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The Lensbaby Obscura 16mm Pin Hole Pancake Lens is unique due to its ability to produce dreamy, vintage-style images with artistic flares and artifacts. It features three imaging options: Pinhole, Zone Plate, and Pinhole Sieve, giving photographers a high level of creative control.
This lens is specifically designed for use with Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras, offering a wide-angle perspective ideal for capturing expansive landscapes and intricate cityscapes.
The Obscura's imaging elements are made up of three layers of chrome with a total thickness of 0.00014mm deposited on 1.5mm thick glass before an anti-reflective coating is applied. This advanced photolithography process ensures superior light transmission, perfectly round pinholes, and precision-crafted zone plate zones.
Yes, the Obscura's glass can be cleaned with the same care as any camera lens, without the risk of damaging any of the three imaging options.
The Lensbaby Obscura lens allows you to create images with a unique, artistic effect. It produces a soft, dreamy quality to the images it captures, often used to create a vintage or retro look. By adjusting contrast and enhancing vibrance or saturation, images captured with the zone plate or pinhole sieve come alive with vivid detail.
Review Summary
2022-12-14T05:26:41
From the minute I put it on my camera, this fabulous lens has been encouraging playfulness and imagination, and the images it has helped me create have almost invariably made me smile. They have also elicited oohs and aahs from my friends and followers on social media. If you are already experimenting with using photographic images to create digital art, you should take to this lens quickly. If you haven?t been doing that, it may take a little time to reorient how you approach using the camera. But this lens may ultimately open that creative door for you.
THOMAS Y.
2021-12-08T10:18:18
It?s an interesting ?lens.? The only LensBaby I?d get. Fun to try different things with it vs. ?regular? lenses. Fun to use.
Maurice H.
2021-09-03T16:32:45
This lens produces a unique view, and it will take me much more practice before I get good enough at it to really know how to rate it. It is a lot of fun, regardless! There are 3 main "aperture" settings on this lens, but as far as I can tell, one of them produces totally muddy pictures that don't appeal to me. The other 2 settings let me get enough focus to be meaningful, so i end up using those for the most part. But again, I need to play with it more to be really sure. This was MUCH better than a different pinhole lens I purchased, and if you are interested in pinhole photography, I think this lens is a real winner.
Robert J.
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Browse our FAQ
Micro 4/3
16mm
Zone Plate; Pinhole Sieve; Pinhole
No
f/22; Pinhole Sieve: f/45; Pinhole: f/90
Zone Plate: 0.6m (23in.); Pinhole Sieve: 0.3m (12in.); Pinhole: 0.05m (2in.)
35mm Full Frame; APS-C; and 4/3rds Sensors
MIL cameras
Fixed
Full Frame: 107 Degree ; APS-C (1.5x): 83 Degree ; 4/3rds: 68 Degree
None
Zone Plate: 29 Zones / Pinhole Sieve: 203 pinholes / Pinhole: 1 pinhole
Chrome aperture on broadband multi coated, anti-reflective glass
2.88 x 0.90" (73.1 x 22.85mm) Micro 4/3rds
Length with caps: 1.24" (31.45mm) Micro 4/3rds
0.333 lbs (0.152kg)








The Lensbaby Obscura redefines the essence of photography, offering a distinctive and innovative experience that harks back to the very roots of image capture. This high-quality mirrorless 16mm Pin Hole Pancake Lens for Micro MFT is not just a tool but an invitation to photographers and visual artists who are eager to explore the boundaries of their creativity. Those who are drawn to the Obscura are individuals who appreciate the beauty of simplicity and are ready to push the limits of what constitutes photographic art.
Crafted with a stylish and durable design, the Lensbaby Obscura stands out with its ability to produce unique flares and image artifacts that are unattainable with standard camera lenses. The dance between light and shadow is elegantly orchestrated, allowing photographers to capture images with a dreamy, vintage appeal. The Obscura's versatility is showcased in its three distinct versions: a 50mm Pinhole/Zone Plate/Pinhole Sieve optic for the Optic Swap System, a standalone 50mm version, and the featured standalone 16mm Pinhole/Zone Plate/Pinhole Sieve pancake lens, specifically designed for mirrorless cameras with a Micro Four Thirds system.
Unlike traditional pinholes that are fragile and prone to damage, the Obscura's imaging elements are exceptionally durable. They consist of three layers of chrome, each with a thickness of 0.00014mm, meticulously deposited onto a 1.5mm thick glass substrate before an anti-reflective coating is applied. This advanced photolithography process achieves a remarkable resolution of 128K dpi, ensuring true zone plates with superior light transmission, perfectly round pinholes, and precision-crafted zone plate zones.
The Obscura's glass can be cleaned with the same care as any camera lens, without the risk of damaging any of the three imaging options. The zone plate and pinhole sieve options offer a higher level of detail compared to the traditional pinhole, enveloped in a characteristic glow. By adjusting contrast and enhancing vibrance or saturation, images captured with the zone plate or pinhole sieve come alive with vivid detail. The zone plate features a curved field of focus that creates a sweet spot of sharpness, while the pinhole and pinhole sieve deliver consistent resolving power from the center to the corners of the image.
For photographers seeking a versatile, high-quality lens that provides a wide-angle perspective and the ability to create artistic, soft-focused images, the Lensbaby Obscura 16mm Pin Hole Pancake Lens for Micro MFT is an exceptional choice. It is the perfect companion for capturing expansive landscapes, intricate cityscapes, and other scenes where a wide field of view is desired, all while adding a touch of nostalgic charm to your photography.
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