CANON MP-E 65mm to Nikon mount conversion possible?

[marko_matic]

Can the CANON MP-E 65mm macro be converted to use on a Nikon mount? If so who can do the conversion and at

approximatelly what price?

[lester_hawksby1]

I don't believe so. Canon's lens mount is very different from Nikon's, and this lens is not as mechanically simple as a basic prime, so it would be difficult. Nikon's approach to extreme macro seems to have generally involved bellows instead.

[daniel rufer]

The main problem is the lens-flange to film-plane distance: Nikon has 46.50mm, while Canon has 44.00mm (EOS) or 42.00mm (FD). SO: Nikon lenses are designed to have 46.50mm available, meaning that when you want to put a Nikon lens on a Canon body, you have 4.50mm of thickness available (on an EOS mount) for the adapter.<br>

BUT: when you want to put a Canon lens (designed to have 44.00 or 42.00mm between lens flange and film) on a Nikon body (where this lens can impossibly be closer than 46.50mm to the film) you have the problem of always having the lens to far away from the film.<br>

This gives you the same result as when you would put an extension ring inbetween, meaning you at least lose infinity focus).<br>

You might not need inifity focus with the macro applications you intend, but I have no idea whether it will not pose other optical problems as well. And last but not least, due to these limitations there are - as far as I know - no adapters available for Canon lenses on Nikon mounts.<p>

Good luck,<br>

Daniel

[lester_hawksby1]

The infinity focus issue is probably not a problem. The lack of electrics on a mount adaptor, or electric connection between adaptor and camera body, would be serious. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall that Canon lenses only stop down electronically; a 5x macro lens with no opportunity to stop down would be of limited use!

 

I wonder if a reversed prime setup would achieve the magnifications Marko wants. Marko, could you give us any clues about your aims here and what macro equipment you're used to working with?

[marko_matic]

I currently have D200, 200mm macro + nikon extension tubes + TC @X, TC 1.4X, 50mm, reverse lens adoper (for

body), nikon 6T. I am aware of various combinations and have been using them in the field, however, in order to

change RR the whole thin thing needs to be disasembled. In my experience, The TCs cost too mucg light as do the

tubes. The 6T reversed on the 200macro works vell, but its not enough magnification for smaller flues, a couple

of mm long. The next step is the 50mm reversed on the 200 but it starts of with too much magnification, very hard

to locate the subject and focus in. Ideally I would love to have a lens that can span 1:3 - 4:1 which would allow

a whole range of subject matter (from bees to tiny flies) and finding the subject under smaller RR to then focus

in to a bigger RR. I have heard of some variable extension tubes lie the Zorb, but I have no real experience and

it does not seem like an elegant solution, loosing electronic information ( I need that for flash). Instead of

having to deal with nikon, I though it might be more practical to get the MP-E 65 converted, as I have seen both

Bjorn (on his website) and John Shaw (in his book Closeups in nature) did so.

 

The aim is to have a on the fly 1:3 - 4:1 RR lens with compatible with electronic flash that can be used hand-held.

[SCL]

It sounds like a goofy combination, but you might give Ken Ruth a call (831-423-4465, Photography on Bald Mountain). He has done a number of conversions for amateurs, professionals and film industry. Not cheap, but if it can be done, he seems to know the best approaches (he did a tough conversion for me a number of years ago). http://www.baldmtn.com/AINFOSHT2.htm

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

How about the Nikon Macrophot system? Specifically you might want to look for the Nikon 65mm F4.5 Macro lens...it

does 1-6x magnifications. It should be available for about $1000-$1500...but finding one might take some time.

Bjorn mentions it on his web site and Dr. Klaus does on his (as well as other alternatives). The entire macrophot

kit might be more in the $3000 range.

 

rdc/nyc

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

Here are some macrophot items:

 

http://nikongear.com/smf/index.php?topic=12543.0

 

Click through the link there to E**ay - I cannot post a direct link...

[joseph_wisniewski]

I think Robert is on the right track, or at least the sort of track that my own train runs on...

 

The Macrophot itself is too big to take into the field (it weighs, if memory serves. 85 pounds).

 

I have been known to take a Nikon PB-4 bellows and Zeiss Luminars into the field. On my particular combination of a Nikon D3, PK-13 extension ring (the PB-4 bellows won't mount to the camera without some extension), T-mount, and WizWerks conical T-mount to RMS (the Luminars have RMS "microscope objective" threads) I get:

 

63mm f4.5 - 1.5x (effective f11) to 3.7x (effective f21)

 

40mm f4 - 2.9x (effective f16) to 6.4x (effective f30)

 

25mm f3.5 - 5.2x (effective f22) to 10.8x (effective f41)

 

And believe it or not, I dressed one of my PB-4 bellows up with a Nikon 5 objective microscope turret, so that I can quickly change between a complete set of 63mm, 40, 25mm, and 16mm Luminar.

 

Sometimes the Nikon MPlan CF 20 ELWD and 40 ELWD ride in the highest mag slots, along with 63mm, 40mm, and 16mm Luminar. Granted, I'm not likely to try to engage either the 20 (13-25x) or the 40 (30-57x) in the field, but I can have them there, if I want to get crazy...

 

I also reversed the lower rails on that particular PB-4, so I can adjust the locks for light friction and adjust the lower rail with one hand, the front standard with the other, and effectively "zoom in" while holding focus.

 

Personally, I've tried MP-E65 before, and I don't like it. It has one adjustment: focus. That's basically like having a bellows where you can only adjust the front standard. You need it on a focus rail to be useful, and a Novoflex Castle-L at $250 is the cheapest rail that's as good as the lower rail on a PB-4 bellows. And the front of MP-E65 is huge, and I found it to really be in the way as far as lighting. The microscope objective style lenses like the macro Nikkors or Luminars are much easier to deal with. So you're talking $850 for an MP-E65, $250 for a rail = $1100. That's before you get through with the modification...

 

On the other hand, it's fast, a full stop faster than the Luminars on a bellows.

 

You can get a PB-4 used for around $200, and I've never paid more than $350 for a used Luminar, so the 40mm, 63mm, and PB-4 are a better quality, more versatile system, if you can deal with the stop slower speed.