Moviemaking technology has moved way past the days of smearing Vaseline on your lens to achieve cool effects: between post-processing filters and distinctive lenses, there are all sorts of really cool ways to make videos stand out visually. Lensbaby has made a name for itself in recent years with affordable imaging accessories, and has now packed a bunch of its most noteworthy tools into the Movie Maker’s Kit ($2,900). Some of the effects may have Vaseline-like blurring, but at least you dwon’t have to clean off your lens when you’re through.
The package of optics comes packed up in a Pelican case, so there’s no need to worry about transporting it around between shoots. Included in the set are three lenses—two for PL mount cameras and one for Canon DSLRs—fisheye, soft focus, plastic, and pinhole/zone optics, and accessories to complement them. The effects are really cool, everything from specially blurred images to heart-shaped pinhole shots. There’s enough here enough to keep any videographer busy for a while, and you get everything for the cost of two deluxe L-grade Canon lenses.