A while back I mentioned that I was given a Rollei Heidosmat 150/2.8 on the front of a 6x6 projector. Also mentioned was that it covered 5x4 but not 5x7.
This evening I was shopping for a diopter set off the auction site, to use with the Goerz 180/6.8. Whilst waiting for a listing to finish I searched my parts boxes/bags for a diopter to save some cash.
Instead of finding a suitable diopter, I found a lens element that perfectly fit the front of the Heidosmat!
The front element is flat on the rear side and has a large convex shaped front. This second front element (from a rubbish M42 lens) is also flat on the back but with a shallow front. In reality this means the lens is of a slightly longer focal length.
The good news is that it now covers 5x7, it focuses to infinity on the modified Contessa Nettel, and the barrel still fits in the front of the Copal 3s!
The bad news is the lens isn't sharp wide open. It's very, very, very soft. Imagine you put an image on Adobe Camera Raw and set the clarity to -50, that's what the image looks like. Stopping down a stop makes the image almost sharp, two stops and it's crisp. That's pretty okay with me.
I now have a super fast adjustable soft focus lens of around 165mm that covers 5x7 :D
Hope to take a few shots with it tomorrow and post them in the evening.
