Lensbabies announces today three new accessory lenses – the convertible Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle/Macro Lens and the Lensbaby Wide Angle/Telephoto Kit, which includes the Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle Conversion Lens and the Lensbaby 1.6X Telephoto Conversion Lens. The new wide angle conversion lenses have a unique optical design that delivers superior performance when used with the Lensbaby selective focus SLR camera lenses, the new Lensbaby 3G, Lensbaby 2.0 and The Original Lensbaby.

Lensbaby 3G, Lensbaby 2.0 and The Original Lensbaby all feature a 50mm fixed focal length. The Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle Conversion Lens and the 1.6X Lensbaby Telephoto Conversion Lens allow photographers to change the effective focal length to either 30mm or 80mm respectively. Lensbaby selective focus SLR camera lenses take photos with one area in sharp focus, with that `Sweet Spot' surrounded by graduated blur. Photographers can move the Sweet Spot of sharp focus anywhere in the photo by bending the flexible lens tubing.

The optics in the Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle Conversion Lens and the Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle/Macro Lens have a unique design that is tuned to the optics used in the Original Lensbaby and Lensbaby 2.0. These new Lensbaby wide angle conversion lenses widen the field of view while keeping the size of the Sweet Spot of focus constant relative to the size of the photo.

"When a photographer uses an industry standard wide angle conversion lens with a Lensbaby it shrinks the size of the Sweet Spot. The shrinking Sweet Spot makes it harder to shoot wide open at f/2.0 or f/2.8, because the Sweet Spot reduces to quite a small percentage of the photo. Our new Lensbaby wide angle conversion lenses solve the problem of the shrinking Sweet Spot," said Craig Strong, the inventor of the Lensbaby and Co-Founder of Lensbabies, LLC.

With the introduction of the accessory lenses, there are now six members in the growing Lensbaby product family, which now includes Lensbaby 3G ($270), the Original Lensbaby ($96), Lensbaby 2.0 ($150), the Lensbaby Macro Kit ($29), the 0.6X Lensbaby Wide Angle/Macro Lens ($59), and the Lensbaby Wide Angle/Telephoto Kit ($89).

The Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle/Macro Conversion Lens

The Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle/Macro Lens includes a 0.6X attachment that converts the 50mm focal length of the Lensbaby lens to a wider angle 30mm, while keeping the Sweet Spot the same size as a Lensbaby photo taken without a wide angle conversion lens. This lens also has the bonus feature of allowing photographers to unscrew the rear lens element for use as a macro lens that focuses as close as 2" to 3" from their subjects. The rear element of the Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle/Macro Conversion Lens is comparable to using a Lensbaby with the +4 and the +10 lenses from the Lensbaby Macro Kit stacked together.

The 0.6X wide angle conversion lens weighs 2.1 ounces and measures 1.25" x 1.8" – with macro attached. The macro element weighs .6 ounces and measures 1.5" x .75". Both are 37mm threaded for ease of use.

The Lensbaby Wide Angle/Telephoto Kit

The new Lensbaby Wide Angle/Telephoto Accessory Lens kit includes the Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle Conversion Lens and the Lensbaby 1.6X Telephoto Conversion Lens. The Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle Conversion Lens changes the effective focal length to 30mm while keeping the Sweet Spot the same size as a Lensbaby photo taken without a wide angle conversion lens. The Lensbaby 1.6X Conversion Lens converts the Lensbaby to 80mm and slightly increases the size of the sweet spot of focus. Both conversion lenses simply screw onto the 37mm threads on the front of the user's Lensbaby lens.

The Lensbaby 0.6X Wide Angle Conversion Lens weighs 2.1 ounces and measures 1.25" x 1.8". The Lensbaby 1.6X Telephoto Conversion Lens weighs 1.9 ounces and measures 1.2" x 1.8".

About Lensbabies

Lensbabies, LLC is a Portland, Oregon based manufacturer and marketer of award-winning selective focus SLR camera lenses. Lensbabies was launched in February 2004 by Craig Strong, a professional photographer and the inventor of the patent pending Lensbaby selective focus SLR lens. Lensbabies sells to photographers all over the world through its website, http://www.lensbabies.com, at tradeshows, and through specialty photographic equipment retailers.