With the right lens, your DSLR can see whatever you want it to -- close-up wildlife shots, low-light pictures without a flash, family portraits in close quarters -- and that flexibility is a big part of why these cameras are so popular. As you build up a collection of lenses that takes advantage of that selling point, your first choice after the kit lens should be a general-purpose wide lens or something with a big aperture. But after that, the creative possibilities of a Lensbaby Scout make it a terrific third lens to carry in your bag -- its 11mm fisheye perspective can create fun, unique photos and its interchangeable glass can do tricks that standard lenses can’t touch.
The Scout mounts onto your DSLR like any other lens. Its internal optics are swappable beyond the bundled fisheye glass; you can sub in a plastic lens for a toy-camera look, a pinhole lens, and more (sold separately). The Scout is the first Lensbaby with a rigid body; until now, the company’s signature has been flexible lenses that let photographers push the focal point around the frame.
Scout’s included fisheye glass lets you draw attention to your subject.
But the fisheye Scout includes nearly as many tricks as those prior Lensbaby lenses. The edges of the view softly blur depending on your aperture, letting you draw attention to the center of a photo. Its circular images get cropped into rectangles depending on the size of your DSLR sensor (full-frame cameras crop a little, while four-thirds cameras cut almost all of the borders out). But the fisheye Scout lets colors from bright lights bleed into this border, using this “dead space” creatively.
In order to fully utilize the Scout, you need to know your way around manual camera controls or at least be eager to learn. To experiment, unscrew the lens to drop in clever, magnetic aperture discs that set the opening between f/4 and f/22. Depending on your camera model, you can run in aperture-priority mode and let the camera automatically set the shutter speed. Then, just twist the focus ring and shoot.
The results can be great. Depending on the distance to your subject and angle, you can gently bend -- or drastically warp -- straight lines. The Scout can focus up close for an intimate look; we took photos as close as 1cm away. Because of its unique characteristics, composing shots with the Scout is as much fun as producing a great print.
The bottom line. The Lensbaby Scout adds new options to your camera bag. While you might only pull it out occasionally, it can create unique, versatile macro and fisheye effects.
Scout
DSLR camera from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Minolta, Pentax, Samsung, Sigma, or Olympus
Creates interesting, unique photos. Different techniques can produce different styles. Area outside of fisheye view can take on color. Works with other Lensbaby optics.
Less versatile than previous Lensbaby lenses.
