A few folks from RainyDayMagazine went to NYC for a small media event in November.  We used to go to the mega tradeshows like CES, but have been passing on them because of the cost and their sheer size.  While it is great to be able to see everything all in one place, what good is it if we get no more information than if we had just read the press release?  Instead, we have started to attend mini-tradeshows organized by companies such as PepCom.  The main reason?  We get to actually CHAT with the vendors and to play with their new gear, something which we've found to be seriously lacking at the larger tradeshows.

One vendor we specifically went to meet at this show was the folks from Lensbaby.  We were intrigued by the Lensbaby 3G when it came to the office.  We quickly realized what a cool and creative piece of photo gear it was when we had a chance to play with it.  So much so we created a special container for it so we can take it with us on location shoots, as there are always opportunities to use the Lensbaby.

We met Craig, the inventor, and a few other nice folks (Sam, Keri) from Lensbaby at the show.  They took the time to demo (soft focus effect, fisheye effect) for us all of the cool new Lensbaby gear.  The newest items in the Lensbaby collection are the Fisheye and Soft Focus optics.  These optics are part of the Optic Swap System.  The core of the Optic Swap System is a Lensbaby called Composer.  Currently, the system has six different optics in the collection, each designed for a different creative effect. The principle of the the Composer is the same as the 3G, but its design is completely different.  Swapping out optics in this lens is lightning fast.  Well, at least when Craig did it :-) It looks pretty simple, but we'll probably have to practice a little before we get proficient at it. 

We will be taking a much more detailed look at the Composer and the two new optics in future articles.  Since we already KNOW we'll want to take these "babies" out into the wild, we have secured the necessary protection from the one source we know will keep them safe...OtterBox! Many readers have told us that they too have "upgraded" their OtterBoxes with inserts to house their favorite gear.  Well, if you have not heard, OtterBox now offers waterproof cases with foam inserts.  Excellent!

Knowing that our collection of optics in the Optic Swap System will likely to increase, we got two of the OtterBox 3510 units so we will have enough room to grow :-)  We'll have a write-up of the project once we decide how best to layout the Composer and the optics in the OtterBox.

Readers will have to indulge us as we will not only be recommending the Lensbaby as one of the top items in this year's RainyDayMagazine Holiday Catalog, we will also be using them extensively in shooting most of the product shots.  Get ready for a crazy-fun next couple of weeks!  [Permalink] -Lensbaby Composer