Homemade fisheye camera

<p>Hello everybody, what I want to share today is not a classic camera at all, but a camera I made myself from few bits of classic cameras, haha. The idea was to make a camera which would use a fish-eye lens from a 35mm camera to make circular exposures onto 120 film. Having a huge DOF a fish-eye would be forgiving to the low precision standards of simple hand tools, almost like a pinhole camera. For the project I used an old M42 Fish-Eye-Takumar 18mm f11, a body from broken Agfa Jsolette and a Copal #0 shutter from an old CRT Polaroid camera. I made an L-shaped lensboard from sheet aluminium and used a door peephole for the viewfinder. I adjusted the infinity focus by means of tracing paper in the film window, then fixed the lensboard in the position with two big screws. So it's a fixed focus camera:<br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/3031681188_860d974872_z.jpg?zz=1" alt="" width="640" height="457" /><br>

And here's some pictures I have taken with it:<br>

<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3031681250_069779c921_o.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="600" /><br>

Self-portrait in a Chinese Restaurant<br>

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<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/3030842821_d02ca1c8d4_o.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="600" /><br>

A Pedestrian with Pink Plastic Bag<br>

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<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/3030843035_81f120aa9b_o.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="600" /><br>

Beware of the Flying Log<br>

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<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/3030843349_330d1fd56d_o.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="600" /><br>

a Lovely Day for Kayaking<br>

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<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/3031681806_c09d0d3ddb_o.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="600" /><br>

Another Self-portrait.<br>

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<p>Wonderfully clever. The photos are excellent !</p>

<p>Agreed with Gene!</p>

All you need now is a die cutter and button machine. You could be a walking photo album wearing pin on picture buttons all over! Very cool!

<p>Interesting project. So you're using a fisheye lens intended for a 35mm camera to make images for 6x6 negatives, and that's why you get the whole image circle. Nice.</p>

<p>Given the short focal length, I don't suppose you really need to be able to adjust the focus once you have set it for infinity, but if the lens is simply screwed onto the board, shouldn't you still be able to adjust it with its own focus ring? Or did you remove the original M42 mount and the focus mechanism too?</p>

<p>Very interesting. DOF is incredible. Got to watch out for those fingers in the frame huh?</p>

<p>Neat job. I recognize your viewfinder from my front door and a host of fish-eye projects over the years.</p>

<p>Thanks <strong>Gene</strong>, <strong>Doug</strong>. Glad you liked it!</p>

<p>Haa, it's a really cool idea Cliff! If I only could force myself to stop buying old cameras and save the money for that gear... :) Thanks!</p>

<p>Craig, this particular lens was produced as a fixed focus device. Due to it's pin-point small maximum aperture of f/11 and short focal length there's no need for focusing ability anyway. There's a M42 lens mount on this camera though, so the lens can be unscrewed and replaced with any other m42 lens.. But as the focal plane would not be precisely parallel to the film plane, there's not much hope for a sharp image. You really need precise machines to build a good camera..<br>

Thanks for the interest!</p>

 

<p>Haa, yes Tom :)<br>

On some pictures I like the fingers being in the frame though... Gives an interesting effect of the photographer's presence in the scene.</p>

<p>Sorry Stephen, I did not know it was your front door...</p>

I was just looking up button and badge machines and came across some clear plastic refillable buttons that you put your photo into and snap together it has a clear front and a pin back at 50 cents each. You could buy a few of those and even swap pictures in them. I saw these at http://www.mrbutton.com Others might have similar things.

And I just saw some magnetic buttons. So you could mount the pictures in a button and stick them on the fridge! Those pictures are sounding saleable! You just might end up selling your photos by the thousands at card shops and boutiques!

<p>Top rate. I don't think you'll get any arguments on appropriateness here.<br>

Very clever.</p>

<p>Fingers, schmingers. That's what wide angle is for. You might want to be cautious with this one at a nudist camp, however.</p>

<p>Way cooler than a pinhole, that's for sure ! I've got an insolent Isolette that needs some new life.... Do you have a patent on this process, Dmitri ?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>It's all been said already. What a beautiful idea.</p>

<p>Hey Cliff, many thanks for the great idea and the link! The magnets is really something I would never think of myself!</p>

<p>Thank you JDM! True, everything gets smaller at the edge of a fish-eye field of view... One can easily misrepresent himself taking pictures at a nudist camp!</p>

<p>Cool Dmitri<br>

I am fascinated with the viewfinder it looks familiar xDDD</p>

<p>Hi Gabor, it's a very strange question! I think such things are done for fun and meant to entertain people and encourage them to make something better and err.. funnier. They do not need any protection. If you need more details on the design let me know... I may even still have the drawings somewhere. Good luck!</p>

<p>Kozma, that one came off Stephen's door. Can I have your address just in case... I may need another viewfinder ;)</p>

<p>LOL,<br>

How did you make the shutter transplantation? That is not that trivial. As far as I remember it is between the lenses. It does required quite some skills.</p>

<p>I simply put the shutter behind the lens. The diameter of the rear element is very small, so when the shutter's open nothing gets in the way of the light. Easy peasy!</p>

<p>Great work and fun to see the project here, thanks!</p>