Idle hands (333mm meniscus lens in shutter)

[Graham Patterson]

I've been stuck at home for the past three weeks due to abdominal surgery, so I took the time to rummage through my odds and ends box. Officially I was sorting and tidying - surgery gets one a lot of slack! I turned up a 40.5mm +3 diopter close-up lens that happens to be a friction fit in the front of an old Seikosha-S shutter (from a Mamiya TLR). About f16 due to some mechanical vignetting. The shutter does B, 1/15, 1/60, and I had to bodge up a cable release using a Leica/Nikon adapter and a pencil end eraser, but it works. I doubt anyone would pass over a nice vintage Wollaston for it though!

Wide open, 8x10 HP5+
http://grahamp.dotinthelandscape.org/images/jpg/810/meniscus-1.jpg

About f64
http://grahamp.dotinthelandscape.org/images/jpg/810/meniscus-2.jpg

[Randy]

Did something similar a year or so ago - used a +3 diopter, which came out to be about 13" F/L and f/7 wide open but I made an aperture of black construction paper with is placed about 1.5" in front of the lens, making it f/16. I think I have taken only one or two pictures with it :( shot on 8X10...


https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/52893762/img627a.jpg

Get better soon.

[plywood]

Just tried that on 4X5 with a +2 (500mm) series V close up lens. Focusing via square sliding box made up from black foam core. Weather has been rotten with lots of rain and the foam core sure isn't water proof so no test yet. Can use it wide open with an aperture of about f18 or put a black construction paper stop in place with a 5mm hole for f100, lens cap shutter. Hope to try out soon with photo paper as a negative.

[Graham Patterson]

I put mine onto my 5x4 MPP the other day. Stopped down it is not too bad, but it is better suited to the 8x10 and limited or no enlargement.