LensBaby’s New Twist 28 Lens

credits: LensBaby

LensBaby has officially announced the Twist 28, a manual focus 28mm lens with a fixed f/3.5 aperture, built into a small pancake-style body. The feature that makes this lens a bit more special is its Petzval-style rendering, where the centre of the photo stays relatively sharp while the outer areas fall off into that characteristic swirling blur instead of a smooth, even background.

On the technical side, the lens uses a fairly simple four-element optical design with anti-reflection coatings. Compared to modern lenses, that is a stripped-down setup, which is part of why it produces that distinct look rather than correcting for things like field curvature or edge sharpness. The fixed aperture means there is no way to adjust depth of field through the lens itself, so exposure and look are controlled through shutter speed, ISO, and subject distance. It also does not have filter threads.

The Twist 28 is designed for full-frame cameras, where it gives a 90-degree field of view, and it can also be used on APS-C bodies, where that drops to about 64 degrees. It is available for RF, X, Z, E, and Micro Four Thirds mounts, and weighs 140 grams. The lens will begin shipping later this month for $189.95.

You can see full details and sample shots on Lensbaby’s website here