Rick_van_Nooij Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 <p>I can't figure out in which section this topic would be best placed, so Moderators please feel free to move it to any section you deem more appropriate. It could easily have gone into the Rangefinder or Digital sections too, but with this classic lens a camera becomes more of a P&S-style camera.</p> <p>Two weeks ago I picked up an Industar-69 pancake lens for very little. Shipping it from the Ukraine cost more. This 28mm f/2.8 lens is designed to go with the Chaiga ("Seagull") half-frame camera. I've read the camera was named in honor of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentina_Tereshkova">female kosmonaut</a> with the same Call Sign. The lens features an M39 mount, so it could be used as an enlarger lens as well. Unfortunately the flange distance differs from regular LTM lenses, and the lens will not fully cover a 35mm film frame (well kinda "D'uh!" there)</p> <p>"So why buy this lens?" I hear you cry. Well, after reading two tutorials by more adventurous gearheads on hacking this lens with only a file, 1mm flat-head screwdriver and some grease (and a way to verify focus), I figured I would give it a try over the Easter holidays.</p> <p>Brian Sweeney wrote it took him about 30 minutes to file off enough (about 1mm) of the raised ring on the aluminum mount to allow the lens helical to screw in further. I figured I could do it, with my skill level, in oh say, twice as long....<br /> Instead of a file I used a handy dremel and it took me 3 attempts of filing, cleaning, mounting, checking focus, repeat before I was satisfied with the results I got. I used my Epson R-D1 (well, *I* consider it a classic camera!) as a collimator, taking a picture with the lens fully screwed in and aperture wide open.</p> <p>After I was satisfied with the focus, I had to file off a millimeter of the stop screws on the mount and on the focus ring or these would cause the ring to stick out too far, leaving a gap between it and the lens helical.<br /> I washed the parts and cleaned off all the aluminum shavings, re-applied some military-grade rifle grease to the helical and reassembled the whole thing. The focus ring was set so the distance scale matched the markings on the mount.<br /> Only problem was that the aperture indicator dot no longer matched with the numbers on the focus ring. This was solved by applying a new dot with a marker.</p> <p>So now I have a half-frame lens that will focus properly on my Leica cameras (all be it with heavy vignetting). But wait, the R-D1 hasn't got a full-frame sensor. The Industar-69 just about manages to cover it completely and only with very slight and pleasant case of vignetting. with the 1.53x crop-factor the lens would act like an 42mm.<br /> So for this test run I mounted it on my R-D1 and went for a walk. For most pictures I set the focus to 5m and stopped down to f/8. I set ISO to 200 and at first manually set the shutter speed, but eventually set it to ISO 400 and just put it on Auto Exposure, turning my digital Rangefinder camera into a P&S. <GASP HORROR!></p> <p><img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/I6901.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="446" /><br /> The same tulip from the NOOKY thread, but now in the shade</p> <p><img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/I6902.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="446" /><br /> Someone had the same idea as me to take the oldtimer out for a spin, unfortunately my Jeep wouldn't start</p> <p><img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/I6903.jpg" alt="" width="660" height="446" /><br /> The same broken fence from the "Let it SCNOO" topic I posted a month ago</p> <p><img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/I6905.jpg" alt="" width="446" height="660" /><br /> "Son of a gun. We'll have some fun down in the bayou"</p> <p><img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/I6907.jpg" alt="" width="446" height="660" /><br /> Easter dinner at my Sister's. Zap looks happy.</p> <p><img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/I6908.jpg" alt="" width="446" height="660" /><br /> Next day, in the afternoon I finally managed to get the Willys started. Here it is parked up at the monument at the Kapelsche Veer.</p> <p>First impression of Industar-69 lens: WOW! Okay, so it's not super-sharp and requires a bit of work and it's only a half-frame lens and there's no RF coupling. Who cares! It is CHEAP and the DOF is so deep you don't need to focus most of the time.<br /> Bit of a funny one this one. I'm interested to see what it will do when screwed on to one of my Leica cameras.</p> <p>Regards,<br /> Rick</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 <p>Classic hack, and it's pretty impressive in the results you were able to pull out of it, especially considering all the variables that could have been off a little one way or the other.</p> <p>At the resolution for the web here, these really do look plenty sharp.<br> Looking forward to seeing what it will do on your Leica.</p> <p>You understand, I am normally a "preservationist" who is reluctant to modify things (says he of the red Exakta, etc.); but something like this Industar is hardly an endangered species. Some lenses are made to be hacked (did I mention the Meyer Domiplan?).</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick_van_Nooij Posted April 26, 2011 Author Share Posted April 26, 2011 <p>Not to worry. I can recalibrate the lens to a Chaika camera if the need ever arises.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDMvW Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 <p>I guess I'm relieved, but it's not a big "whew" moment for me. ;)</p> <p>Good for you.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick_van_Nooij Posted April 26, 2011 Author Share Posted April 26, 2011 <p>Here's Hamish Gill's method for adapting this lens, you'll see the process is reasonably fool-proof (until nature finds a better fool) Even if you cut it down too much you can you can still set the stop pin on the focus ring for the correct distances.<br> <a href="http://hamishgill.blogspot.com/2008/11/modify-industar-69-for-use-on-epson-r.html">http://hamishgill.blogspot.com/2008/11/modify-industar-69-for-use-on-epson-r.html</a><br> The only difference with what Brian Sweeney did was that Mr Gill filed around the lens helical instead of the mount. Same result. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvy Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 <p>This is a good hack and I just feel the results are just so good. I love the slightly old look of the pictures but colour rendition is rather wonderful as well as sharpness.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnie_strickland Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 <p>I like Zap!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnashings Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 <p>Not my cup of tea what with the pixelography and all ;) But I really enjoyed the post, I find your hacking fascinating and the results are a pleasure as always. And I second Donnie - Zap is awesome!:)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick_drawbridge Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 <blockquote> <p>....re-applied some military-grade rifle grease to the helical....</p> </blockquote> <p>Of course! What else? Great modification, <strong>Rick</strong>. I posted some stuff on the Chaika a while ago, and the lens on that copy was abysmal. This one actually looks quite good. Thanks for a fun post.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gammill Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 <p>Nice adaptation job. Thanks for posting.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karim Ghantous Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 <p>Thumbs-up from me! I suppose this would be very well suited to Micro 4/3rds cameras, too. I would have liked to see some shots wide-open, though.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick_van_Nooij Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 <p>Thanks for the responses everyone,<br> Karim, I'll see about taking and uploading some wide-open shots later today (even if its just to upload something to the f/2.8 photography page on Facebook. Haha).<br> I've read posts by people who have successfully used the I-69 on the Sony NEX 5 and a few other Micro 4/3 cameras.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick_van_Nooij Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 <p>Some shots at f/2.8 as promised, all taken around 0.8m to 1.0m to bring on the swirly bokeh ;) :<br> <img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/I6911.jpg" alt="" width="446" height="660" /></p> <p><img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/I6912.jpg" alt="" width="446" height="660" /></p> <p><img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/I6913.jpg" alt="" width="446" height="660" /></p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karim Ghantous Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 <p>Thank you for posting those! Sadly I don't like the bokeh. However, I think that photographers should do their best to use as many lenses as they can.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick_van_Nooij Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 <p>I think the R-D1 software does influence the end results a lot. It's the same when I mount my Summitar or Summar lens on it. No Leica glow for one thing.</p> <p>Oh well, back to waiting for the mailman to deliver a Signet 35 and 10 rolls of XP2.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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