Wide-converter to Soft Telephoto Lens

It may looks a bit drastic action to deal with camera optics.  🙂 

Though, today’s camera lens made by a plastic was often fixed by a

liquid glue hence impossible to disassemble. = So, it calls drastic action !

—– There was a funny idiosyncratic subconscious = optics has to be handled

with kids-gloves on.   And this apply to a gear obtained for almost nothing.

So, the edge of the Wide-converter (and its Lens Retaining Ring) was cut.  

And the ring was (carefully) lifted-up and removed. (Photo above left)

= Then the converter’s front concave lens was separated from

the converging rear optics. (Photo right, center front. — this concave lens 

looks as strong as minus 15 diopter.) 

Mounting this “rear section” of the converter to a DSLR camera —–

I found this optics works as an (about) 160mm telephoto lens.

And as I expected, the image produced had a lots of aberration = fuzzy images

still, by reducing the original (about) F-4 to F-11 with a hole on a black paper

(Photo above Right) the quality of the images were drastically improved.

(but don’t expect a quality of thousand pound genuine lens)  🙂 —– in fact,

this optics had achieved what  I failed before with the Tamron 300 mm lens.

= Soft Telephoto Lens !

The Photo left was fully open.  ——— And the Photo right was F-11 (?) ! ! !

But to be fare to the expensive lens, they are not just boasting the quality.

(I wouldn’t play ignorant for the sake of fuzzy image.   🙂 )

This photo was taken by the Canon EF 70~200 F2.8 at 200 mm

and a clopped center.

And this photo was by the Tamron Mirror 500mm F8 and a clopped center.

In a closer range, the effect of Iris (full or F11) looks so clear. = It’s mean,

by changing the size of a hole in a black paper (white paper may

increase the halation even more.  🙂 ) we can chose the softness to the

degree what we prefer.

—– So, I had a fun. (and planning the field test)

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Antic Camera ? — Doppel Anastigmat Lens

OMG !  —– In an odds and ends box in a camera shop, among the modern

high-tec camera or broken lens kind etc, I found a 100 year old camera !

It looks pretty much like German Ihharge kind but, this one was very small.

Before roll film was invented, the camera then was using a glass plate as a 

photosensitive material.   And a contact print was a way to make a print

= hence the size of the glass plate was often “Postcard size” —– though,

this camera was using “6 cm x 4.5 cm size” so, pretty small in deed as

you can see from the photo above. 

On the lens, it was written “Steinheil Munchen Doppel anastigmat 1:5.4  f=7.5cm”

— Doppel mean Double, so the lens seemed to be a symmetrical design of

stuck of a convex meniscus and a concave meniscus placed both side of an iris.

(altogether 4 lenses)    Back of the camera has detachable focusing glass.

= After framed and focused, focusing glass has to be changed to the glass plate

to take picture. 

75mm lens for 6 x 4.5 cm photo size mean, this was a camera of so-called

medium format camera ( such as Hasselblad, Rolleiflex etc) and the 75mm

lens could easily be used on a 35mm DSLR body — which I did with a

help of Pentax Helicoid Extension Tube. (on Nikon or on Canon) —– what

I realized was that this lens doesn’t have a clear crispy sharpness of the 

modern lens, but neither beautiful softness. (of a kind what I like)  in other

word, it was just an old dull lens ! (No mythical subtle touch of “old lens” ) 

I can see the character of this lens here still, I wouldn’t pretend to be a

master to appreciate this softness = it is just a lack of sharpness which

never improve with smaller F-aperture. (this photo was fully open = F 5.4)

(Lens got a lots of fungi = can’t create any sharp photos anyway.) 

The lens was mounted on a Pronto (later called Prontor) shutter — and

amazingly, after 100 years, they are still functioning. (more or less)

The photo above left was shot by using Pronto shutter 100th. (while

5D’s shutter was open with B setting, then click Pronto shutter)

and the photo right was a comparison, Pronto was opened on T setting

and a photo was exposed by the 5D’s shutter.

Something peculiar on this type of  camera then was that the most of them

were having  “Lens Rise control” ! —– Do you know why and what for ?

Set the camera on slightly low angle (about waist high) — thanks to

the “Lens Rize” (without looking up) it is possible to take picture of the

whole body, while making the leg looks longer !   🙂  

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Images from Southbank (B)

Well, they were the rest of shots of the day at Southbank by the

“Homemade Two Element Lens”

— (This Lens was for Canon version, but I got Nikon version as well.)    🙂

I think, this lens and its images has enough significance, say raison de etre.

Anyhow you don’t need to agree.  😀

(What this lens amazed me was, despite its fuzziness, it still shows good details.) 

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Images from Southbank (A)

Like a word “City” mean a specific area of London, adjoining the north of Tower

of London where a lots of Banks, financial establishments were concentrated,

a word “Southbank” having special meaning as the center of the art performance,

from the music concert to the art exhibition.  

So, I’ve been this area quite often, long since —– though, this time it was

nothing to do with their art but just a casual snapshot on the street.

The lens used was that “Homemade Two elements Lens” consisting with two

plastic lenses = one from Toy Camera and a specs’ lens for short-eye sighted.

—– I didn’t design the lens but that toy lens happen to be there and I just

stretched its focal length by placing a concave lens on front.

(made it as a Retrofocus type)

(The beauty of this lens is, there is no focus or Iris control = just click it !)

I don’t have much of intention to control the image.  I happen to be there and

the scenery was there.  (by the way, there was no PS kind of process but just clop.)

Anyhow, this lens happen to have this quality which I like very much. 

It’s a fun indeed.  😀

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Peckham Vision

Went down to Peckham, a corner of the south London, somewhere

(in the art-student sense) between Camberwell and the Goldsmith College

(both are a part of the Uni’ of Art, London now), I was lured into a building with

a word of the “Exhibition”  🙂  —– it was more like a public information event

of their activity. —– of the organization called Peckham Vision.

 <<  www.peckhamvision.org  >>

 <<  twitter.com/PeckhamVision  >>  <<  www.facebook.com/PeckhamVision  >>

The organization having a lots of group’s activities, campaign etc etc and showing

their works, even architectural town scape model !

— I thought they were made by the Architect student though,  they were made by

 the non specialist members (by hand cutting !) — ( yet still among them there

 also was a professional architect, a daughter of  a sculptor Andrey Gomery

 as well. = he is a local here)

So, the event attracted many visitors and there were lots of talking, discussion etc etc.

And there was an architectural model ( film set ? ) of  “Peckham on the year, 2115”

= futuristic scene, survival after the nuclear holocaust ! = destroyed local landmark,

multi-story car park building has been occupied by the survivors who made the

building top as a farm growing veggie, having built even a windmill ! —– though,

? ? ? —– what sort of the imagination ?

Roof-top garden might be fashionable if it was on the clouded city buildings though, 

after whole land was destroyed, hence the plenty empty land was everywhere, what

was the point to grow veggie in the top of a building. —– who bring the water there 

when the weather was dry ?     And what that windmill for ? —– Generating electricity

or grinding the corn ? = How much corn can they produce which need to have

a mechanical power ?    

Years ago, I was volunteering a keeper of a mountain shelter.  When rain water run-out, 

we had to fetch the water from a well we’ve dug on the col, 100m down, with 18 litters

buckets front and back on our shoulder. — each member carrying up the water on the 

slippery mountain trace 10 times. — Do you know how the hell it was.

—– it is pointless if the people who has no realistic imagination, try to predict the future !

It’s shame, as the model itself was pretty well made.

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Magnolia – 2015 (B)

This Magnolia was an utterly unexpected discoverly.  And beyond of my knowledge

and imagination — came from where or if it was a garden variety, how it was

created from which parents ? ? ?  

She is a tall tree and the flower is huge = as big as a Magnolia Grandiflora

 ( even 10″~12″ ) still, flowering long before the leaves was coming out

= closer to the Kobus but not Grandiflora.

In closer look I wonder if they are in fact a kind of invertebrate from the sea ?

—– You know what I feel and that was why I wanted to create fuzzy image.  🙂

Lens used was Canon EF Macro 100mm F2.8 and Tamron 500mm Mirror F8

on Canon 5D Mk-3.   (Some fuzzy pictures were taken by Homemade Lens.  🙂  )

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Magnolia-2015-(A)

Magnolia here must be a garden variety of Magnolia Kobus, its origin was a Japanese

“Kobushi” (こぶし）which has 6 petals.  But I don’t know the Garden Name.

In this post, the photos were taken by a homemade Lens on Tilting Bellows.

And if it was not fuzzy, it was done by the Canon EF Macro 100 mm F2.8.

I still like those fuzzy images.  🙂 

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Cherry blossoms with ultimate Bokeh !

In this post I experimented the Cherry photo with strongest ever kind of Bokeh.

The lens I used was appeared here before as a Proxer (close-up lens) which was

in fact a front element of a TV zoom lens.   But, in this occasion, lens itself was

used as a photo-taking lens, somewhat 60mm F1.4 lens mounted on front of the

Tilting Macro Bellows (hence, good for a Macro photo as well though, take macro

photo of shaky flower under windy condition was not easy at all.)

—– Yes, they got big Bokeh what I expected though, — it seems, it’s gone too far.  😀

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Play with Lens (2) — Tamron 300mm F5.6

On the previous post, I’ve shown you many samples of the fuzzy, soft-focus images

created by the (mostly) single convex lens.   And I had a belief that the single

convex lens which inherently possessing aberration would produce soft image.

Yet still, what I have tested was the lenses about 50mm focal length —– then I thought,

if I can get longer (= telephoto) soft-focus lens I could take nice photos from distance.

(Pentax had 80mm Soft-focus lens and Canon used to have 135mm Soft lens though

their effect was rather subtle.)

—– So, why not to see it with the front element of a telephoto lens. 

What I tested was old (70s ?) tamron 300 mm F5.6 lens. (Photo above — bottom left was  

the front element and the bottom right was the rear element.

(this rear lens seems to be a 2 element compound lens) 

Photo above is the test shot of the Tamron 300 mm F5.6 (center photo was the part

enlargement of the photo left (full-size) and the right photo was by the Tamron 500 mm

F8 Mirror lens as a comparison) —– 500 mm lens showed much clear image though

this 300 mm lens was not in the original and in good condition. ( — Even worse,

those photos were taken through the dusty double glazed window)  🙂

The question was if this front element alone could show the soft image ?

Photo above, both left and the center were taken while rear element was removed

(= Front lens alone ! )    (This lens could focus down to 1m = 1/3 close-up.)

Well, with or without the rear element which supposed to eliminate

the aberration did not make much of difference. (on this occasion)

= My attempt to make fuzzy telephoto lens was failed so far.  🙂

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Play with Lens

 So far I made quite few lenses to obtain soft-focus or wide-angle pinhole etc,

mostly by utilizing single lens. (still, some of them seemed to be an achromatic

compound lens)  Single lens has inherent aberrations which produces soft image.

Furthermore, I’ve experimented soft images with focus shift or even with camera

shake/vibration using aberration corrected normal lenses. Though, those approaches 

were hardly called technique but more like an opportunist seeking a good luck, since 

the success rate was rather low = lots of try and only few will show the good results. 

That’s because, when the focus ring was rotated while camera’s shutter was open,   

the resulting shake gives devastating effect than a soft nice blur.

= make smooth focus shift while camera was held steadily. = That’s what I need. 

Inside of the Canon G9 compact camera, I found pretty useful mechanism.  

(1) A motor moves the lens.  (2) Small stepping motor shifts a lens for focus.

—– though, those two mechanisms were constructed on the same plastic piece.

(Photo above, left) = I needed to cut and separate its center mechanism out of the

lim with DC motor.  (second photo shows the separated piece = the lim which can

drive a cogged barrel — in the second photo top, the lens was placed in the barrel)  

Photo 3rd and 4th showed the center mechanism — the lens was pushed out most

and pulled inward most by its stepping motor.

The photo above, left is the cogged barrel = when it was rotated by the motor,

the barrel, hence the lens will be extended(= Pushed out) (photo center)  

When motor rotate opposite direction = lens was pulled in. (photo right)

Those function is exactly what I need for a smooth Focus-shift.

 In order to have an experiment to get a soft focus by the focus-shift ( by a normal

lens, not by the aberration) I took the lens unit out of a Canon 50mm FD lens.  

(Photographic equivalent of gouging the eye !)

( a disc shaped mechanism on the right is the Iris — very useful device )

The lens unit which I’ve put inside of the plastic barrel, in the photo before was this

Canon 50mm F1.8 Lens.  —– though, on the test, I found that this Canon 50mm FD

lens can’t give an infinity focus on Canon EOS = only usable closer than few meters.

(otherwise, the EOS’s mirror will hit the lens bottom.  😦  )

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Then, give a thought, what all those hustle for ?

—– Why not just modify a Canon EF 50mm for EOS = 

put an extra electronic connection to override their AF motor !

(Ideally, huck into the Canon camera’s OS and reprogram it to give a focus-shift while

shutter is open = was the best though, not only the risk to destroy the camera but also,

the Canon doesn’t like it at all. ) 

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