- Lensbaby launches the Twist 28, a 28mm f/3.5 pancake lens with signature swirling Petzval-style bokeh — the brand’s most requested lens ever.
- Available in five mirrorless mounts (Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, Fuji X, Micro Four Thirds) at $189.95 / £189 / €199.99.
- Weighing just 140 grams with manual focus and full-frame coverage, it ships mid-to-late April 2026.
- Extends Lensbaby’s Twist series to wide-angle for the first time in the company’s 20-year history — designed for landscapes, street, and environmental portraits.
Portland-based creative optics company Lensbaby has officially launched the Twist 28, a compact 28mm wide-angle lens that brings the brand’s signature swirling bokeh effect to a wider field of view for the first time.
Announced on April 2, 2026, the Twist 28 is what Lensbaby calls its “most requested lens of all time” — the product of over a decade of community demand for a wide-angle version of the popular Twist 60 optic.
What Makes the Twist 28 Special
The Twist 28 draws on 19th-century Petzval optical design — the same principle behind the swirling, dreamlike backgrounds found in vintage portrait lenses. The result is a sharp center of focus surrounded by progressively twisting blur that radiates toward the edges of the frame.
Previous Twist lenses (like the Twist 60) delivered this effect at tighter focal lengths. The Twist 28 is the first to bring it to 28mm, opening up swirling bokeh for environmental portraits, street photography, and landscape work where you want to include more of the scene.
“I heard this request so many times I stopped counting,” said Michael Anthony, VP of Lensbaby. “When a community speaks that clearly for that long, it becomes the work. The Twist 28 is the result of thousands of hours from our R&D team, beta testers, and creative community.”
Key Specifications
Here’s what the Twist 28 packs into its tiny pancake body:
- Focal length: 28mm (90° field of view on full frame, 64° on APS-C)
- Aperture: Fixed f/3.5 circular aperture
- Focus: Manual focus with tactile focus ring
- Minimum focus distance: 8 inches (20 cm)
- Optical construction: 4 elements with anti-reflection coatings
- Weight: 140 grams (~5 oz)
- Coverage: Full-frame compatible
- Filter thread: None
The fixed f/3.5 aperture is a deliberate design choice. Lensbaby says it was selected to preserve the lens’s optical character and provide a consistent look shot after shot — keeping photographers focused on composition and distance rather than aperture settings.
Five Mirrorless Mounts, One Creative Tool
The Twist 28 launches simultaneously for five major mirrorless camera systems:
- Sony E-mount
- Nikon Z-mount
- Canon RF-mount
- Fujifilm X-mount
- Micro Four Thirds
On full-frame bodies, the lens delivers the full 28mm wide-angle perspective with a 90-degree field of view. On APS-C crop-sensor cameras, it behaves more like a ~42mm standard lens — still useful, but losing the wide-angle character that makes this particular Twist optic unique.
Who Is This Lens For?
The Twist 28 isn’t trying to compete with sharp, clinically perfect wide-angle lenses. It’s a creative effects tool aimed at photographers who want their images to have a distinctive, hand-crafted look that can’t be replicated with software filters.
Lensbaby highlights these use cases:
- Environmental portraits — subject stays sharp while the surrounding environment swirls into a dreamlike backdrop
- Street photography — the wide view combined with motion-like blur adds energy to urban scenes
- Landscape work — swirling foliage and skies create painterly, impressionistic results
- Close-up and near-macro — the 8-inch minimum focus distance lets you get surprisingly close to subjects
If you’re interested in creative bokeh techniques, the Twist 28 offers a hardware-based approach that produces results distinctly different from standard lens blur.
How It Compares to the Twist 60
The original Lensbaby Twist 60 has been the company’s swirly-bokeh flagship for years. Here’s how the new Twist 28 stacks up:
| Feature | Twist 28 | Twist 60 |
|---|---|---|
| Focal Length | 28mm | 60mm |
| Aperture | f/3.5 (fixed) | f/2.5 (adjustable) |
| Field of View (FF) | 90° | 40° |
| Weight | 140g | ~175g (optic only) |
| Design | Standalone pancake lens | Optic (requires Composer body) |
| Best For | Landscapes, environmental portraits, street | Tight portraits, detail shots |
| Price | $189.95 | $179.95 (optic only) |
The biggest practical difference: the Twist 28 is a standalone lens — no Composer body required. You mount it directly to your camera like any other lens. The Twist 60, by contrast, is an optic that slots into Lensbaby’s Composer Pro II body system.
Pricing and Availability
The Lensbaby Twist 28 is priced at:
- $189.95 (USD)
- £189 (GBP)
- €199.99 (EUR)
Shipping is expected to begin in mid-to-late April 2026. The lens is available directly from lensbaby.com and through authorized retailers. Several retailers including B&H Photo have already opened pre-orders.
At under $190, the Twist 28 sits in accessible territory for photographers curious about creative optics — especially compared to vintage Petzval lenses that often command $300–$500+ on the used market.
The Bottom Line
The Lensbaby Twist 28 fills a gap that the company’s community has been vocal about for years. A wide-angle Petzval-inspired lens in a compact pancake form factor, at a sub-$200 price point, available for every major mirrorless system — it’s a straightforward proposition for photographers who want distinctive bokeh character without the bulk or cost of vintage glass.
Whether the swirling bokeh effect appeals to you is, of course, entirely a matter of taste. But for the niche it serves, the Twist 28 looks like a well-considered addition to Lensbaby’s lineup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Lensbaby Twist 28 an autofocus lens?
No. The Twist 28 is manual focus only, with a built-in focus ring for tactile control. This is consistent with all Lensbaby optics, which are designed around a hands-on, deliberate shooting style.
Can I use filters with the Twist 28?
The Twist 28 does not have a filter thread, so standard screw-on filters won’t work. You may be able to use magnetic clip-on filter systems depending on the specific lens dimensions.
Does the Twist 28 work on crop-sensor cameras?
Yes. On APS-C bodies the effective field of view narrows to roughly 42mm equivalent (64° angle of view). It still produces the swirling bokeh effect, though the wide-angle character is reduced compared to full-frame use.
How does the swirling bokeh compare to software-based swirl effects?
Lensbaby’s optical swirl interacts with actual light, depth, and distance in ways that software filters can’t perfectly replicate. The effect varies naturally with subject distance, background complexity, and lighting conditions — producing results that feel organic rather than applied.
Sources used for this article:
Featured image: Product render courtesy of Lensbaby.
Get the Weekly Photography News Digest
Join photographers who get our top stories delivered every Monday morning. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
