The Lensbaby Double Glass II ($199.95) is an update to one of the original Optic Swap lenses, the Double Glass from 2008. The new edition adds internal aperture control and comes in a better-built metal barrel, but keeps the same 50mm doublet formula that draws artistic blur around a central sweet spot of focus in photos. Support for creative bokeh drop-in plates separates it from the plastic Sweet 50 ($119.95), though you shouldn't count out that more affordable optic if you don't care about seeing funky shapes in defocused highlights.
Lesbaby's Optic Swap System
The Double Glass II is not a lens you can use with your camera by itself; you also need a manual focus Lensbaby Optic Swap housing, such as the Composer Pro II or Spark 2.0. The lens works fine with both, though I think it makes more sense as an add-on for Composer Pro II owners because the Spark 2.0 bundles the Sweet 50 lens.
The Double Glass II (left) is sized up from the original Double Glass (right), but adds an internal apertureThe Double Glass II and Sweet 50 share an optical design, but the former uses a larger and heavier aluminum housing. It measures 1.8 by 1.9 inches (HD) and weighs 4.8 ounces, whereas the plastic Sweet 50 comes in at 1.6 by 1.9 inches and 1.6 ounces. The Double Glass II also supports magnetic drop-in aperture plates, something you can't use with the plastic Sweet 50.
Like the Sweet 50, the Double Glass II has a 50mm focal length. On full-frame cameras, it nabs a standard angle of view that's appropriate for both portraits and general snapshots around town. With an APS-C or Micro Four Thirds sensor, the focal length is squarely in the range for portraits. Look at the Sweet 35 if you want something wider with a similar optical character.
If you don't already have a Composer Pro II housing, you can get it in a bundle with the Double Glass II for $369.95, a decent discount compared with buying the Composer ($194.95) and Double Glass II ($199.95) separately. For comparison, the Composer Pro II and Sweet 50 bundle costs $299.95, so you pay a premium for the metal barrel and bokeh plate support.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II, 1/80-second, ISO 320The Composer Pro II body is available for a litany of camera mounts: Canon EF, Canon RF, Fujifilm X, L-Mount Alliance, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F, Nikon Z, Pentax K, and Sony E. I received the Canon RF version for testing and used it alongside the EOS R6 Mark II and EOS R8 camera bodies.
Sweet Spot of Focus
The Double Glass II captures photos with Lensbaby's distinctive sweet spot of focus look. Strong field curvature and a relatively simplistic optical formula combine to create photos with a sharp central area of focus and a blur effect that surrounds it. This character is most visible wide open at f/2.5, but an internal 12-blade aperture means you can use a smaller f-stop (down to f/16) to expand the area of focus.
Canon EOS R8, 1/1,000-second, ISO 100The Composer Pro II's and Spark 2.0's tilt adjustment feature lets you move the sweet spot of focus away from the center of the frame. That's one of the real tricks of the Lensbaby system and an aspect that expands the versatility of the optic as a creative tool. I used the lens with the Composer housing; I prefer its lockable ball-and-socket design to the Spark's push-and-pull mechanism.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II, 1/20-second, ISO 100The Double Glass II has a 46mm filter thread and works with macro diopters, but Edge lenses support closer focus with no extra accessories. Without a macro diopter, the Edge 50 focuses as close as 8 inches, compared with 15 inches for the Double Glass II.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II, 1/200-second, ISO 100If you want a distinct effect, try an Edge series lens; available in 35mm, 50mm, or 80mm focal lengths, these optics draw photos with sharp contrast from center to edge.
Reshape Your Bokeh
Canon EOS R8, 1/15-second, ISO 200With so much blur in an image, there's ample opportunity to catch specular highlights. The Double Glass II draws them with a modest soap bubble effect; the edges of the bokeh are a little brighter than at their center. It's not as pronounced here as with a soap bubble specialist like the Meyer Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100 F2.8 II, however.
The Bokeh shape depends on how much tilt you apply. Without tilt, highlights are generally round—I don't expect any of the cat's eye effect with a spherical lens design like this and don't see it. The more tilt you apply, the more circles stretch into elliptical discs throughout the frame. You can see the way tilt (and focus) affect highlights in our sample video above.
The included magnetic aperture plates are another way to change the shape of highlights, add some texture to the blur, or both depending on the scene. The Double Glass II bundles nine plates with different shapes cut into them (including a circular f/4) and a magnetic wand tool to pull them out of the lens. The wand includes a storage compartment for the discs, too.
Canon EOS R8, 1/100-second, ISO 100I used the snowflake plate at a local botanical garden to add some texture to photos like the one below. You can stack up to three plates to create different effects, but remember to set the internal aperture wide open to f/2.5 when you use drop-in plates to get the best results.
Canon EOS R8, 1/250-second, ISO 100Lensbaby also sells a Creative Bokeh Optic for $99.95 with the same set of plates. Its optical formula is simpler: a single uncoated glass element that produces less central sharpness and softer contrast, generally speaking. I haven't tested it, but photos I've made with the original Single Glass Optic introduce significant false color in backgrounds (LoCa), an effect I don't observe in photos from the Double Glass II (or Sweet 50 for that matter).
A Classic Gets New Life
The Lensbaby Optic Swap system has stuck around throughout the years as a niche option for impressionistic photographers, and we're very happy that Lensbaby brought back one of the optics that launched it. Yes, the Double Glass II overlaps somewhat with the more affordable Sweet 50, but the former's sturdier housing and support for effect plates are sure to lure creative photographers who cherish artistic expression above all else.
If you already have a Sweet optic but want more bokeh effects, the Creative Bokeh optic is a worthwhile alternative for around $100, though we don't expect its single element to capture photos with the same character as the Double Glass II. Meanwhile, if you're buying a new Composer Pro II housing and aren't sure which optic to start with, the Double Glass II is worth getting over the Sweet 50 thanks to its customizable bokeh and better build quality.
