ZM lens — the most peculiar lens so far

In fact this was not the first time this lens appeared here.   Before, the lens got different guise and used with awkward tilting bellows.   Yet still, using the same approach like the Leiz Elmarit P lens, I wanted to give a new lease of life to this one.

Same as that Elmarit projection lens, the construction was done by just put together readily available component from the Net (except only one glue pont).  (Helicoid ring got 25~55mm extension and able to make 25cm close up for x0.7 image.  Focal length was about 45mm and F2)

As I wrote before, the origin of this lens was not known — probably the front element of a zoom lens.   Under the certain handling, the lens can give pretty good image.

So, it is a sharp detailed image ———  (so far)   😀

However, with a bit different focus, suddenly the lens makes totally different kind of image.   (You may not believe its the same lens) = as you can see the photo right, the depth of field was very shallow and the bokeh (+ halation) is amazingly strong.

Lens seemed to have 2 element still no apparent aberration exists. —– but I can not guess why the lens can make such prominent bokeh where it was not in focus. ( fore-focus seemed to make coma like aberration = So, to make a focus on the edge, the image with bokeh appeared —– as long as it was in the focus, the image is sharp, though, once it was out of focus, suddenly the image became very blurred.)

How strange ? ? ?

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Sony lens Mystery ? ? ? (Focus moves without power)

Sony FE lens for E-mount has 18mm frangeback and Nikon-Z camera was designed to have the distance from the mount to image sensor 16mm = in the traditional sence, this 2mm gap can easily be overcome by the focus adjustment (infinity may come with a bit of rotation) by extend the focus 2mm more.   Yet, I do know the Sony lens was fixed to the minimum F-aperture and there is no manual focus ( = so-called focus by wire) when it was not connected to the Sony camera. = no point for attempt to use the lens anywhere else.

Though, as I made a lens mount adapter NEX (Sony E) to Nik-Z, I needed to find where the exact top point of the ring, before the Nik-Z mount ring and the bayonet part of the Sony lens cap was fixed.   Then I discovered very strange phenomenon of the Sony lens’ behavior.  

(The shape of internal shade appeared on the image = it never happen when the lens was used on the Sony body — in any distance, in any F-aperture = seemingly it is only to destruct the experiment.    The truth was that this lens SEL30M35  was for APS-C cropped size = not for the full frame = black frame shows the size of APS-C image and the image on the A7R finder was in fact digitally enlarged 50mm equivalent image. )

At first sight, the lens seems to be frozen at the closest focus position  —– In that case, I should click the camera (Nik-Z) to close-up test, then utterly unexpectedly, the focus of the lens jumped to infinity !   I couldn’t believe my eyes.  On the repeated test, the lens behaved like this again.  

(Note, only the Sony Macro 30mm showed this strange phenomenon, not with other lenses such as 12~24mm Zoom or Zeiss 55mm F1.8)

Since the lens was not mounted to the Sony body, its mean no connection to the power supply, how the focus motor can move ? ? ? —– (Is Sony lens got internal power back-up inside of the lens barrel, such as a super capacitor ?) —– The most peculiar things was, how the lens did know if the lens was mounted on the camera (even though it was not on Sony camera) and aimed at a close subject or not ? ? ?    In other words, when the Nik-Z and the Lens was left alone or lens alone, it doesn’t move at all, as if the lens got its own self-awareness !   Otherwise, who is activating this phenomenon ? (Further test found that the lens alone ( without being mounted to any camera (Sony or Nikon which ever)) moves = both F-Aperture and Focus moves = the lens got internal power back-up —– When the lens was aimed to dark object = Focus moves to far,  and if it was aimed to bright subject (such as the Sky) the focus moves to the closest.)   (Microchip may operate with little power though, the motor driving the lens for AF needs a certain amount of power = even a super capacitor can not operate long.)   The another question is, is it only to annoy the people ? ( —– to whom ? —– How many people in the world would experiment like this, other than me ! ? ) otherwise what is it for ?  = It’s nothing but a mystery is it  ! ? ? ?

Sony’s camera division was created by the former Minolta people who developed the world first Auto Focus SLR, Alpha 7000.  Once I was invited to visit Minolta’s Osaka HQ as a camera critics and met Mr.Kobori who lead the creation of A7000 system.   However, why Minolta couldn’t keep the position of top runner was, that they gone too far on the system design. = Try to fulfill all the possibility of the photography, then trespassed the secret of the individual creativity.   So that, despised by the top photographer (Even if they do use the same technique, they don’t want it given by the camera.)  —– while looking back, I’m not sure whether the bad habit or paranoia of the Minolta people still hanging around Sony’s floor ? ? ?   😀   (Isn’t this a paranormal, or horror story ?    This is a camera equivalent of a severed head speaks ! — If not a poltergeist )   😀

 

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To see if it was a joke or accident, I tested them again.

The Sony 30mm Macro was mounted on Nikon-Z via homemade NEX to Nik-Z adapter, when the Nikon-Z was switched on, the image appeared then with a bit of noise the black frame appeared (photo left) as the lens focus seemed to be close up, I aimed the camera out of window (photo right)

And, I put an object for close up —– then spontaneously the focus was moved to infinity, seemingly to destruct the close up image !  (Strange ! — Image sensor is Nikon-Z side which was not connected to the Sony lens —– How the lens did know it was a close-up image ? ? ?)    (I wonder, if the devices started to communicate each other with a common code by NFC, Near Field Communication kind = rather futuristic horror story isn’t it  ?) 

All those were happened while the lens 30mm Macro was on the NEX to Nik-Z adapter, its mean, the lens was having no power supply or feed back from the camera body.

(Yet still, as I said few lines before, if the devices started to communicate, and using RFID like system, lens may able to receive the Info’ even a power from the camera body ! —– and near future, the camera may starts to beep beep you “The girl sitting over there is a well-known model, would you like to take her picture ? ” )   😀

Still, the question is the same = What makes the lens focus move without power without intelligence of the image.    What was that for ?    (I need to ask SONY —– I gave an inquiry of which the Case number was  18 ****8 —– Who answer me ? ? ? —– In fact, I wonder how many technician in Sony ever got knowledge of this  ?)

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After I discovered that the lens keeps moving whether it was mounted on the Nikon (using homemade NEX to NikZ adaptor) or left alone.   So, they were the photographic evidences of Sony (or Minolta) zombie state.

When the lens detects the light, its focus moved to closest (photo left)  When the lens detect no light (ie; dark) focus was fixed to far — Then suddenly take the lens cap off and aimed to the outside, the focus move back to closest = So, this picture was just before the focus moves (photo right)   (I have no idea what sort of the game Sony heated up ? ? ?  —– But, the game against to whom ? —– It seems all those strange activities were to make this APS-C lens work on a full-frame A7R body = automatically adjust the 30mm image zoom-up to 50mm equivalent image. )   😀

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Net Shopping

How convenient they are.  I absolutely agree.  Without Ebay and the Chinese supplier of the small components, my kind of DIY couldn’t exist.  Though it has an inevitable drawback of remote shopping.  I’m buying the things only from its description and the photos, without actually checking the product, and paying the money in advance.   As a matter of fact, I’m doing this while fully aware of me lose the money.   That was why I don’t do the shopping of more than £15 (with very few exception).   That may be a cost of having a laugh, Ha ha ha.  —– On the history, in the early days, 10, 15 years ago, I failed all the shopping which was more than £50 each = two from US and the other from Australia when I wanted to get Hi-power LED.   Just the money has gone and I never seen any LED.   No reply to my Email, or any Phone call.  That’s it.  The end.  What I got was the expensive lesson.   😀

Recently, I bought several items on the Net.   MNh 2500mAh DURACELL Batteries from Green something of UK dealer. Because I trusted the DURACELL , I bought two packs of them.   They were fantastic on the start.   I used them for a kind of LED lighting = Their power continued more than double of the previous set (seemed 1500mAh )    Then, after the second, third charge, they lost the capacity, down to the half.   In fact their price was cheaper among the others.   But, obviously there was a catch behind.  

There are two different approaches to the sales tactics, “Less profit but selling quick and more”  or  “With higher price, selling less but more profit with less handling and posting” —– yet another approach was, find the cheap deal for threw away goods, such as the rejected product from the factory bin.  (Well known example was the half price memory card —– you can understand where those memory can come from if you realize that only few company in the world can produce such Hi-Tec memory = cheap one was the rejected because of so many dead address = to skip the dead address slow down the process which you may not noticed)  Anyway only few customers return the goods or claim the refund. = They expect that they can get away with the money in the pocket.  (And they do.)

The another item was two sets of Lens / Body cap for Sony E-mount —– though I got 1 Sony, 1 EOS = then, who bother to send them back and get replacement for £3 product ? = Ha ha ha.  

I had talked about the Piercing saw = as I wrote, they were good shopping yet, the saw blade came with (supposedly 6 different sizes)  were, in fact all same size.    Ha ha ha   again.

In the another shopping = against the ordered item 58mm to 58mm mount, 36mm to 90mm extension helicoid ring, what I received was 25mm to 50mm extension ring —– still they want to have my 5 star response.  (they may not aware that they made a mistake)     We can’t to be too serious with Net.   Because of they are loose and not square, we can have a fun.   Likewise, even with President Tramp, still, life goes on.   Ha ha ha   😀 

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Most useful Tool

It’s a kind of metal saw.  Much smaller version of Hack Saw.  Some times using same saw-blade with a Junior-Hack Saw which was called Fret Saw, though when its came to this size (of blade) it called Piersing Saw.  And they are mainly used by the fine metal work = Jewelry making. (The advantage of this saw against the other Bow saw or Fret Saw is, its bow can change the size = broken blade can be used as a half-length blade, and smaller size can do much finer cut.  On top of that, the universal clump can be used with any kind / length (Max 16 cm — if it was too long = just brake it to a half) of blade.)

I knew this tool rather long time though, since I acquainted with a jeweler friend, I’ve been thinking to visit where he has been working (and do a shopping where he is buying his tool) = Hatton Garden area in London where is the center of the diamond and the jewelry trade.  —– though, visiting somebody kind of plan always get delay —– often ages.   First, give a call to find the suitable timing, before that I need to find the exact address etc etc = I’ll do one-day, one-day.

When I did rather miserable work with improvised Spiral Saw Blade to cut a lens cap, my patience has run-out.   Don’t dream a happy visit.  Just get on the job = get the Tool I need. —– So, I got it from the Net. (As I paid cheapest price, the saw blade came with 1/0 ~ 6/0 size were in fact all in the same size — still usable.)   😀

And, they did a work in the amazing efficiency as I expected.  (£15 was a worth to spend)   😀

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Leiz Elmarit P Lens on Nikon Z7

While checking a corner of the shelf, I found a Leiz Elmarit projection lens I got from odds and ends box of a camera shop years ago —– in fact it was the same time when I found the Zeiss Taron lens in the same box for £1 each.  To make Taron lens for ordinary camera use I did quite a lot of work —– and to make a helicoid for this Leiz lens, even more work was anticipated.   Then, when I got a 58mm reverse adapter ring for  Nikon Z, I got other idea to modify this Leiz lens easily.

Since its rivers adapter got 58mm screw, I found it could be used to mount a helicoid extension ring  M58 to M58 mount, 24mm ~ 55mm extension, together with some joint rings to connect to Leiz lens.

Nik Z-58mm, Helicoid ring, 58mm-52mm, K4 and K5 from old Nikon K-ring (having 52mm screw), 52mm-49mm, then put the Elmarit P lens on it. = no cutting or glue work, just put together.  So, here is the Leiz Elmarit P 50mm F2.8 for shooting on Nikon Z7 use.  (Note, helicoid ring was mounted riverse direction and the infinity focus was made while helicoid was slightly rotated position.)

Projection lens may be designed for close range use = may not have the best result on far subject.  And the test picture showed rather funny off-focus bokeh on the fore-ground.

Still not too bad result for closest distance (23cm) and its out of focus bokeh was very smooth and soft here —– any way, Leiz Elmarit lens 50 mm F2.8  costed £1 + some odd rings. 

I like a subtlety created by the clean image as well.  Leiz is good in cool image. Unlike Sony, Nikon Z doesn’t exaggerates the tone.

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Fuji-Fun lens

In the 80s, before this country got money from the North sea oil.  And it was long before the  digital revolution, in fact even before the Walkman not mention any digital sound, the Disposable / One-time use camera was very popular.   Simply the people haven’t got the money to buy proper camera.  Anyway, even with an expensive camera, the use of the camera / film was as such, in one film, it started with Xmas and finished with next Xmas kind.  So that, to buy Disposable camera on each occasion was not such bad idea. 

And local chemist taking care of all those photographic business = sending the film to a lab and giving back the printed pictures to the customer.   Shop people take a film out of those disposable camera and send only the film to the lab = its mean, the left over carcase of those disposable camera filling their bin.   So, I got those discarded camera from their bin, while thinking “One day, I’ll use those plastic lens in somewhere else.” 

The lens to film (sensor) has to be 30 mm, Nikon Z’s frangeback is 16 mm, leaving 14 mm to maneuver.  In order to manage this  14 mm, I used a helicoid extension ring 12~17 mm and M42 to NEX adaptor both from China.  With this helicoid, the lens can give a focus from infinity to 0.3 m close-up.  (Since the lens itself has NEX mount, it can be used on Sony A7R as well.)

The most of lens of those disposable camera is just one plastic disc.   Optically they are very well designed aspherical lens and together with its built-in small iris, the camera can give a omnifocus effect.  (In any distance, the picture would be reasonably good on 3×5 print = Basically, this lens can produce pretty good image with its designated small F-aperture.  But to use this lens in such a way has no point for me = If so, why not use the camera as it was intended = as in an original form )

But I’m using this lens without its small iris therefore the out of focus blurred image, together with its halation is masking the decent image.  And instead of having deep depth of field by its small F-aperture, I used a helicoid focus.  On the end, the lens produces rather funny image = they are not sharp but not necessary soft image like an old Zeiss lens or Kodak Vest Pocket Lens.   So, I’m not sure what is the advantage of this lens. —– and I got, yet another 12 more of them !   I’m having rather absurd life.   😀

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In Comparison — (D850/Z7/A7R)

Strangely it may sound though all those photos were taken on the same settings = AV, ISO 100, Shadow and -2 comp.  But the lens of top photo was Nikon mount Zeiss 18 mm F3,5 (at 5.6) on D850 and the photos below, the Left were Pentax 110 Auto 24 mm F2.8, the Right were So-called Omunifocus Fun lens about 28 mm F13.  The timings were as marked.  (despite the same Shadow setting, why the sky on this picture was not so orange was = that they changed the color so quick.)

And those photos were by a Nikon Z7 camera.  Left was Pentax 110 lens, Right was Fun lens.  See within 2 minutes, how quickly the sky changes.   By the way, camera was not stationed on a tripod but hand-held —— while changing the camera and the lenses, time fly.  (In comparison, Z7 can give clearer and clean image than A7R)

Those photos were by the Sony A7R camera.  Again Left was Pentax 110 lens, Right was Fun lens.  Note, in here right photo was the earliest photo among all those photos.  (seemingly, A7R gave the most orange shifted color) 

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Sony NEX to Nikon Z homemade Mount adaptor

To use Nikon-Z camera with my system, I needed to make a mount adaptor to attach Sony NEX optics on Nikon-Z which is not available on the market.  —– If it is not there, why not to make one myself (is my motto).  Since I made so many lenses etc to use on Sony A7R, to remake them for Nikon-Z mount is too much work. 

And to have a lens comparison kind of work, there are so many mount adaptor to EOS but very few to Nikon, its mean, since I got EOS to NEX adaptor, such as Rollei to EOS, Contax to EOS, etc, and EOS to NEX, Leica to NEX then NEX to N-Z, all those lenses could be summarized on Nikon-Z . (in theory but may not be in practice. 😀 )  (So far, it seems that the N-Z7 camera can easily deal with even a dark pinhole while showing very little noise, they seems to be pretty usable and in comparison, in camera VR seems to be very effective.   (However, intentionally set M mode, 1/2 second for the test, still the result was not shaky picture —– It’s too good to be true though, it was discovered that it was not because of the VR but the shatter makes very little vibration and the lens I used (Canon 100mm macro F2.8 with proxer) happen to be very solid and steady even for handheld shooting.)

But the hidden cost of N-Z was, —– that the XQD memory card is hugely expensive and we need to buy Sony XQD card reader for a whopping cost of £40 ! —– I thought, card reader should be about £5 though, in close look both of them were rare Made in Japan, not from China or Korea but by Sony themselves ! —– then there was a second thought, wait a moment, has Sony got memory factory ? = the XQD Memory chip might come from Toshiba Yokkaichi Factory. )   😀

There is only 2 mm gap between those 2 mount. (Nikon Z got 16mm and Sony NEX is 18mm)   2 mm is so small to fill —– you may think, though it is a quite troublesome 2 mm.    Unlike M42 (Pentax screw mount), bayonet mount needs to fill many requirements.  Bayonet claws needed to have slick enough but not wobbling, tight enough spring to hold the male craw, and as it can slip off, it needs to have a secure stopper pin. etc etc.  Use Nikon F lens on Canon EOS case, the EOS mount was large enough to accommodate Nikon bayonet therefore 2.5mm gap was enough to make an adaptor. (so, we can easily get them cheap about £5 from China)   

The another trouble between NEX and N-Z is, Sony lens wouldn’t work on anywhere else, other than a Sony camera.   There is no manual focus ring, neither manual F stop control.  Attempt to use Sony lens on N-Z would be useless = forget it. —– Yet still, as all of my homemade lenses are utterly bare minimum = nothing automatic, there wouldn’t be any problem of those functions.  = as long as my optics stays there securely, I can take picture, and that is all what I need.

Base material I got for mount adaptor was a 58mm reverse adaptor for Nikon-Z from China. = This adaptor goes to Nikon side.  And to receive the bottom of Sony side was, simply a rear lens cap for Sony lens.  

Then the work starts.  They are all very very simple work = scrape off the 58mm screw part on the ring.  And to cut out the bayonet part from the lens cap.  —– Still it took nearly half day. (don’t get short-tempered = it would spoil all the effort done within a short second = Be a good Buddhist ! —– remember, even a rain drop would carve the rock)  😀    (If you got a good milling machine, even a bench drill with milling bit, such kind of work would be a matter of few minutes though the machine wouldn’t make you enlightened)   😀

 

(by the way,  the surface of the adaptor photo left, was finished with oil-stone)

Then, insert the bayonet ring of the lens cap into the N-Z adaptor ring and fix it.  (The lens on the adaptor would be as secure as how the lens cap stays on the lens = don’t expect too much —– anyhow, the cost of this adaptor was only about £6 or so) —— (and get enlightened was an option   😀  )

Voila, NEX to N-Z lens mount adaptor (though, it has no stopper pin, the heavy lens could fallen off, yet still, it works perfect with my homemade — such as 110 Pentax lens, Vest Pocket camera lens etc etc.  

Thanks goodness, I did very good job ! 

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Over a year, after Nikon Z came to the world, now the adaptor NEX lens to N-Z camera appeared on the market. The product which I got from China was well made and only about £10 = it convinced me that it would be cheaper to buy this than to make one out of Nikon-Z 58 mm reverse ring, which I did in this post.

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A cool customer like me who need to use the adaptor only for the homemade NEX mount lens, this adaptor works perfect, but if anybody who wants to use a genuine Sony lens on Nikon-Z would be utterly disappointed. The Sony lens was not designed to work manual on any camera body other than Sony. So, never attempt to do it, or to buy this adaptor.

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Been watched ? ? ?

(This is the back screen of my D850 camera)

When I lived in the north London, on one of the hilltop.  From its window, I could see the horizon (in fact it was the hills of North downs / Rochester and Dover direction) and a New Year’s sunrise.   But now, here from a corner of south London I could only see the sunrise over the roofs.   Warse still, this year, I could only see the sun behind the cloud.  —– So, the first picture of the year was the cloudy sky.  Then I noticed that its number of the photo in the camera was 777/777.  Other than that fatal number of 8150, I’m not fussy the number like 666 or lucky 7 still, to see so many sevens, its reminds me the zincs of the Gurdian God is watching.   It might be a message of an encouragement for the New Year / This Year = since I still need to push the  2 complaints against the Council.    This sign looks very good ! 

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Fortnum & Mason’s Window 2018 taken by 3 kind of Lens

Three kind of lenses were used for those photos.  Looks normal straight lens was Ultra Wide Angle Lens (Sony 12~24mm F4 Zoom).  And if the image has dark surroundings it was by the Pentax 110 auto 24 mm F2.8 Lens.   If the image got heavy anastigmat aberration, it was by a homemade So-called Helicoid-B lens.

Some of you may not like though, never mind it wouldn’t kill you.

And I wish you a Happy New Year. 

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