Lensbaby Control Freak Macro Kit Bundle for Nikon (Black)

I purchased this almost 2 weeks ago but have only been playing with it for the past couple of weeks. I've been using it with my Canon T3i, and was able to start capturing images with very little time invested. However, it is definitely a kit that warrants some time & practice to use well, and I'm not quite there yet. It is certainly not an essential tool, and I'm guessing that someone with the right Photoshop skills could probably duplicate much of what this can do in post-processing, but a lot of the joy in this is seeing what you can do purely in-camera. I am finding that it requires some creativity to use it, but that it also makes me more creative as I start playing with it, trying it out in different ways, and being surprised by the results. One of the joys of photography for me is seeing the world around me differently by looking through a camera (with different lenses, settings, etc.) and crafting images. This kit provides unique opportunities to do that. Plus it is just a lot of fun to use with all of the pulling, bending, etc. - a very different way to shoot! This is not a kit for everyone, which you probably know already if you've gotten to the point of reading this review. However, if your focus (pun intended) is on creative images, or if you simply want to dabble with something outside the box to enhance your creativity, then this will be a great addition to your gear bag. Note: One frustration I had with this purchase was the lack of information on the Lensbaby site, and the lack of sample images available there or here on Amazon that would help me & other potential buyers better understand how this kit can be used. It does come with a nice book that helps (post-purchase, of course), though it is not specific to the Control Freak lens. I'm still wanting more and will probably get involved in the forums on Lensbaby.com. No promises, but I do hope to get more experience with this and be able to update this review with further thoughts and even sample images. Stay tuned... Bottom line: This is not the easiest tool to use, but nonetheless somewhat useable right out of the box. It seems very well built, is fun to use, and promotes greater creativity. It suffers from lack of resources to help you use it as fully as possible. For that, I give it 4 stars instead of 5.