I was a bit surprised to note that I wasn't aware of this type of photographic prop prior to my spying one on a store shelf earlier today. I was intrigued enough to take one home with me. This is my very first shot with it...and I can see that this could be a fun prop in the right circumstances, and with a DSLR and lens that provides a nicer shallow depth of field...unlike my G12 Canon compact. This is an 80mm crystal ball with kinda cool light transmission properties.