Earlier this month, Lensbaby released their latest bokeh-lovers lenses, the Sol 45 and Sol 22. Like many of Lensbaby’s offerings, the Sol line of lenses are built for lo-fi enthusiasts that want look and feel of analogue in their photos without sacrificing the creature comforts that digital photography affords. If you’re into blurred out backgrounds and a film aesthetic, you should read on to learn more about the Sol from Lensbaby.
Sol 45/22 Specs via Lensbaby
Primary Effect: Sweet Spot
Optic Swap Compatible: No
Focal Length: 45mm (22mm exclusively for Micro Four-Thirds mount camera)
Aperture: Fixed f/3.5 with f/5 Texture Aperture
Circular Aperture: Yes
Minimum Focusing Distance: 355mm (14in)
Maximum Reproduction ratio: 1:6
Format Compatibility: 35mm Full Frame; APS-C; and 4/3rds Sensors
Mount Type: Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony A and E, Pentax K, Fujifilm XF, and Micro Four-Thirds
Focus Type: Manual barrel focus
Diagonal Angle of View: Full Frame: 51.4°; APS-C (1.5x): 34.9°; 4/3rds: 21.8°
Angle of Tilt: 8.5 degrees
Filter Threads: 46mm
Elements/Groups: 3 Elements / 2 groups
Coating: Broadband Multi Coated Anti-reflective
Special Features
- Texture aperture adds texture to out of focus areas in an image
- Tilts 8.5 degrees so sweet spot is always on Crop Sensors
- Locks straight ahead for 0 degree tilt
Why We’re Excited
It’s hard to make any kind of snap judgements on a lens we’ve yet to try; that said we’re excited about the prospect of an affordable prime lens that’s focused on the user’s creativity first and foremost. The aperture blades on the out side of the lens’s construction is definitely a unique touch and sets the Sol line apart from the other LensBaby offerings but also have the potential to add an extra element to your photography. The 45mm focal length gives full-frame camera users a “normal” angle of view on (note: my Canon Canonet QL17 has a 45mm lens, it’s a really versatile focal length) while crop-sensor cameras get a short telephoto angle of view that lends itself well for portraits; all you bokeh chasers will definitely want to shoot portraits.
The Sol 45 for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, and Fujifilm cameras is available now for $200 – a bit more than various nifty-fifty (cheap 50mm lens) options with the Sol 22 for Micro Four-Thirds systems available in September. If you’re looking to open up your creativity for portraits or landscapes, the Sol 45/22 may be a great addition to your camera bag.
