Miniature robots shot by the LensBaby. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Wired.com

Want to surprise yourself? Try putting a crappy, plastic lens onto your high-end digital camera.

We call these artistically ironic adapters “toy lenses,” and the hard-to-control analog results are often quite startling and serendipitous. By contrast, grunge-ifying your photos with software (think Instagram) is both repeatable and predictable.

The latest toy lens comes from Japanese company SLR Magic. Here’s what it does, plus a look at a few other purposely junky lenses.

This lens even looks like a toy, and comes with a bagful...