Which lens mount works better?

Bill Porter · March 7th, 2006, 04:17 PM

Ah, cool! I skimmed the auction and saw "reverser" and thought it was one. This should make it super easy for you. I'm jealous, I had to make mine!

Mike Oveson · March 7th, 2006, 04:55 PM

You had to make yours? Wow! I can't even imagine approaching that sort of task. How did you do it? I'm assuming you had it machined. What a difficult task. Do you have any pictures of your set up? I'd be interested to see how you did it.

On a sort of "cost analysis" front, I have totaled up the preliminary cost of the parts for my two adapter variations. They are both very similar in design and use most of the same components. The prices below include shipping costs for internet orders. Here's the breakdown so far.

Macro Tube - $25
Focusing screen - $37
Macro lenses - $33
Step down ring - $15

Total Cost - $110

55mm spacer tube - $10.50
Nikon BR-3 lens mount - $35*
Coupler for lens mount - $12
Focusing screen - $37
Macro lenses - $33
Step down ring $15

Total Cost - $142.50

*this is based on ordering the BR-3 from B&H. If you can find it cheaper on eBay you'd drastically reduce the cost of this variation.

As you can see, the "Macro Tube" design requires fewer parts and would generally come in at a lower cost. These prices are all fixed and are from internet retailers. I'm sure there is some wiggle room based on what deals you could scrounge on eBay or elsewhere. Anyway, I just wanted to give an idea of what I'm looking at costwise on my design. Obviously I want to keep my costs low (and quality high) but I think it would be cool if this was something that others could benefit from. So, that's my latest rambling.

Wayne Kinney · March 7th, 2006, 05:20 PM

Mike,
I love to see people sharing their experiences and knowledge on this forum. 1 thing i have seen left out, is a condenser lens or PCX lens to avoid hotspot/vignetting. Checkout surplusshed.com or anchor optics for this.

Mike Oveson · March 7th, 2006, 05:30 PM

I love to see the cooperation too. It's just amazing the help you can get from people across the world or down the street on this place. =)

Thanks for the recommendation on the condenser. I agree that it's an important component to get the best quality image. The focusing screen I am attempting to use (a Nikon B III BrightView screen) has a built in condenser. As far as I can tell this particular Nikon screen hasn't been tested yet. Several people over on DVXuser.com have been going through a bunch of different screens to find out what is best. The D screen is highly coveted and difficult to obtain. There was hope for some Canon screens but we just found out they have a focusing circle in the middle. I'm waiting on the BIII to arrive (it's on backorder). If this proves to be a viable screen I think it will be a more available alternative than the D. It's not easy to find, but it seems to be available a little more frequently than the D screen. I have another thread going on here about it so I'll be posting up results when I have them. For all of the time I have spent here asking questions and requesting advice I wish I had something to show everyone. I'm sure I will in time. Thank you all for the support so far. This has been an excellent resource.

Wayne Kinney · March 7th, 2006, 05:47 PM

Mike,
Just a tip, go straight for the moving GG route. Trying to find the perfect static glass is insane. I can tell you know, that for under £10, you can have yourself a nice moving GG material and mechanism.

Bill Porter · March 7th, 2006, 08:09 PM

Mike,

My background overlaps with machining and machine shops so making stuff is easy for me, since I usually know someone or a neighbor with a lathe or a mill that I can either use... or bribe them into doing it for me!

Here is a pic of how I did one of my adapters without machining, though:

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/7...c03353m2dy.jpg

That's two-part epoxy, and happens to be "JB Weld" brand." When people hear "JB Weld" they usually think "sloppy work" but that's not necessarily the case. The reason so much sloppy work is done with it is that the people who are too lazy or cheap to do things right, often try to use it as a shortcut.

I built a little mask or dam out of Scotch tape around the adapter and let the JB weld take harden before removing the tape. That is why it's not splattered all over the place as if I were frosting a cake. And that picture is twice as large as life, which magnifies any flaws.

March 7th, 2006, 05:20 PM	#18
Wayne Kinney Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Brighton, East Sussex, UK Posts: 938	Mike, I love to see people sharing their experiences and knowledge on this forum. 1 thing i have seen left out, is a condenser lens or PCX lens to avoid hotspot/vignetting. Checkout surplusshed.com or anchor optics for this. __________________ Thanks, Wayne.

March 7th, 2006, 05:47 PM	#20
Wayne Kinney Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Brighton, East Sussex, UK Posts: 938	Mike, Just a tip, go straight for the moving GG route. Trying to find the perfect static glass is insane. I can tell you know, that for under £10, you can have yourself a nice moving GG material and mechanism. __________________ Thanks, Wayne.

March 7th, 2006, 04:17 PM	#16
Bill Porter Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ventura, California, USA Posts: 751	Ah, cool! I skimmed the auction and saw "reverser" and thought it was one. This should make it super easy for you. I'm jealous, I had to make mine!

March 7th, 2006, 04:55 PM	#17
Mike Oveson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ogden, UT Posts: 349	You had to make yours? Wow! I can't even imagine approaching that sort of task. How did you do it? I'm assuming you had it machined. What a difficult task. Do you have any pictures of your set up? I'd be interested to see how you did it. On a sort of "cost analysis" front, I have totaled up the preliminary cost of the parts for my two adapter variations. They are both very similar in design and use most of the same components. The prices below include shipping costs for internet orders. Here's the breakdown so far. Macro Tube - $25 Focusing screen - $37 Macro lenses - $33 Step down ring - $15 Total Cost - $110 55mm spacer tube - $10.50 Nikon BR-3 lens mount - $35* Coupler for lens mount - $12 Focusing screen - $37 Macro lenses - $33 Step down ring $15 Total Cost - $142.50 *this is based on ordering the BR-3 from B&H. If you can find it cheaper on eBay you'd drastically reduce the cost of this variation. As you can see, the "Macro Tube" design requires fewer parts and would generally come in at a lower cost. These prices are all fixed and are from internet retailers. I'm sure there is some wiggle room based on what deals you could scrounge on eBay or elsewhere. Anyway, I just wanted to give an idea of what I'm looking at costwise on my design. Obviously I want to keep my costs low (and quality high) but I think it would be cool if this was something that others could benefit from. So, that's my latest rambling.

March 7th, 2006, 05:30 PM	#19
Mike Oveson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ogden, UT Posts: 349	I love to see the cooperation too. It's just amazing the help you can get from people across the world or down the street on this place. =) Thanks for the recommendation on the condenser. I agree that it's an important component to get the best quality image. The focusing screen I am attempting to use (a Nikon B III BrightView screen) has a built in condenser. As far as I can tell this particular Nikon screen hasn't been tested yet. Several people over on DVXuser.com have been going through a bunch of different screens to find out what is best. The D screen is highly coveted and difficult to obtain. There was hope for some Canon screens but we just found out they have a focusing circle in the middle. I'm waiting on the BIII to arrive (it's on backorder). If this proves to be a viable screen I think it will be a more available alternative than the D. It's not easy to find, but it seems to be available a little more frequently than the D screen. I have another thread going on here about it so I'll be posting up results when I have them. For all of the time I have spent here asking questions and requesting advice I wish I had something to show everyone. I'm sure I will in time. Thank you all for the support so far. This has been an excellent resource.

March 7th, 2006, 08:09 PM	#21
Bill Porter Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ventura, California, USA Posts: 751	Mike, My background overlaps with machining and machine shops so making stuff is easy for me, since I usually know someone or a neighbor with a lathe or a mill that I can either use... or bribe them into doing it for me! Here is a pic of how I did one of my adapters without machining, though: http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/7...c03353m2dy.jpg That's two-part epoxy, and happens to be "JB Weld" brand." When people hear "JB Weld" they usually think "sloppy work" but that's not necessarily the case. The reason so much sloppy work is done with it is that the people who are too lazy or cheap to do things right, often try to use it as a shortcut. I built a little mask or dam out of Scotch tape around the adapter and let the JB weld take harden before removing the tape. That is why it's not splattered all over the place as if I were frosting a cake. And that picture is twice as large as life, which magnifies any flaws.