Looking for a 35mm lens that fits certain criteria

senderoaburrido · May 30, 2016

I'm looking for a 35mm lens of any focal length that would be easy to find 3 of, and is bargain-bin cheap. I'm talking 10$-or-less cheap. Ideally it would have a very low profile, meaning that the barrel has a rather thin diameter. So many nikon, vivitar, and canon lenses have frustratingly large grips that add significant girth to the barrel. Ideally it would be a prime lens, although I'm open to zoom lenses as long as they have a very small profile.

narsuitus · May 30, 2016

Look for some old Russian lenses.

Ian Grant · May 30, 2016

I've bought 4 50mm f2 Jupiter 8's each for less than $10 and all in excellent condition, they aren't hard to find. The 50mm f2.8 Industar isn't expensive either.

Ian

Paul Howell · May 30, 2016

For what camera?

senderoaburrido · May 30, 2016

Paul Howell said:
For what camera?

My friend has a drill press and a lathe, so I thought I'd make a triple lens lensboard and mount three on it. I tried with a cardboard mockup and it makes or interesting triptych images on my 4x5. The reason I want low-profile is so that they can fit closely enough together so as to almost overlap.

senderoaburrido · May 30, 2016

Ian Grant said:
I've bought 4 50mm f2 Jupiter 8's each for less than $10 and all in excellent condition, they aren't hard to find. The 50mm f2.8 Industar isn't expensive either.

Ian

Sorry for the double post-

Where could I find more than one lens at once? I'm not sure where to get bargain bin camera equipment here in Montreal.

michr · May 30, 2016

Unfortunately too much for your needs, http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...Xindustar+lot.TRS0&_nkw=industar+lot&_sacat=0 but maybe you can negotiate for three.

You might be better off with 50mm enlarging lenses. Such as http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=omegar&rt=nc&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udlo&_udhi=10 which can be below $10 with shipping and are very small.

And since you're looking for 35mm lenses, which are generally shutterless, you can always go to Surplus Shed for single element lenses http://www.surplusshed.com/lens.cfm

Dan Fromm · May 30, 2016

How do you plan to time exposures? If you're not going to use a 4x5 camera with a focal plane shutter you might be better off harvesting lenses in shutter from 35 mm or roll film folding cameras.

senderoaburrido · May 30, 2016

This would be iteration #1, to prove the concept. If it's not a huge mess, then I'll work my way to a shutter. That's why I want cheap lenses. As I understand it, there's no obvious way to add a shutter. I'd have to build my own, which is obviously outside of my manpower and expertise. I don't know of any shutters that I could place behind the lenses.

Ian Grant · May 30, 2016

senderoaburrido said:
Sorry for the double post-

Where could I find more than one lens at once? I'm not sure where to get bargain bin camera equipment here in Montreal.

I got mine at a Camera fair, one seller sometimes has boxes of cameras/lenses he sells right at the beginning to other traders, they end up on other stalls or ebay at 4 or 5 times what he's sold them for and they sell Mine are all now on camera bodies.

Not being familiar with Montreal I can't make any suggestion and I don't know whether you have camera fairs. Car boot sales, flea markets, antiques fairs etc are quite good here but you don't see a lot of camera equipment, although one market town has a camera stall at its monthly Sunday market (it's a tourist town). Some antique shops buy cheap or just get given them and they can be worth visiting when passing.

Ian

michr · May 30, 2016

senderoaburrido said:
This would be iteration #1, to prove the concept. If it's not a huge mess, then I'll work my way to a shutter. That's why I want cheap lenses. As I understand it, there's no obvious way to add a shutter. I'd have to build my own, which is obviously outside of my manpower and expertise. I don't know of any shutters that I could place behind the lenses.

The usual choice is to buy a Speed Graphic or other press camera with a focal plane shutter. Otherwise, there are 35mm lenses with leaf shutters, a cheap example would be the Argus A camera, which can be removed easily cocked and fired externally. But I'd hate to see a bunch of working vintage cameras disassembled.

So another option is to make your own shutter. If you don't require high speeds, you can use black foam board with a hole in it and just move it across the lenses, ala the Galli shutter. If you want something a little more involved, make a Guillotine or drop shutter, http://www.largeformatphotography.info/guillotine-shutter/guillotine-shutter-construction.html

There's quite a bit of recoil when you let these go, so if you can put the shutter assembly on a separate tripod from the camera, you'll get less camera shake.

But seriously, get a press camera with a focal plane shutter. They're about $100, if you shop around.

Here's and example of someone who has built something similar to what you're building.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/branavojnovic/7975478345/in/photostream/

Down Under · May 31, 2016

Nice idea, too much effort for ??? Get out more and shoot film. Enjoy. Except in those Montreal winters...

senderoaburrido · Jun 1, 2016

Ian Grant said:
I got mine at a Camera fair, one seller sometimes has boxes of cameras/lenses he sells right at the beginning to other traders, they end up on other stalls or ebay at 4 or 5 times what he's sold them for and they sell Mine are all now on camera bodies.

Not being familiar with Montreal I can't make any suggestion and I don't know whether you have camera fairs. Car boot sales, flea markets, antiques fairs etc are quite good here but you don't see a lot of camera equipment, although one market town has a camera stall at its monthly Sunday market (it's a tourist town). Some antique shops buy cheap or just get given them and they can be worth visiting when passing.

Ian

There is an occasional one here. I'll try and hit it up next time they have one.

ozmoose said:
Nice idea, too much effort for ??? Get out more and shoot film. Enjoy. Except in those Montreal winters...

Yeah, I just want to fool around to keep myself busy in my spare time. Idle minds are the devil's plaything.

Richard S. (rich815) · Jun 1, 2016

Ian Grant said:
I've bought 4 50mm f2 Jupiter 8's each for less than $10 and all in excellent condition, they aren't hard to find. The 50mm f2.8 Industar isn't expensive either.

Ian

How did they all turn out? My experience has been very mixed having gotten a couple real dog Jup-8's and occasionally great performing ones...I use the dogs as paperweights or loupes.

Ian Grant · Jun 1, 2016

Richard S. (rich815) said:
How did they all turn out? My experience has been very mixed having gotten a couple real dog Jup-8's and occasionally great performing ones...I use the dogs as paperweights or loupes.

I've only used one of them which is a good sharp lens. It's rare I shoot 35mm now, it's a format I pretty much gave up on 12-15 years ago - I was shooting a lot mainly as a diary alongside LF but never printing the negatives. I bought the others to go with FSU bodies I'd picked up at similar low prices (all working fine).

Ian

John51 · Jun 2, 2016

As they are getting machined anyway, what about dismantling fixed lens cameras? Something like a Halina Paulette or Ilford Sportsman. Don't know if they have a different name where you are. Cheap and no big loss to the world of vintage photography.

bernard_L · Jun 2, 2016

Speak nicely to your local photofinishing lab, and they will set aside for you three identical (Kodak, Fuji?) disposable camera bodies. Extract the lenses.

senderoaburrido · Jun 2, 2016

John51 said:
As they are getting machined anyway, what about dismantling fixed lens cameras? Something like a Halina Paulette or Ilford Sportsman. Don't know if they have a different name where you are. Cheap and no big loss to the world of vintage photography.

Oh, I don't intend on machining the lenses. Just the board itself. Was going to try making a custom board for my Cambo monorail.

poppaneedsanap · Jun 2, 2016

how about Pentax SMC-M 50mm F2.0, Minolta MD 50mm, or Ricoh 50mm... they made a ton of those, they are dirt cheap and if you poke around on Ebay / Kijiji you can probably source three identical lenses.. I've bought multiple Pentax ME's with those lenses for $10.

senderoaburrido · Jun 3, 2016

poppaneedsanap said:
how about Pentax SMC-M 50mm F2.0, Minolta MD 50mm, or Ricoh 50mm... they made a ton of those, they are dirt cheap and if you poke around on Ebay / Kijiji you can probably source three identical lenses.. I've bought multiple Pentax ME's with those lenses for $10.

I'll look for these and the soviet lenses when the next camera show takes place.

John51 · Jun 5, 2016

If the first build is just for proof of concept, could 3 pinholes be used instead of lenses?

Looking for a 35mm lens that fits certain criteria

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