Adapting 35mm lens.

[pigpen]

I'm sorry if this has been covered, a quick search didn't yield much. There was a recent post about a seller on Etsy selling lens boards that are set up for M42/L39 lenses. Any advice on this would be appreciated, I'd like to hear from someone with more experience than me (literally everyone on this forum) before I purchase.

I know there are many things to consider, like my lens cap would be the shutter. Another one is focus. Would you set the lens to infinity then focus w/gg? Will this work at all??? One of the lenses I'd like to try is a Soviet Helios w/the front element reversed. This will most likely make focusing even more difficult due to the very small "focus" area on the reversed lens, and how much (or how little) coverage I get.
Thank you.
Michael

[John Layton]

Years ago, I reverse-mounted an old 55mm f/3.5 Micro Nikkor lens by way of a salvaged (glassless) filter ring, which I'd glued into a hole cut into a piece of masonite which I'd sized to fit my old 4x5 Crown Graphic. I then unscrewed the glass from the Graphic's Optar lens, and mounted the naked shutter into a hole cut into a Nikon rear lens cap, which I then mounted to the back of that Micro Nikkor. This gave me a shutter with Flash sync. on that reverse-mounted lens, which worked great for larger than lifesize photos. Here's an example:



(watch movement floating on surface tension - water sprinkled with aluminum powder in a paper cup)

[Dan Fromm]

I'm sorry if this has been covered, a quick search didn't yield much. There was a recent post about a seller on Etsy selling lens boards that are set up for M42/L39 lenses. Any advice on this would be appreciated, I'd like to hear from someone with more experience than me (literally everyone on this forum) before I purchase.

I know there are many things to consider, like my lens cap would be the shutter. Another one is focus. Would you set the lens to infinity then focus w/gg? Will this work at all??? One of the lenses I'd like to try is a Soviet Helios w/the front element reversed. This will most likely make focusing even more difficult due to the very small "focus" area on the reversed lens, and how much (or how little) coverage I get.
Thank you.
Michael

Oy? Which format do you intend to use a "35mm lens" on? What do you hope to accomplish?

I ask because, although lenses for 35 mm cameras can be used on larger formats for macro work, as John Layton mentioned in post #2 above, in general they're useless on 4x5. No coverage, timing exposure requires heroic measures. In general, the lens cap trick gives exposures longer than desired when using even slowish films.

[xkaes]

It's easy to get these lenses on LF cameras -- just get a lens board with the largest hole possible for your lens adapter. You might need more than one -- or use step-up/down rings.

What's your adapter? A simple step-up ring to 42mm or 39mm or whatever the thread is. Then super glue it if the front of the lens board. You'll need to get a lens board with the hole placed appropriately for your camera.

If you want to reverse the lens, just use another reverse ring, such as 42mm-to-55mm -- or whatever the lens filter thread is.

Getting the lens on the camera is the easy part. Keep in mind that if you are using a 35mm lens, the USABLE image circle will likely be around 45mm at infinity. If you focus closer, the image circle will increase in size.

The bigger problem is getting the lens to focus on the film/ground glass. It has to be about 45mm away from the film to focus on infinity, and most LF cameras can't do this -- even with a recessed lens board. For MACRO work, where you have more extension, it is easier, but without a shutter, and a tripod, and flash light, macro work is not easy.

That's why there is not much discussion about it.

[pigpen]

Thanks all. This is why I wanted to ask here before I spent $$. My original idea, before I found the seller on Etsy, was a step-up ring on the back of a DIY lens board. I had given up on the idea until I saw the guy making the boards. I thought, if he's making the boards people must be doing it. I give up again, I'm good at that.

[ic-racer]

An 50mm enlarging lens might be better than camera lens seeing as the only way a 50mm lens will work on 4x5" format is in the macro range.
Without a shutter, I'd use strobe lights. Vibration at high magnification may degrade your image quality, so the rapid exposure time will help.

[John Layton]

...the exposure of the watch movement was made in a dark room with the (auxiliary) shutter open - by turning on a high intensity desk lamp for about one minute (no strobe) - on 4x5 Plus-X film.

[ic-racer]

It is a very nice image!

[monochromeFan]

There are several busch pressman cameras on ebay right now that are using enlarging lenses and the cameras focal plane shutter.

[pigpen]

I do have a Nikon 50mm enlarging lens that's been sitting on the shelf for 10 years.............