’s clothing or jewelry. Nature and macro photographers will find its close-focus capabilities, combined with effects varying from impressionistic to just a touch of velvety smoothness, provide a set of visual tools that will expand their vision of the world.

Evoking the image style and construction quality of classic portrait lenses of the mid-20th century, Velvet 56 features the heft and smooth, dampened manual focus of these early lenses. Velvet 56, with an all metal body, will be available in two colors: traditional black, plus, Velvet SE, a special silver edition. Velvet SE will feature a beautiful clear-anodized finish, along with engraved aperture and focus markings.

Velvet 56 Sample Image (here)