What am I doing wrong?!?!?

Aaron Shaw · February 1st, 2005, 09:52 PM

The telescoping is the zoom. No need to worry about that. Just work with the focus ring.

To set your lens to infinity, yes, move the ring to the infinity symbol.

Kyle Edwards · February 2nd, 2005, 02:31 AM

http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0...F2FY53PH7VDO78

Camera w/ 10x macro filter - CD spinning - 35mm lens

Unusable but took 2min to put together. Perfecting it takes longer.

Bob Hart · February 2nd, 2005, 06:15 AM

Mandy.

Q and A as before.

It is a SIGMA Zoom 1:35~4.5 f=35~105mm. ---- I've heard Sigma zooms can be good but cannot comment from personal experience.

Maybe this might be better for use. ---- It might be sharper, maybe not. The aperture performance is no better on paper than your Kiron so it may still hotspot. My experience between the 28 - 85mm zoom (el cheapo from hockshop) and a Tamron 28mm - 200mm zoom was the 28mm - 200mm was worse for hotspot, though comparable for available aperture. This is not to detract from either lens in terms of performance in their original application. The original design intent for the lenses never envisaged their abuse in the application they are now put in Agus/Aldu projects. If you can afford it, go for a simple prime lens of 50mm with f1.8 aperture. Now is also the time to decide on a standard mounting system. So far it looks like you may have Yashica and Nikon?? They appear similar but won't interchange.

Right now I am still experimenting. I am going to set up a box, just to see what happens - a prototype for now. If it works, I will build another better model, but it helps to have people like yourself on board to give assistance! ----
Hopefully it is not a case of the blind leading the blind.

So what do you think of this lens? Is it going to be a better fit than the KIRON MACRO? ---- As I see it, probably not. They may perform similarly.

Leo Mandy · February 2nd, 2005, 07:56 AM

Thanks Kyle, yeah, I can get something simliar in a setup with my camera on a tripod, the 35mm on a tripod and the spinner CD being held in place, its brace wedged in a table - but you are right, unusable. I am trying to put together a usuable working model to see if I can do it.
If I fail miserably, that's ok, I can always get the Micro35 guide.

Bob, thanks - I am going to look for 50mm with f1.8 today and the next couple of days and see what I can come up with.
You are right as well about the interchangeability of the KIRON and the SIGMA, they seem to have the same ends, but the KIRON has a large circumference, so it doesn't fit. I thought all SLR were made to be interchangeable?

Going to hit a camera store and see if I can't get a spare cap for the ends for the SLR and use that to mount the lens on the front.

Are the 50mm with f1.8 rarer or hard to find? Am I going to get blank stares at the hock shop?

Cody Dulock · February 2nd, 2005, 11:38 AM

mandy i think the problem is, you are making an adapter just like the rest of us. quit while you're ahead... hahah jk. good luck with the adapter.

Aaron Shaw · February 2nd, 2005, 01:13 PM

50mm is the "normal" focal length. There should be no problem finding or acquiring one.

SLRs are indeed meant to be interchangable but you cannot interchange lenses between brands and sometime even different lens sets from a single company (think Canon....).

Leo Mandy · February 2nd, 2005, 03:18 PM

So I am not the only one going thru the growing pains of this thing?! I was starting to think I was! Every other day, someone was posting their new design, so I thought I was just stupid (maybe cuz I am!).

Right now, I am just trying to find the right material for this. Plywood today so I can start make box, but the 50mm with f1.8 aperture are expensive! I went to a hock shop and it was $50.00! More than I have right now for this project, so I might have to make do with the lenses I have right now. The hardest part is getting this thing right - yes, I can see the nice upside down picture, but focusing on infinity is proving to be a problem!

Also, does anyone know when breaking apart a CD player, is it just the red and black wire that need to be kept? What about the copper ribbon that attaches to the base? Thanks

Aaron Shaw · February 2nd, 2005, 03:38 PM

Mandy, you should only set the focus to infinity while trying to figure out the proper distance from the ground glass to the lens. After that use the focus ring. Trying to focus on something nearby when the lens is set to infinity is impossible. Inifinity is used for far, far, away objects.

Leo Mandy · February 2nd, 2005, 03:41 PM

Yep, thanks I am getting to that. Right now I need to figure out this CD player thing! the toy motors I have right now is too big and will not work when I am adjusting the focal range. I need to know if I can cut the Copper ribbon that attaches the motor to the casing and then which wire I need to keep!

Cody Dulock · February 2nd, 2005, 04:54 PM

there should be a cd motor with two wires coming out of it... they could be red and black, or green and white, or whatever... just unplug that from the circuit board. you can also remove the cd motor from the plastic thing the laser moves on. or you can remove all the laser crap and keep it mounted to it. i kept my cd motor mounted to the plastic thing.

look on ebay for lenses. their are usually some really good deals on there. i think i saw a canon f 1.4 lens on there a while back for the AE-1 type mount for really cheap (old school lens).

i used an old broken miranda cameras front mount off the camera and screwed it to my project box. i just use the old f 1.4 50mm lenses for it...

when i set my ground glass in the right spot, i went outside and set my focus at infinity and pointed it at something really far away, then adjusted the GG further or closer to the 35mm lens. you dont need your video camera for this. you can eyeball it by looking at the GG. but your box needs to be pretty enclosed so not alot of light gets through.

Leo Mandy · February 2nd, 2005, 09:35 PM

Thanks again. Yeah, I am in the process of getting some particle board and some different screws for another box, so I can fine tune and adjust as necessary. Getting this thing in a dark location isn't the easy thing, but I am going to have to try something.

Cody Dulock · February 3rd, 2005, 02:26 PM

i made my first prototype out of a cardboard box to see if it worked. cut a hole, taped the lens the box, taped the cd motor in, then cut a hole in the other side of the box... pretty simple and it worked and made me want to make this thing

Aaron Shaw · February 3rd, 2005, 02:36 PM

My first test was the same sort of thing. I used wax paper instead to test with and then moved on to work on a useable version.

Leo Mandy · February 3rd, 2005, 03:08 PM

Have you used your version for any filming yet?

Aaron Shaw · February 3rd, 2005, 03:09 PM

As in pro work? No, not yet.

February 1st, 2005, 09:52 PM	#31
Aaron Shaw Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 587	The telescoping is the zoom. No need to worry about that. Just work with the focus ring. To set your lens to infinity, yes, move the ring to the infinity symbol.

February 2nd, 2005, 02:31 AM	#32
Kyle Edwards Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: LI, NY Posts: 274	http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0...F2FY53PH7VDO78 Camera w/ 10x macro filter - CD spinning - 35mm lens Unusable but took 2min to put together. Perfecting it takes longer.

February 2nd, 2005, 06:15 AM	#33
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,477	Mandy. Q and A as before. It is a SIGMA Zoom 1:35~4.5 f=35~105mm. ---- I've heard Sigma zooms can be good but cannot comment from personal experience. Maybe this might be better for use. ---- It might be sharper, maybe not. The aperture performance is no better on paper than your Kiron so it may still hotspot. My experience between the 28 - 85mm zoom (el cheapo from hockshop) and a Tamron 28mm - 200mm zoom was the 28mm - 200mm was worse for hotspot, though comparable for available aperture. This is not to detract from either lens in terms of performance in their original application. The original design intent for the lenses never envisaged their abuse in the application they are now put in Agus/Aldu projects. If you can afford it, go for a simple prime lens of 50mm with f1.8 aperture. Now is also the time to decide on a standard mounting system. So far it looks like you may have Yashica and Nikon?? They appear similar but won't interchange. Right now I am still experimenting. I am going to set up a box, just to see what happens - a prototype for now. If it works, I will build another better model, but it helps to have people like yourself on board to give assistance! ---- Hopefully it is not a case of the blind leading the blind. So what do you think of this lens? Is it going to be a better fit than the KIRON MACRO? ---- As I see it, probably not. They may perform similarly.

February 2nd, 2005, 07:56 AM	#34
Leo Mandy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 749	Thanks Kyle, yeah, I can get something simliar in a setup with my camera on a tripod, the 35mm on a tripod and the spinner CD being held in place, its brace wedged in a table - but you are right, unusable. I am trying to put together a usuable working model to see if I can do it. If I fail miserably, that's ok, I can always get the Micro35 guide. Bob, thanks - I am going to look for 50mm with f1.8 today and the next couple of days and see what I can come up with. You are right as well about the interchangeability of the KIRON and the SIGMA, they seem to have the same ends, but the KIRON has a large circumference, so it doesn't fit. I thought all SLR were made to be interchangeable? Going to hit a camera store and see if I can't get a spare cap for the ends for the SLR and use that to mount the lens on the front. Are the 50mm with f1.8 rarer or hard to find? Am I going to get blank stares at the hock shop?

February 2nd, 2005, 11:38 AM	#35
Cody Dulock Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: arlington, texas Posts: 420	mandy i think the problem is, you are making an adapter just like the rest of us. quit while you're ahead... hahah jk. good luck with the adapter.

February 2nd, 2005, 01:13 PM	#36
Aaron Shaw Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 587	50mm is the "normal" focal length. There should be no problem finding or acquiring one. SLRs are indeed meant to be interchangable but you cannot interchange lenses between brands and sometime even different lens sets from a single company (think Canon....).

February 2nd, 2005, 03:18 PM	#37
Leo Mandy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 749	So I am not the only one going thru the growing pains of this thing?! I was starting to think I was! Every other day, someone was posting their new design, so I thought I was just stupid (maybe cuz I am!). Right now, I am just trying to find the right material for this. Plywood today so I can start make box, but the 50mm with f1.8 aperture are expensive! I went to a hock shop and it was $50.00! More than I have right now for this project, so I might have to make do with the lenses I have right now. The hardest part is getting this thing right - yes, I can see the nice upside down picture, but focusing on infinity is proving to be a problem! Also, does anyone know when breaking apart a CD player, is it just the red and black wire that need to be kept? What about the copper ribbon that attaches to the base? Thanks

February 2nd, 2005, 03:38 PM	#38
Aaron Shaw Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 587	Mandy, you should only set the focus to infinity while trying to figure out the proper distance from the ground glass to the lens. After that use the focus ring. Trying to focus on something nearby when the lens is set to infinity is impossible. Inifinity is used for far, far, away objects.

February 2nd, 2005, 03:41 PM	#39
Leo Mandy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 749	Yep, thanks I am getting to that. Right now I need to figure out this CD player thing! the toy motors I have right now is too big and will not work when I am adjusting the focal range. I need to know if I can cut the Copper ribbon that attaches the motor to the casing and then which wire I need to keep!

February 2nd, 2005, 04:54 PM	#40
Cody Dulock Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: arlington, texas Posts: 420	there should be a cd motor with two wires coming out of it... they could be red and black, or green and white, or whatever... just unplug that from the circuit board. you can also remove the cd motor from the plastic thing the laser moves on. or you can remove all the laser crap and keep it mounted to it. i kept my cd motor mounted to the plastic thing. look on ebay for lenses. their are usually some really good deals on there. i think i saw a canon f 1.4 lens on there a while back for the AE-1 type mount for really cheap (old school lens). i used an old broken miranda cameras front mount off the camera and screwed it to my project box. i just use the old f 1.4 50mm lenses for it... when i set my ground glass in the right spot, i went outside and set my focus at infinity and pointed it at something really far away, then adjusted the GG further or closer to the 35mm lens. you dont need your video camera for this. you can eyeball it by looking at the GG. but your box needs to be pretty enclosed so not alot of light gets through.

February 2nd, 2005, 09:35 PM	#41
Leo Mandy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 749	Thanks again. Yeah, I am in the process of getting some particle board and some different screws for another box, so I can fine tune and adjust as necessary. Getting this thing in a dark location isn't the easy thing, but I am going to have to try something.

February 3rd, 2005, 02:26 PM	#42
Cody Dulock Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: arlington, texas Posts: 420	i made my first prototype out of a cardboard box to see if it worked. cut a hole, taped the lens the box, taped the cd motor in, then cut a hole in the other side of the box... pretty simple and it worked and made me want to make this thing

February 3rd, 2005, 02:36 PM	#43
Aaron Shaw Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 587	My first test was the same sort of thing. I used wax paper instead to test with and then moved on to work on a useable version.

February 3rd, 2005, 03:08 PM	#44
Leo Mandy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 749	Have you used your version for any filming yet?

February 3rd, 2005, 03:09 PM	#45
Aaron Shaw Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 587	As in pro work? No, not yet.