$1 Lens... Now what?

Absinthe · Apr 25, 2008

Got the rear and front element out. Seems there are another pair of elements held in place by that black "barrels" that held the first two cells.

So I definitely need to unscrew these barrels, but I am debating whether it needs acetone to release some kind of glue, or just a penetrating oil to loosen them.

I hope I am not boring anyone with my little stream of consciousness posts here. Makes for a nice sounding board.

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

Ok, so acetone it is!! Appears that they intended this to all stay together as a unit. I am guessing that the barrels are machined to keep the cells at specific distances from each other and from the iris. Then they are screwed into the shutter, and glued there so that I can't easily use this shutter for something else Actually, this is an interesting shutter. I see the way they have come up with the combined cock and fire mechanism.

Hmm, seems I must be missing something. The part that is supposed to trip the shutter, is not catching it. I know I haven't dropped any pieces, but it would seem like something needs to be pressing this down so that it engages it. Well, getting late, maybe I can find a picture somewhere.

Paul Cocklin · Apr 26, 2008

Absinthe said:
I hope I am not boring anyone with my little stream of consciousness posts here. Makes for a nice sounding board.

I'm reading with interest! Please go on...

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

Well, seems that if I take it all apart, and make sure the parts are all nice and straight and fix about a 2 degree bend, putt it back together again and Bob's Your Uncle I got a nice sounding set of shutter speeds and t and b work as well!!!

So I now have a shutter, that looks like it will take about 45mm front and back threads and a flange or retainer that would need to be about 50mm. According to my multimeter, the synch seems to close though I guess I can go back and clean that contact too at some point.

Not a bad night. Next, I will make sure the cells are clean and get the rest of the glue off the threads. Then see if maybe I can remove those silly other pieces that I guess are specific to the OSCILLOSCOPE connection.

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

When I look at my wall it would seem that I can get a circle about 6" or so if I only hold up 1 element at least to my foggy memory that seems much larger than it was when the whole thing was together. And if nothing else these elements would make phenomenal loupes Well, brain is tired now, sleep now, post later

Murray@uptowngallery · Apr 26, 2008

Dan may know (he may not be in a telling mood) if the Oscillo-lens has radioactive glass or not. Some varieties did (high index of refraction glass).

If the glass has a yellow/brown tint (look through it at a sheet of white paper), you may want to assume it is, and follow the usual rules for living with 'hot glass'...don't make a telescope out of it (minimize near eye proximity), don't store it with film (unless you like scintillation tracks), don't ride around in your car with it in your lap (if you plan on having a litter), and don't store it under your bed.

My radioactive lenses (that I know of) are as far away as possible, in the garage.

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

Well I should have gone to bed already, but the acetone was calling my name. I got both the top and bottom mounts off of the barrels. Intersting thing, I can put the thinner of the two on the flange threads of the shutter. Theoretically, if the lens board is not too thick, I can actually use it as a jam nut. The other one will server no purpose or actualy it would be thick but I could use it as a jam nut using the cell barrel's threads instead of the shutters if the and have lots of room to work with.

So I mounted the shutter and just the rear cell and put it on the calumet, and damned it I didn't fill the whole GG with a bellows extension of about 4-6" with roughly twice or a little less angle of my 7". Basically where I normally focus into the next room at the door way, and usually that is all I see, I also got the ceiling and ceiling fan at midroom and some brickabrack in the corner. It is night time and I was stopped down to see how sharp I could get it.

But since my makeshift lensboard was made from a quick slice of a cardboard box and didn't seat well in the camera, I decided not to leave it mounted.

Is this a normal thing to do, I mean mounting a cell behind the shutter and nothing in front? The tominon in the polaroid shutter I have only has a lens in front, so I guess it isn't too crazy...

Anyway, now I really need sleep, good thing my dark room is not built and functioning or this would be an all niter...

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

I'd say these are clear... I don't notice any tint or anything other than my thumb prints and when I had the glass out in my palm or on a sheet of paper it seemed really clear.

monemmer · Apr 26, 2008

Hey Bradley, thanks for pointing me toward this thread, so I can get the whole story of your strange lenses

- Markus

Dan Fromm · Apr 26, 2008

"Is this a normal thing to do, I mean mounting a cell behind the shutter and nothing in front? The tominon in the polaroid shutter I have only has a lens in front, so I guess it isn't too crazy..."

Search for "convertible lens" and "convertible Symmar." Both have been discussed fairly recently, if not here then on the LF forum.

The Tominon in barrel you have mounts as a unit -- front and rear cells, with diaphragm between -- in front of its shutter. It is not convertible.

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

Dan --

I have read about the convertible, but perhaps I misunderstood. I assumed you removed cells, but didn't realize that you removed everything. My only concern is that the blades are exposed. However they are exposed from the rear on the tominon, and what would be the difference if they were exposed from the front.

Once I get to shooting some stuff it will be interesting to see what kind of image I can get from this. Obviously, it changes the specifications of the lens having just one of the cells in place. Wonder if that will effect exposure ...

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

Hey Markus! Great to see you here too

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

The saga continues, I believe I have 2 more coming. Today I got the electrophoresis camera. Relatively simple piece of equipment. I snatched the lens (Tominon 105 and Polaroic Copal shutter).

This is interesting in that there is no lever on the shutter, it must be used with a cable release. It is about 2/3 the size of the one from the MP-4, and only has one release. Neither has a T setting, though I like that the one from the MP-4 has a second release that just acts as a T on its own.

Anyway, this shutter has an iris in it, and the 105 seems to cover 4x5 at least across the room. For all intents and purposes this one is cherry.

Curious, if I put the camera back on eBay with no lens, and no shutter, will anyone bid on it It looks like the Polaroid back (pack film) could be liberated with 8 screws, but I doubt it would be worth my efforts to mess with. Who knows, could be an interesting project for someone. With a little more than 6" from lens hole to film plane, might be fun for a pinhole project.

Too many projects! I just got a piece I need to finish my Reflex II, (thanks Markus) so I think I am off to work on that.

Dan Fromm · Apr 26, 2008

Illuminates does not mean covers. The "duh. it looks ok on the groun grass" test is used by dishonest sellers on eBay.

My two MP-4 shutters (both marked "Polaroid MP-4" on the front) have an open shutter lever (that's the one with the black dot) as well as two cable release sockets, one to fire the shutter and another to open it. Different people have different preferences. I find it easier to operate the open shutter lever than fuss with two cable releases.

The only way to find out whether people will bid on an item if it is offered on eBay is to offer it on eBay. Go to it!

Absinthe wrote "I have read about the convertible, but perhaps I misunderstood. I assumed you removed cells, but didn't realize that you removed everything." Eh? Wot? Most, not all, convertible lenses are intended to be used with the front cell removed from the shutter. Some are intended to be used with the rear cell removed from the shutter. If you remove both cells from the shutter, you'll have a large pinhole.

Murray@uptowngallery · Apr 26, 2008

Alot of early 20th c. camera had a meniscus lens behind the iris and shutter, the blades of which were sometimes made of hard rubber, fiber, etc, instead of metal.

Dust might be an issue, but they're pretty durable if one keeps one's fingers out.

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

Come on now Dan, I am not suggesting that I would sell something based on "looks good on the GG" but until I shoot an actual photo with it, that is all I have to report. Point was, that if I put both elements in it, it makes a circle in the center of the GG and the sides and edges look like tihs.

On the convertibles, I meant "everything" as in the whole piece behind or in front of the shutter. (As it in fact is) I had assumed (incorrectly) that you just removed part of the cell. Anyway, I now have my own convertible Doubt the quality will be anywhere near, though from what I've read, the quality goes down on them once you convert. Though I am sure that was written by someone that didn't like them.

No doubt, putting something on ebay will find out who will bid. I will put it on, perhaps tomorrow night. I have like 32 things on there now anyway.

See: Dead Link Removed

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

Dust was my thinking on the matter Murray, coming from the 35 and MF world, it is odd to see the blades exposed Reminds me of seeing an open hard disk drive, it just gives a feeling in the pit of my stomach like something is wrong

Murray@uptowngallery · Apr 26, 2008

I went to a flea market once and came home with what would fit in my car of a 2-chassis mini-computer. The hard drive was roughly a 12" single platter with what I think was an 1/8 hp motor. The platter had a plastic tent for an enclosure, kind of like that clear slipcover stuff my aunt had on the sofa when I was a kid...

It wasn't too far from being an open enclosure. I don't remember if it had snaps or zippers..you know, for 'debugging' maintenance.

By "chassis" I mean 19" racks that were about 3 feet high.

Absinthe · Apr 26, 2008

Can probably get a graphing calculator that would fit in your shirt pocket with more power than that now.

I never understood the plastic covers for the furniture, kind of sucked in the summer when it stuck to your legs and it felt like it was ripping your skin off

Some of the first computers I was introduced to use the disk packs they called "washing machines" I think it was 5 disk pack with a handle at the top and you replaced one with the other to get at different records.

Murray@uptowngallery · Apr 26, 2008

Those plastic covers kept ME off her furniture. It probably lasted forever, because it was so uncomfortable to one would sit on it.

Absinthe · Apr 27, 2008

Well, my step mom had it all over her furniture when I was growing up. The stuff stayed pretty but was damned uncomfortable.

$1 Lens... Now what?

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency