Lensbaby Sol 45mm F3.5 E-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#45827 date: Jan-27-2022 | |
|---|---|
| sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 4 | tested on:
|
| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Lensbaby Burnside 35 F2.8 Minolta 40 F1.7 Konica AR 40 F1.8 Sony FE 40 F2.5 G Canon EF 40 F2.8 STM Pentax-M 40 F2.8 Pentax-DA 40 F2.8 XS Rokinon 45 F1.8 FE Tamron SP 45 F1.8 USD (VC & non VC) Minolta MD 45 F2 Sigma 45 F2.8 DG DN C Rokinon 50 F1.2 Yongnuo 50 F1.4 Zeiss C/Y 50 F1.4 Planar Canon EF 50 F1.4 USM Sigma 50 F1.4 EX DG HSM Minolta MD 50 F1.4 & AF & Sony (D) Minolta MD 50 F1.7 & AF & RS Sony FE 50 F1.8 Canon EF 50 F1.8 STM Meike 50 F1.7 Fotasy 50 F1.8 Konica AR 50 F1.8 Vivitar 50 F1.8 Sony DT 50 F1.8 SAM Sony E 50 F1.8 OSS Minolta MD 50 F2 Neewer/Meike/Vivitar 50 F2 Lensbaby Velvet 56 F1.6 Konica AR 57 F1.4 Minolta MC 58 F1.4 Lensbaby Twist 60 F2.5 |
| price paid: | 134 USD (used) |
| positive: | Simple Sharp near the center "Sweet" |
| negative: | Price Weight Axial CA No normal aperture adjustment Very concave field |
| comment: | Yes, I bought yet another 45 mm prime. The pictures online made it look quite small, so I was surprised by how bulky it is. It is a little better made than the Twist--maybe since it doesn't accommodate an aperture control. I'd vote it the Lensbaby best suited for use as a projectile weapon. The tilt control uses a large molded plastic piece. The locking mechanism for the tilt feels secure. The focus action is smooth and lightly damped. Like other Lensbabies there is no sealing anywhere. The focal cone is quite concave much like the Mini $35 35 mm F1.6 and $18 25 mm F1.8 C-mount lenses. The extreme corners at furthest focus only are in focus at about a meter--if you can call it focus. The corners only get somewhat less blurred. There is axial chromatic aberration which shows up anywhere that is slightly outside the focal cone. Lensbaby calls this the Sweet Spot effect. It seems possible to modify more normal lensed to create a similar effect by removing or reversing their lens elements. There looks to be a fixed aperture placed in front of the rear element. The front movable arms cut the light up to about half, so they could be considered the aperture controls. The tilt effect is more subtle than what can be achieved with tilt adapters for SLR lenses. The angle-of-view is a little wider than the Minolta MD 45 F2. The center is about as sharp as the Minolta. I wouldn't recommend this as your first or only normal prime, but it does what it does fine. It is fun toy. It is less expensive than the Twist or Velvets. The length is database must be for the SLR version. I measure the E-mount one to be 60 mm. |
rating summary
- total reviews: 1
- sharpness: 4.00
- color: 5.00
- build: 4.00
- distortion: 4.00
- flare control: 3.00
- overall: 4.00