The Lensbaby Velvet 85 is an excellent portrait and macro lens with manual focus. You can use it for delicate, dreamy portraits if the aperture used is larger than f/5.6 and you get sharp, somewhat vintage results at f/5.6 and above.

With this artistic lens, impressionistic works with a velvety glow can be created without post production. When the aperture is closed (above f/5.6) the flare is excluded, resulting in a sharp image, similar to film photography.

So far I have used this lens a lot for photographing flowers in my FloralFineArt project, in this case I do not close the lens beyond f/4. In portraits I love this lens for the results on the skin and the soft bokeh it produces. I have also taken a few shots of my friend's dog, again with very satisfying results.