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Thread: Lens diopters for the complete idiot (me)

  1. #11

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    Re: Lens diopters for the complete idiot (me)

    In the 1980s, had a chance to use a Zeiss-TECHNIKA-Biogon on a 4x5 Super TECHNIKA (hope my nomenclature is correct) to take some hand held architectural images. If I remember, was a challenge just to get the "rig" together, but I can't remember why. Camera was heavy and awkward to carry up a vertical metal ladder inside the top floor of the building where all the utilities were located. Had to squeeze through some tight spaces and dodge a fair number of pipes just to get to the ladder, and then at the top of the ladder had to lock my legs around the ladder to unlatch the overhead door's handle and open it, thank God for wearing a headlight. Getting down was more challenging that getting up. Swore never to do that again until I got the Chromes back from the lab. They were amazing. Client was totally impressed with the images. Some years later had the chance to acquire that same optic at a great price, but for some reason didn't... regretted it years later and even today. Jac, good luck with your project. Sounds like it will be well worth it in the end.

  2. #12
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: Lens diopters for the complete idiot (me)

    Quote Originally Posted by Greg View Post
    In the 1980s, had a chance to use a Zeiss-TECHNIKA-Biogon on a 4x5 Super TECHNIKA.
    Good for you! I find the Super Technika w/75mm Biogon well balanced - with both left and right grips, something unattainable then and today. Being heights adverse I admire your effort! I get shivers just imagining.

  3. #13
    Jac@stafford.net's Avatar
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    Re: Lens diopters for the complete idiot (me)

    Another odd-bird. A 47mm ƒ5.6 S/A fitted to a universal 4x5 back which, of course, accepts many roll film backs.

    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	186668 and what started this nonsense, my first 47mm ƒ5,6 on a handmade wood body. Click image for larger version. 

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    Of course each has a focus helix and ground glass back

  4. #14

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    Re: Lens diopters for the complete idiot (me)

    I have some diopters that I've used with 35mm film as close up lenses on a 50mm lens. I've also used them in front of a Sinar Shutter on 4x5 or 5x7 to see what they'd do in comparison to plasmats. They are very soft focus. I've never tried them in front of a plasmat so I don't know how they'd degrade the performance. Those diopters/meniscus lenses have huge coverage used as the only lens, way beyond 8x10. I was given an iris from a stage light which is bigger than I need. I worked out an f stop scale for it, put a UV filter with the same thread diamter as the diopters and now can have a variety of focal length soft focus lenses for my restored 8x10. I plan to mainly use "better" lenses though. it never occurred to me to use them in front of the better lenses. I will have to try that, I suppose, if only just to see what it looks like on the ground glass.

  5. #15
    Guilherme Maranhão coisasdavida's Avatar
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    Re: Lens diopters for the complete idiot (me)

    Quote Originally Posted by Jac@stafford.net View Post
    such as 3', 15', 50' and so-forth
    3' would be close to 1 meter, so +1 diopter
    15' would be close to 5 meters, so +0.2 diopter
    50' would be close to 15 meters, do +0.07 dioter

    +1 would be very easy to find, +0.25 could be a reading glass lens, +0.07 have no idea

  6. #16

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    Re: Lens diopters for the complete idiot (me)

    The so-called close-up filters are diopters. I have a set referred to above +1, 2, & 4. They can be used in combinations. These are positive meniscus lenses. I’ve used them to take 5x7’s. The coverage for these are huge as taking lenses. Way beyond 8x10. I put the 1 diopter in a piece of cardboard in an otherwise blacked out 2nd story bathroom window once and it illuminated a vast area out focus. I got a whiteboard to see what it looked like in focus—-I couldn’t move the opposite wall and it covered that. Iirc it was 30x48”. Someone will have a link to the guy selling meniscus lenses for ULF work at a sensible price.

  7. #17
    Maris Rusis's Avatar
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    Re: Lens diopters for the complete idiot (me)

    Variable dioptre lenses are easy. Just get two of the same power but of opposite sign eg a +3 and a -3. Standard 75 diameter mm spectacle lenses are a good place to start experimenting. When the lenses are placed in contact the powers cancel and the result is 0 dioptres. When separated by 1 millimetre the power becomes 0.009 dioptres. By varying the spacing other powers can easily be generated. Gullstrand's Equation says it all. But that does not solve the OP's problem needing huge and unobtainable (?) dioptre lenses.
    Photography:first utterance. Sir John Herschel, 14 March 1839 at the Royal Society. "...Photography or the application of the Chemical rays of light to the purpose of pictorial representation,..".

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