so i'm finally getting around to building my own lenses. all based on the 'Primitive Photography' book's designs, although i've realized after building an 8x10 camera that it's more fun and efficient to put these funky things on my Toyo instead. currently i'm working on a 300mm single-element landscape lens, just to get my chops back in shape.
so here's my question. this lens will have various stops that fit over the end, as a sort of lens cap with a hole in it. does the material the stop is made of need to be super thin? the book recommends construction paper, which isn't very durable. if my stops are thicker, will i get defraction problems? how thick is too thick? i was eying some DVD case plastic, which is 1-2 mm thick. it's a pain to cut though, so i'm looking for alternatives.
or to ask the question a different way: how thick are waterhouse stops on an old brass lens?
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