oliver_vogler

Hey guys! Not really sure if this is the right place for this. If there's a better subforum, please feel free to move the thread! Thanks! :) Here's the plan: I'd like to get a Nikon D3200 and convert it to infrared. I need to open the camera, remove the IR blocker and replace it with a suitable filter. Lifepixel has a tutorial for that exact camera model so I guess I should be able to do it. I already converted a small point-and-shoot successfully. The problem is the cost of the filter. Lifepixel offers one for 99$, shipping cost to my country are an additional 60$ and I'm just not willing to pay so much for a tiny piece of glass. Two possibilities: 1. I find someone else who sells them. Do you know any place where I can get infrared cut filters that go inside the camera? 2. I cut a conventional screw-on filter to the correct rectangular shape. In that case I need to know the correct thickness. Is there any list for that? How can I find out what thickness I need for the D3200 and is it possible to stack multiple IR filters for that purpose? I can't find much on that topic online but I guess it doesn't hurt to ask you guys! Any hints are appreciated! :)

<p>I guess I found the solution. First of all, I had a look through the viewfinder once more and realised that when I move my finger in front of the scene, the background gets strangely distorted. Just to make sure I compared with the 50mm and everything's fine there. Plus, I hear a loose part inside the lens when I carefully shake it...<br> So, Ray, I guess you're right. One of the lens elements seems to have come loose or is at least misaligned as you suggested. I hope it can be easily repaired...</p> <p>Thanks for your suggestions, I really appreciate the help!</p>

<p>Rodeo Joe: The effect was on many of the pictures. I'll check for blurriness through the viewfinder but I need to stop down for good results, so I need to wait until the sun's up. Will keep you updated!</p> <p>Ray: I thought about the same, that a lens element got misaligned somehow. However, I treated the lens as carefully as I always do, it didn't fall, didn't bump into anything... Do you know how much it would cost to repair a misaligned lens element? I don't think it's the film, it would be too much of a coincidence that all of the 50mm pictures are fine.</p> <p>I'll go shoot the rest of the roll tonight, with both 50 and 80mm. The sooner I can develop it and have a look, the better. I'll try to shoot subjects that make analysis and comparison a little easier...</p> <p>Thanks for your help!</p>

<p>It was definitely from the second roll and it wasn't the only one. As I said, those I took with the 80mm lens (9 pictures) are blurry in the same area as the one shown above. The 50mm ones are sharp throughout the frame. All of the pictures were captured within two days, most of them during the same afternoon.<br> Since it only affects the pictures shot with the 80mm I'd say it has to be the lens but I have no idea how it could have changed so much from one roll to the next. I also checked the lens again in better light, apart from some dust on the outside there's nothing wrong with it.</p> <p>I guess the best would be to shoot another roll quickly and check the results for sharpness...</p>

<p>Hey guys!<br> About half a year ago I purchased a Hasselblad 500c/m with a standard lens, Zeiss Planar 80mm f/2.8. Since then I also got a 50mm lens.<br> <br />After not shooting for about a month, I shot two rolls this weekend and developed them. What I saw was that the pictures taken with the 80mm lens on the second roll seem to be blurry in the lower quarter (example below) while the 50mm ones aren't. The first roll was already inside the camera since last time I shot but the pictures I took this weekend (80mm) were all fine.<br> Do you know what could cause this? Could the film have been inserted incorrectly somehow, or might it have been loose? I did everything exactly as usual and had never had this problem before. That would also not explain why the pictures taken with the 50mm are sharp.<br> Or could the lens be the problem? I'd be surprised if the loss in sharpness happened overnight like it did but would this be a possibility?<br />I have the feeling that focussing is a little more difficult since it happened but I might just be searching for explanations... I had a quick look through the lens and couldn't see anything like mold, dust, etc.</p> <p>Example:<br> I took this at either f8 or f11, so the picture should be totally sharp. Other examples were the same, always a linear gradient in the lower quarter or so.<br> <img src="http://fs5.directupload.net/images/160329/ti74qird.png" alt="" width="867" height="888" /></p>

<p>I know there's a big discussion going on about this. What I'd like to do is make it flexible. If I need to see a bright picture I can attach the fresnel, if I need to focus it I'll remove it. I know about the disadvantages but would like to try it for the experience of it and because I think the effect is fascinating. I might end up not attaching a fresnel sheet at all in the end but we'll see!<br> Anyway, thanks for your help, I really appreciate it! I have a clearer understanding of it now and am looking forward to trying it!</p>

Thanks Bill, that makes perfect sense! I'm sure it would be much easier if I had all the parts already in front of me but looking at pictures of online stores doesn't really help understanding the effects. Thanks for your help!

<p>Hey guys!</p> <p>I'm playing with the thought of building my own LF camera and am currently gathering information about the topic. At the moment I'm trying to figure out the cheapest ways to make a ground glass for the back of the camera. The glass itself should be no problem but I have some questions about the fresnel layer. I don't want to spend 200$ on this but I found lots of cheap plastic fresnels that would do the job just as well, I think. I would need it to see a brighter picture and then remove it for focussing.</p> <p>However, they all have different focal lengths, and that's what confuses me. I didn't find a single question about this in the forums nor anywhere else. Is there anything to consider when I choose one or doesn't it really matter what focal length I get? Is there any connection with the lens I'm going to use? For example, I found some with a focal length of +330 and others with +118 and I'm sure they have a different influence on the picture but I can't figure out how it will affect the brightness or enlargement.</p> <p>I think I'm going to attach the fresnel on the photographer's side of the GG. Like that it doesn't mess with my focus and is easier to remove when I don't want to use it. Plus, since those plastic fresnels cost next to nothing, they can protect the GG which would be more of an effort to replace.</p> <p>What exactly are the effects of a fresnel sheet's focal length on the image brightness or quality? Can you suggest any other cheap alternatives to the professional fresnel lenses? Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>A little update: I succeeded in opening the front and could get it back to how it was before I started repairing it. Today I'm going to try again to find out why the shutter doesn't cock. I understand the mechanism a little better now and hope I can make it work again!</p>

<p>Well guys, I'm afraid I messed it up. I just tried to open the shutter and found out it looks different from the ones in Ken's link in that there is no way to open the case from the front. There are no screws I could remove, I had to open it from the back. And that's just about as far as I got.<br> I tried the shutter mechanism a couple of times, tried to find out what could cause the problem and at some point the cocking mechanism as well as the shutter release didn't move at all. The cocking lever is in the original position, the shutter release is stuck in the fired position.<br> Here are two photos to show you how it looked. Front and back of the closed shutter case, then the open one, as far as I got.<br> Front:<br> http://fs1.directupload.net/images/150905/egouz35d.jpg</p> <p>Back:<br> http://fs2.directupload.net/images/150905/it97hj8u.jpg</p> <p>Open:<br> http://fs2.directupload.net/images/150905/c6tdkiye.jpg</p> <p>How would you normally open this any further? Or did I miss a way of opening it from the other side? I couldn't see any screws like in Ken's link and I didn't want to mess around with the focussing mechanism. The focus is enough of a problem with this old camera as it is. ;)<br> @Chuck: There is another thread on this topic that gave me some hints on that. There it was suggested to drip some lighter fuel into the mechanism to get rid of the hardened grease. I'm not sure about the consequences though, in that case I guess it would still be necessary to open up the mechanism and add some fresh grease.<br> I'd be very happy about any help with my new problem! Sorry that I messed it up... I might try it again tomorrow if I feel adventurous. ;)</p>

Ken: Thanks for the link! It's not exactly the same model but I can use it for reference. And I didn't know those types were called rim set shutters, so searching for hints will be easier from now on. I'll give it a try on the weekend. Charles: Thanks for your link as well, I'll use it for reference even though it's not the same model. Every bit of information is appreciated! Unfortunately sending the camera to California won't be possible, I live halfway across the world, but thanks for the offer!

<p>Hey guys!<br /> Today I bought a Voigtländer Bessa with an Anastigmat Skopar 1:4.5 F=10.5cm and a Compur shutter. After comparing it with pictures online I think it's the model from 1937 (please correct me if I'm wrong). I paid around 15€, so it was pretty cheap, but I discovered that the shutter doesn't work anymore, the cocking lever doesn't stay in place.</p> <p>I have two possibilities now. Either I get a cable release, hope it's compatible and then use Bulb or Timed mode to take long exposure shots because they don't involve the broken lever. Everything else, especially shorter exposures, won't be possible. The other possibility is to open up the lens and try to figure out what's the problem. Of course that's a very delicate matter and I'm not very familiar with the camera or lens repair in general, that's why I would like to ask for some advice here. Has anyone of you ever done such repairs and succeeded? Is there anything less drastic that I could try before I start taking things apart?</p> <p>Apart from the cocking lever that doesn't cock, everything seems to work fine. The timer function on top of the lens makes the lever get stuck completely but I managed to get it back to its normal position, thanks to another forum thread here.</p> <p>Here's a picture of my camera:<br /> <img src="http://fs2.directupload.net/images/150826/evs82mb6.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p>Thank you already in advance! I hope you can help me!</p>