Daffodil — Lens Test

As the spring has started, I took the lenses (in fact quite few) which I “made” duling 

 the winter hibernation out to the test.  🙂

And those lenses were designed to use with 

 tilting bellows I specially made for Canon 5D.

Photo left, Those three lenses (mounted on the

 Nikon mount adapter) were saved from 

 the broken cameras or lenses.

— Left one came from Canon G9, center one from an old zoom lens and the right one

came from a Wide-adapter and as they are having focal-length about 50mm~60mm

therefore effective F-aperture is about F2 (fully open only ! )   And being used on the

Tilting bellows they are able to give a focus from infinity to more than 1:1 close-up.

(with a bit of difficulty on use.  😀 )

Most of the photos here were taken by the “Center lens” photo before, except

the right photo above, which was taken by the Canon Fisheye lens.

Well, they were just a fraction of test shot —– still, shows some results

which I appreciate a lots.  🙂       ( —– whatever you say.  😀  ) 

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Fuurin / Wind-Bell (2)

Well, this product / Wind-Bell here, was an utterly odd creation.  

—– ( Before this, there has been a long stories of “Lens making” though, I’m

not actually making glass lens = just modifying them to an usable shape.)

—– anyhow, in order to make a lens usable, I’ve been mounting it to the

Camera Lens Mount using another metal ring etc etc = in short

I’ve been playing with lots of small metal pieces. = then I accidentally found,

some of those metal pieces makes nice sound when they were hit.

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So, the photos above are the metal rings hanged as a wind-bell but this one

was made to rather quiet one.  🙂   —– here, there was a post about a nice Zen

story of a Fuurin / Wind-Bell. —– Yes, Fuurin makes nice sound —– yes, on

the beginning. = second day, it became an irritation. = Hence, I made quiet one.

= it chimes only once or twice in few minutes. (When wind was not too strong.)

Its high-pitch tone with resonating tail makes our ears to listen,

and our ears can catch even faintest sound

 = the ears become so sensitive, 

still its sound got no meaning,

neither no-point to waite next sound 

= it may come may not come.  

—– So, the mind become completely passive and open.

= this is nothing but a deep meditative state.

The mind is in the state of Void.

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In this design, each three metal pieces had different sizes and the sounds though,

strangely, when they hit each other, they makes only one sound ! (or, to my ear)

(You know, it’s a famous Zen question, when two hand crap, why only 

one sound came out, despite each hand makes each sound ?  — Try to see. 🙂 )

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So, now on, the spring breeze has nice company.

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Fun from a broken Camera

Often when a camera of my friend or a friend of friend has broken down,

that camera was brought to me to have it repaired or for me to have a fun.

But a compact digital camera, Canon Powershot G9 was dropped in the muddy

water and beyond the repair = so,  I had a fun !  (and beyond.  🙂 )

The inside of the camera had, not only a water but also a lots of sand too,

hence like a lens barrel got stuck etc — rather hard to even disassemble

(not mention the rusted and stucked screws) — still, some of the parts were

survived well and still functioning !    The photo above was a 16 MP image sensor

and its left, pale green grass was a filter to remove the effect of Infra-red ray.

I think, this sensor is still usable though, what for ? —– Make yet another

imaging device ? = nothing creative = just buy a security camera would be cheaper. 

This was an interesting device = rather early design (this camera appeared

on the market 2007) of the Image-stabilizer.

As you might know a projected image is upside down.    So that, when the camera

was shaken down, the image would move upward.  Therefore, if a part of the optics

in which carrying the image, which was already upside down was shaken down,

its movement cancelling the shake.  = With this theory, Canon designed an

Image-stabilizing optics with rather heavy magnets and the driving coils.  

—– The whole unit was suspended by 3 springs therefore, it’s bounce with

camera shake to the opposite direction = but as I said, the projected image was

upside down, the camera shake was cancelled.  = It was a clever design though,

as its bounce was affected by the gravity, it wouldn’t be consistent with the different

positioning of the camera (holding the camera vertical or horizontal, or aiming

 up or down may affect to sense the direction and a strength of the movement. ) 

In the device, orange colored mouth (eye ?) shapes were the electric coils to control

the movements of the magnets. (on the photo left, it was heavily rusted ) On the photo 

right, round shaped component was a stepping motor to drive an Iris (F-aperture)

and this motor and Iris was working, I’ll use it somewhere on future.

The photo left, this is the back of the Image-stabilizer,  and it’s showing

two drive unit for the shutter and the built-in ND filter.

And the center and right photos, they shows the last (4th) optical group before

the image sensor and this optics might be a focusing unit which was driven by

a stepping motor with a screw movement.  

(I’m planing to make something with its fine and precise movement.)

The photo left, this was the first group of the optics or the front lens, and as a convex

lens, it would be used as a simple single glass lens. (Somewhat, 55 mm F2 lens.  🙂 )

The center photo was the second group of the optics which is acting as a concave lens,

creating zoom effect though, it seemed, those 2nd and the 3rd groups move together

with very complexed movement, it was not easy to say how zooming was done.  

The photo right shows the grooves on the barrel, by which how each group of

the lens moves.   (Small pin on the plastic barrel moves in those grooves = you see,

how those lenses were flimsy and fragile = one drop would destroy the camera and

it is cheaper to buy another camera than to repair (by replace the lens all together.)

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One broken camera provide quite useful components and the opportunity to

think  “What could be designed and made out of those components” —– the game

of the creativity.  So, it is a fun. ( —– without the cost !)

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Soft Effect by Camera Shake

While experimenting the effect of the camera shake, I got the idea to use the old

images on the PC screen as a subject. (Give a shake to a screenshot.)

Shaking photography become an industrial scale —– and it’s much easier to give

a different way of shake in the room = hand-held or a tap on the camera, mounted

on a flimsy shaky tripod. —> It created pretty nice soft blurr. (Photo above )

On the screen, this was the original image taken by Zeiss 85mm F1.4 Lens.

The photo above, the soft effect was made by a free program Picasa. = It’s obvious,  

a mechanical shake gives much more interesting effects. — and a fun !

Though, the screenshot having an inherent trouble to show the grid of the screen.

(If you enlarge this and next image, the grid would be seen.)

If there wasn’t a trouble of the visible grid, this was a rather pretty image.  Pity.

(When right amount of the shake was given, the soft effect dissolve the line of grid. 

Too much shake spoil the image but too little leaves sharpness and the grid too.)

There is a possibility to use the Image Stabilizer for an opposite effect =

make an image blurred !   (Though, it needs to hack-in to the control program

otherwise the lens has to be modified !)

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New Year’s Card Design for 2015 (Free from Japan Post)

Yet another big provider of the free card design is the Japan Post (日本郵便).

This year, they got the Anime Character style designer ! — Cute ! 

Their Web Link is — << http://yubin-nenga.jp/index.html >> — though,

they are offering so many services from Card design to Blush writing Program,

so that, without Japanese reading, it’s not easy to use their site. — added trouble

was that the downloaded image is very hard to use with its compatibility = they

push the user to use their Mailing Service = Mailing can gather the information

of the sender and addressee’s real name, address, on top of the banking info’. =

Very valuable reliable info’ = can make big business !   😦

Above photo left got blush drawing —– I think it was

an ancient Pictgram  (origin of the Chinese letter)  of the sheep.

Manga, Anime is now almost a global young culture.  

And their cute character is not only for the Otaku now.

(But don’t count me in.  😀  )

M

M

M

M

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 So,—– hope us to have A Happy New Year, 

 with or without, pretty Anime Costume Player.

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New Year’s Card Design for 2015 / Sheep Year ( Free from Canon )

Those card designs were provided by the Canon of printer.  🙂  

(Why Printer division is such generous, you may read last year’s post =

https://yoshizen.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/2014-japanese-new-years-card-design-free-from-canon/

You may better go their site to see and download from 1000 times more selection.

http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/event/nenga/index.html   > —– Their front page

Their site is in Japanese though, its layout and function is very user-friendly =

anyhow no harm would be done, just try click and see =

Formal card design, Casual card design, Design material, Blush Calligraphy, etc.etc.

http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/contents/10n202/list_45_1.html?log=nt-02   > — Casual card design

http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/contents/10n201/list_45_1.html   > —————–Formal card design

(Choose a design, Click Download —> Copy and save from the small window)

Photo above, Left = you may see white blush calligraphy or pictogram, it was

the ancient graphical depiction of  a goat/sheep and from this, a letter [未]was

made though, this letter [未] was used only to tell yearly guardian’s case.  

Normally, we use a letter [羊] for a Sheep/Ram. (Goat got another letters［野羊］)

Those Link also provide Free Design Templates.

They are reputed, trouble-free good site.  = Worth visiting.  🙂

http://www.designbank-nenga.com/

http://nengarank.com/html/index.html

http://www.wanpagu.com/top_illustration.html

As long as you use those design for your personal purpose, it would be no problem.

( But sending out thousands of customers from your company is a business. ) 

So, prepare a greeting for the coming New Year 2014 ! 

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Riot of Flowers (1)

The photos from the same flower patch and by the same homemade lens.

The different tone was created by the combination of  White Balance in

the camera and a digital adjustment in the PC. 

I like those photo’s  Opal like tone.

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Fleet Street — Bicycle (?)

There isn’t much story to wright about in this post, but just a test of

that  2 elements homemade lens to take photos of general subjects.

Being as two plastic lens, there is not much quality to ask but the image with

full of hallation. = It’s mean, if any bright object was there, the image would

be completely eroded. —– But that is what this lens was.

The Bicycles were just happen to be there.

Some are quite fancy !    Though, I’m not fancy to ride this kind of purely

experimental model.   —– ( I would say, utterly impractical. 😀 )

= May be as useless as “My very homemade Lens” here.   😀 

Still, I like those nostalgic, old pinhole screen like image.

And I found that this lens can produce quite usable image

if the contrast wasn’t too high.  

So, it suits for the flowers in dull light.

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Hole on the Tape

 

In the age of PS and CG, now the people doesn’t necessary believe the image

they saw in a photograph.    It could be cunningly Photoshoped or Filtered.

— In deed, Photographer is an expert of manipulating the image and its context.   

In fact, it is an inherent limitation of any “Expressive” business =

Speak Truth, Draw Truth, anything is not perfect, especially when people got an

illusion, that the photo is a first-hand real reflection of  the situation or the thing.

The more believe the more fooled, hence better detached.

Since when I revealed the reality what “The Created Lens” looks like,

before I get a praise how pretty the resulting image was, I received the 

questions asking me how I could make a hole on the sticky tape so perfect ?

Well, — to a person “It’s a Photoshop” and to the other “It was cut by the best

Henkel scissors, like a magic.  Good German scissors would work by itself,

like a broom in the music ” Sorcerer’s Apprentice ”  by Richard Strauss.

Have look the Top Photo here.  The work of scissors was captured in action.” 

You see, this is an evidence.  You got to believe.   It’s not Photoshop !  

—– So, you got to see, — a photo with a pinch of salt.

Try to cut a small hole on a sticky tape is a futile attempt whether

it was a Henkel or not.   Paper Punch could make perfect round hole,

 but only  1/4″ (6.35 mm) size unless you got an industrial machine.

—– Still, we might able to simulate the work of Hole Punch. = So, I did

put a metal washer under a tape and press its edge with round object.

(in here, it was a bottom of  a table knife.)

We can find a different size of washer, but if you can’t find the exact diameter,

drill a hole by yourself.   (Size of drill bit may not be what you want though.)

Anyhow, in the case like this, it wouldn’t be so critical.

(If you need very precise work, ask a shop doing laser cutting.  But it’s not cheap.)

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Cherry

One of the most popular tree of Cherry, they got hundred of species and may 

be thousand of garden varieties.    So that, all of their flowers look more or less

the same though, when it came to the fruits, they are amazingly different.  =

Not only the sizes or color —– but only a thing it would be certain, is, the most

of them are not nice to eat at all.   Only an exception I ever encountered was,  

the Cherry trees standing on the road side outskirt of  Wurzburg in Germany.

(Though, I wouldn’t guaranty  you to find the same street and the tree.  😀 )

That cherry was the same kind sold in the shop, the dark colored one.

I guess, the local council just planted the same variety for Cherry fruits.

(But I don’t know how their flowers looks like. )

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Many years ago, once European farmers tried to export their cherries to

Japan though, non was sold.  To the Japanese, Cherry got to have the color

like the one in the top photo and of cause the sweetness with subtle acidity.

So, this Cherry got the right color, the size was somewhat a half of “Salable”

standard in Japan but this one got awful bitter taste.

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Strangely you may think, not so many fruits yelling Cherry in Japan.  

There are hundreds of different Cherries there though, most of the tree

commonly planted there were the variety called  Somei-yoshino, which

was created  in a Somei village somewhere north of Edo (now called Tokyo).

Since it was a specially created hybrid, this Somei-yoshino is infertile ; ie

there is no cherry fruit !  = No seed.   And all the Somei-yoshino in the world

were propagated from single tree by means of grafting = one by one by hand. 

Therefore, thousands cherry trees planted on the bank of Potomac river

Washington, US were all created in the same manner and genetically

they are all identical clones.

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What makes this Somei-yoshino so special was,  when flower is open, there is

no leaves  and when the flower finished, each flower petals falls like a snow.

= Symbolizing the Ethos of Samurai.   The beauty in the death.    ! ! !

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