w/nw: Noctilux, Shmoctilux

[nathaniel_pearson]

The, well, interesting results of epoxying a 65mm f/0.75 Kowa

lens deep into a Fed 5. Apparently, not quite deep enough for a

flat field or any sort of sharpness, but it's certainly got a 'look'...<div></div>

[nathaniel_pearson]

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[nathaniel_pearson]

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[nathaniel_pearson]

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[regit_young1]

Very nice, has a very nice mood to them :) I've done some "epoxying" myself but has yet to do any for rangefinder (mainly for micro-work on SLR) ... maybe one day :) For now, here's one from a Rodenstock... more can be found <a href=http://www.pbase.com/regit/heligon>here</a>. <br><br>

<img src=http://www.pbase.com/regit/image/34709451/original.jpg>

[lawrence_bochkis]

Regit,

I too would like to know more. Those pictures are wonderful.

Furthermore, all your Pbase galleries are great.

 

Inquiring minds want to know what you did with your Rodenstocks.

[vivek iyer]

<center><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3859779-lg.jpg"></center>

 

50/1, D70

[vivek iyer]

<center><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3859813-lg.jpg"></center>

[regit_young1]

Hi Peter and Lawrence, thank you for the kind words :)<br><br>

 

Rodenstock made a number of industrial lens that have really large aperture (e.g. TV-Heligon and XR-Heligon). They can normally be found on eBay for very little money so experimenting with them is not a costly exercise.<br><br>

 

Apart from the lens, the next thing you'll need is a suitable mount. Since I'm using Nikon (and this would work for any SLR if adapter is available), I simply bought a bunch of m42->F-mount adapters (Alexphoto on eBay is the cheapest) and glued them to the base of the lens (depending on lens as seen in some pictures in my gallery); you can of course, choose to drill and screw, rivert, etc... but basically, the idea is simply get them stick to the mount. Mechanically, that's basically it :)<br><br>

 

As there is no iris nor focusing helicoid, and since the back-focal length of these lens is really short, they are only useful for micro work, so there isn't much to worry about register, film-to-flange, etc. Of the various lens, I've found that only the 75mm f1.1 XR-Heligon can be reversed-mounted to get infinity focus.<br><br>

 

In actual use, it takes a bit of getting use to. There is no focusing mechanism and that would mean that one has to move back and forth to achieve proper focus. This is compounded by the fact that these lens are rather heavy... in other words, rather akward to use. But since they are really bright, the resulting speed can afford handheld shots.

<br><br>

 

But beyond these limitations, the pictorial quality afford by these lens is quite unique. Shallow DOF, distortions and excessive abberations work well together to give a really dreamy look to the photo. And if you haven't realise ... they are not sharp :) (though some other makes can be very sharp, e.g. the CRT-Nikkor 55/1.2, which I believe is one of Vivek's favourite).<br><br>

 

Well, go look at eBay now :)

[vivek iyer]

<center><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3859884-md.jpg"></center>

 

 

Nikkor O on a Bessa L.

 

 

 

<center><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3823812-lg.jpg"></center>

[vivek iyer]

Experimentation with optics is fun. Regit has been doing that for sometime now with excellent results. Not all lenses need to esoteric, expensive or rare. The 6.22am shot was through a 50mm f/1 quartz condensor lens. The 6.43am shot was using a not so fast lens (45mm f/2.8 GN-Nikkor with an E2 ring and at f/5.6 or f/8).

 

The CRT Nikkor 55/1.2 lens is optimised for 1/4-1/5.5X magnification and using it at infinity produces bizzare images. Lots of aberrations, distortions and what not.

 

All such endeavors do not come even CLOSE to the fabulous and expensive Noctilux as the thread title fro Nathan suggests.

 

Great lenses will always remain great.

[brambor]

Vivek, very nice on nov 07, 2005; 06:22 a.m.

[regit_young1]

Excellent, Vivek :) I guess now we need a RF-coupled Lensbaby :)

[vivek iyer]

Rene, Thanks. I have been goofing around with *special lenses* for a while and have not determined if any of them suit me.

 

More on/of the fuzzy images/gear can be found here:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Aftn

 

Regit, Yeah, an RF coupling is what is lacking for such lenses :-)

[nathaniel_pearson]

The Frankenlux doesn't just lack rf coupling -- I actually had to

give the body a radical camectomy in order to fit the hulking rear

end of the lens as far back as I could. I could have ground down

the outside of the barrel a bit more to get it another mm or so

back, which might actually improve the image quality quite a bit

(though it would throw the focal 'plane' several meters further

out). If the mood strikes, I may try to calibrate the remaining rf to

the correct (and unadjustable) focal distance, for more accurate

bipedal focusing.

 

Meanwhile, I'll keep pining for a Hexanon 60/1.2...or, failing that,

a c-mount CMOS digicam...

[vivek iyer]

Nathan, It may be better to locate a Hexanon sample. As you have found out, the X-ray collimating lenses (65/0.75 and the like) do not cover the full 35mm frame except at very close focusing distances. As I mentioned to you before, a 86mm f/1.2 Navitar lens (rare but not impossible to find) has a large image circle (enough for 645). It is optimised for 1:1. But, since the back focus is large, it can focus to infinity in front of a Nikon F or Leica R. Images are a *bit* soft.

 

Canon 50/0.95 is another possibility for the M mount.

[nathaniel_pearson]

Yeah, I'd come to same conclusion. I could live with the non-full-frame issue if the

resolution and other image quality factors were on par with good 35mm lenses -- an

extra 2 stops over f/1.4 would certainly be worthwhile then, even with the extra heft.

(And, indeed, Vivek's CRT Nikkor pic does look superficially pretty good on-axis, even

at such small magnification). But there's no substitute for a Noct, or a Hexanon, for

that matter.

 

Which raises the C-mount digicam idea again -- there are tons of cheap lenses far

faster than the Ricoh GR digital's, and with plenty of coverage for such sensors. Has

anyone out there tried to hack either a fixed-lens still digicam or a low-light c-mount

video camera for such a purpose?

[vivek iyer]

The CRT Nikkor does yield super sharp and almost distortionless images within a 10-12mm image circle at infinity. Outside of this is a completely different story. Rodenstock used to have data on their collimating lenses (like the 75/1.1 and other Heligons) that I can't find anymore. Reported resolution is >90 lp/mm.

 

Mounting these lenses on a digicam with a tiny sensor would give you a telephoto camera with a fast lens. Exactly the reverse of the Ricoh digital GR with its wide angle lens. I am waiting for a chance to find a nice digicam (with an APS size sensor) that will give RAW images. I will have to wait for a long while, I think (or enter the Nokia contest? Nah!). If you do a search you will find that a lot of astronomy folks have made such contraptions with a webcam.

 

Good luck with your endeavours, Nathan!

[nathaniel_pearson]

That fast, compact portrait digicam is exactly what I'd like to see. I figure one can

readily do ambient-light wides with a 35/1.2 Nokton, &c., or with slower-but-tiny

wonders like the Contax T (or GR digital, for that matter). But higher-magnification

portraits in low light are much more demanding re. shutter speed (even with anti-

shake sensors, given that subjects shake too), and that's where the small sensor size

can actually be turned into an overall plus, in terms of compactness.

[arthuryeo]

Noct-lust<p>

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<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3670416-lg.jpg">

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<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3661652-lg.jpg">

[vivek iyer]

Neat examples, Arthur!

[Rob F.]

Great German Shepherd, Arthur! And a great picture! My favorite dog!

[arthuryeo]

Thanks, guys.