Evening Stroll

Some days ago I went out for a meeting, with a camera, Nikon Z7 and a homemade plastic Fun lens on it.  (It’s good to have a small pocketable camera !)

As I took Dockland Light Railway I could see the town over the roof and see the sunset from advantage points.

Since the lens was £1 junk, it needs no focus and neither giving any sharp image —– still, if you think they are a kind of sketch drawings it’s no problem.  I don’t think I need sharp details in those images, as they are no different from the distant vague memories.

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The late Cherry (or Ex-Cherry ?)

It’s not nice to say “used to be cherry” —– so, Ex-Cherry ?

A woman said it’s not fair, they got a full bloom every year —– m m m, rather tricky to say any word here. 

(Those photos were taken by a lens from a toy camera on Nikon Z7 —– It was a single plastic lens, equivalent of  28mm, F13,  fixed focus )

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Japanese New Era is coming

Well well, not for tomorrow’s April fool, but Japan is going to have the new name of the Era for coming new Emperor.    Japanese calendar system has the name of each Era with each Emperor’s throne.  Which is the continuing tradition of the past 2500 years, started on the time of the legend of Emperor  Jinmu.  So that the coming new Emperor Naruhito is its 256th Emperor.  = in other words, the current Emperor Akihito’s (He is going to cede the throne to his son Naruhito on 1st of May)  Heisei Era will end tomorrow.  (I remember the day, when I went to see the wedding parade of Prince Akihito and his bride, Michiko in their hose drawn coach. — I think I was a secondary school boy then) 

—– anyhow, on this last day, I should clear the stacked photos of Heisei while it is still in its era.

(Those photos were taken by ZM2 lens and Helicoid B lens on Nikon Z7)

On the end Japan got their new name of the era as Reiwa (令和) —– long live to them.    🙂   🙂   🙂

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ZM2 Lens – Spring Walk

First visitor here tonight was from USA, seeking Plum Flower.   So, I’ll show you many Cherry flowers, Plum Flowers.

You may not believe though, all those photos here were taken by just one lens,  (homemade ZM2 lens, on Nikon Z7 camera — ISO 100, AV setting)  Slight difference of the focus, the lens can produce quite different kind of image !

This plant called Japonica Japan was originated from Japan as its name suggests, and a cousin of Quince, or relative of Pear.   Incidentally, a name Nipponia Nippon which meaning is the same (Nippon is the formal name — Japan is a nick name after Marco Paulo) was for national birds Toki who has been nearly extinct and revived to about 150 now.

Ever cute Snow drop, Japanese name is Yukiwari-so (雪割草) which mean the flower who sprout out the snow !

I found this variety of cherry first time in this country.  Still no idea of its name.

And this is somewhat close to the plum. (But not Japanese Ume 梅 —– I don’t know why Ume didn’t come here.)

And this is Daphne —– somewhat related to Cloves though, the story was very complicated = lots of misunderstanding.  (You might have seen a furniture made by a wood called Mahogany but never know what its tree looks like.) 

Same as that, the wood for burning incense Agarwood 沈香 was a mystery to the Japanese for many hundreds of years, and people mistook this plant was related to Cloves 丁字 (hence Japanese misnamed this Daphne as 沈丁花－－－on both case the letter 丁 represents the shape of nails which is a shape of the Cloves as well and the smell of this flower is the same to the Cloves though) those plants are in fact totally different plant. 

Since Agarwood can be sold for very high price, the tree has been pushed to near extinction = now they are protected and the genuine wood is hard to come by, so that, there said to be a lots of fake in the market. ( = a wood dripped into an artificial incense was sold to the tourists.)

Crocus is a relative of the Saffron.  (So, don’t eat them)

(In fact, Daffodil is also poisonous — if you eat = Who eat ?)

I guess this cherry seems to be originated from Yama-zakura.  — but not sure of its multi-petal flowers.

So, it was a nice walk and shootings.

Those three photos were somewhat an extra.  I met Ms.S and Mr.M as a next door of one of the cherry flower’s place.  They got very fancy bicycle with motor. (And those photos were for them to copy from here)

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Go out with ZM2 Lens (First field test)

It’s a rare bright day.   And the spring is coming.  (Olegon Maple started flowering)

I didn’t know there was a gallery here. (but not open today ?)

It’s hard to tell whether the aberration of this lens, ZM2 is coma or astigmatism ?  (The camera was Nikon Z7.)   Do you want to see this photo in normal sharp image ? I don’t think so.  This is what this photo should be.

Is it an image from a dream or nightmare ?   Or, premonition ?

The difference of those two was just a slight move of focus. (Since the DOF was so shallow, slight move suddenly makes the image collapse. )

You might be wondering, how such hopeless lens can still makes decent image in the same time.  (That’s why I said peculiar and I like it very much.)   😀

Peace to everybody.

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ZM-2 lens (Second version)

———————- (ZM2 sample photo —– fake  stage up)

There wasn’t so much complaint to ZM lens —– still, give a thought or two = even though I said most peculiar, the reality was not peculiar enough, just another mediocre lens. 

Before, while experimenting with the lens, I noticed that this lens can produce much more aberration when it was reverse mounted.  =  So, why not. = I further modified the lens optics made reversed.

The result was, some may say, a lens impossible to use.  (Somewhat comparable  to the Helicoid-B lens which got strong astigmat aberration ) Yet still, this might be what I needed.  (What’s wrong ? )   😀    (as you can see from the photos, DOF is extremely shallow, and showing very heavy coma aberration.   This lens was about 45mm F2 equivalent, fully open, still if well focused, image looks quite sharp.) —– now I need to find the suitable subject.  (I hope the subject wouldn’t be frightened and runaway )    😀

Is it peculiar enough ? (just a bit off focus)

And this is well focused (so far).   😀

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Lucky in life = Fate

Somebody asked me, like the time when I modified Leiz Elmarit P lens or ZM lens kind, while using 58mm helicoid ring, how I could manage to find the necessary rings etc in such efficient way ?    My answer was, There was no such good luck to find the component.   It was just work hard to try fix.   Not a good luck or magic finger, just came to a good result thanks to all those effort.  (No wonder)

Yet still, the start was a chance discovery of the 58mm reverse adapter for Nikon-Z mount.   If I need to attach something to a camera, there are two choices,  one is find a cheap adapter ring such as M42 to EOS, M42 to Nikon Ai kind, otherwise use a body cap.   To make something for Nikon-Z, their body cap was hefty £6.   Then I found a 58mm adapter for Nikon-Z about £3 or so.  —– If you may say I was lucky, yes, it was lucky.   Still, I’m puzzled why this adapter was made in the first place, especially for what in mind ?    I’m not sure whether many redundant lens which got 58mm filter size, waiting to be experimented on the newly arrived Nikon-Z camera ? ? ?

What ever, the first piece of jig-saw was placed.   For this 58mm ring, I got an idea to use a 58mm mount helicoid ring.   Then, to mount a lens, I need to find something to join from lens to 58mm helicoid.    Here, there is no inspiration kind but just try next by next among the mountain of rings I got.  (Even the same 52 to 55mm step-up ring, inside diameter of 52 mm screw is not the same = need to test)  To mount the Elmarit lens, it got to be a 49mm filter ring = 49 to 52, 52 to 55, 55 to 58 then to the helicoid.   (Instead to use cheaper 42mm, why 58mm helicoid was, since the Nikon-Z image sensor was too close to the mount, 42mm ring will cut the image corner.)  Those step-up rings adding 3mm each for the distance between lens to the body,  I still needed to put the lens further away from the camera, I used an old Nikon extension ring K-5.    

But, when I did the same to ZM lens, I needed to have less distance to mount the lens. = instead to use 58 to 55, 55 to 52, 52 to 49, 49 to 46mm, I ordered 58 to 46mm ring and waited a mail from China long time.    So, the work rely on the simple but rudimental try. — and waiting game.   No ingenious solution, neither Devine help. (You see, I’m a very good worker = good work and its mind pulls good Karma.)   😀 

The original meaning of the Karma is the rational, natural consequence (such as, the heat makes the water boil) not a paranoid delusion (typically so-called  consequence of previous life (= Hindu idea) — there is no previous life, since no perpetual soul could exist)  = its mean, straight positive effort causes positive consequence (and evil act / idea repercussions) = those rational makes your Fate !   Fate is not a kind of supernatural phenomena.   Heaven is too busy to twist every individual’s life.  Everything occurs just as a simple own cause and a consequence.   Too much thinking tend to make you a hero of victimization though a matter of fact, the world is not bothering you as such you are imagining.  They got their own business.

So, anybody can make a lens.  = You can try.    (But first, you have to find a lens to play with !) 

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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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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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