The Lensbaby Velvet 85mm f1.8 is a great lens in so many ways. It’s surely an improvement over the previous offering and it fantastic for portrait photographers. If you’re a fan of the classic lenses in terms of build quality and image quality, it’s going to be very difficult to get something better...

This is one amazing specialty lens. The build quality is better than I expected; a firm focus ring, metal lens cap, and screw-on metal lens hood. It did take me a few minutes to figure out why the shutter button on my Fuji XT-2 would not work with this lens. Thank goodness for YouTube.

Purchased the Lensbaby Velvet 85 mm and I think it is going to be one of my favorite lens. It is going to take some practice to get really good at using it but even straight out of the box I was able to get some nice pictures of some of my flowers while familiarizing myself with the lens.

Just got this lens. What an absolutely amazing lens. Yes, its hard to focus. Start at f5.6 and focus, and then stop down to f2 or f1.8 for some gorgeous images. Back round blur is beautiful. Sharp in the center at f5.6 and above. This lens was made for truly innovative photography.

This lens glows! Whether its close up or landscape, the lens enhances with a golden glow. Ive done macro with it and it always creates a different level of awe. Landscapes take on another aura that just cant be duplicated with my other lenses.

The images that come out of this lens are dreamy, beautiful, ethereal. The mechanics are smooth, it feels sturdy in my hand. I'm really pleased. It hasn't left my camera since it arrived.

Just what I wanted! it is an ideal portrait lens perfect for my needs. You can choose any degree of softness or totally sharp. Focus and aperture settings operate very smoothly.T.

Lensbaby does it again.Love the soft focus.Shoot throughs are amazing.

I have used the Lensbaby on and off for about 10 months. It is an entirely manual lens, with no data sent to camera metadata. The aperture is controlled manually with a ring and of course, no autofocus. The lens seems to be well made mechanically.

I love this lens, but it will NOT open up to either f2 or f1.8. ALSO, when shooting at f16 in the shade and on a cloudy day, there is STILL so much glow that I find it distracting. In reviewing online photos taken at f5.6 to f16, I don't see the excessive glow I'm getting at these stops.

I am really enjoying and have no words of my happiness