How are any Lensbaby owners finding them? Useful and creatively stimulating or just a bit of a toy? I quite fancy a Lensbaby 2 which I think would cover my needs, seems to be around £80 plus postage on e-bay. Any feedback greatly appreciated. Mucho gracias. :notworthy

I got a Lensbaby 2, and liked it. But I found it hard to use, as I only have two hands. For some subjects (especially close-ups) you need two hands to hold the lens in position, plus a third hand to release the shutter ;)

So I swapped it for the 3G version which has the locking mechanism. My hit rate has now gone up dramatically, and it's very easy and quick to use. I enjoy playing with colours, shapes and blurry effects just as much as I enjoy a pin-sharp landscape. Not everybody's cup of tea, but certainly no toy.

Have a look here for loads of sample images:

Lensbaby 2.0 Lens Sample Photos and Specifications (http://www.pbase.com/cameras/lensbabies/lensbaby_20)

Richard.

Edited to add, love this one:
Grass 4 photo - Ken Smith photos at pbase.com (http://www.pbase.com/kras/image/43771214/original)
Hours of fun with a bunch of flowers from Tescos :D

Thanks Richard, thats very useful advice. Looks like the 3G might be worth the extra cashola. I would want to use it out and about and not necessarily always on a tripod. Those sample shots are the kind of thing I have in mind. Not previously been a fan of pretty pretty shots, but at least the Lensbaby gives things a different and unusual look.