Tiny Tiny Petzval lens?

[sdivot]

I wasn't sure where to put this post, but I thought the best folks to answer a petzval lens question would be here in the LF forum section.
I have purchased a couple of the wee petzval lenses from Jim Galli. I adapted them to my pentax 67 using parts from Lowes. They work better than expected (I have posted a few images and pics of the first lens here in the past). I'm so pleased with this setup, I can't stand it. You can see many images made with this setup on my website.

Before I ask my question, I'll say that I have cameras from 35mm to 12x20 and I love them all for various reasons. The big cameras generally stay at home due to my physical limitations. A year ago I had a double lung transplant, and although I'm doing great, I still cannot lug a huge camera around. The MF setup I cobbled together is everything I ever wanted as a great compromise.

My wife and I are going to Italy for two weeks in June and early July. I just cannot see taking the Pentax rig with me, and LF stuff is out of the question. I have back and ankle problems, and we will do a lot of walking, which just adds to the BS I have to deal with. I'm afraid I will have to go digital for this trip (please forgive me. I don't like it any more than you do ). This brings me to my crazy question:
If I could figure out a way to have a 35mm version of my MF Pentax setup, I would be thrilled. Would anyone know a practical way (without a PhD in optics or mechanical engineering) to build a petzval lens that is small enough to get the desired edge effects on a 35mm camera?
Has anyone ever done this, or do you think SK Grimes would build me a simple one mounted in a tube that I could fashion into a push/pull focusing setup? Another option would be buying the lens elements from Edmunds and making it myself. Unfortunately, I wouldn't know where to begin with this.

Just brainstorming and wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the subject before I spin my wheels and start pursuing it further....

Thanks,
Steve
www.scdowellphoto.com

 

[bdial]

Check out the Lensbaby's, I don't know if they are actually a Petzval design, but they produce a similar sharp center result, from what I've seen in the ads.

 

[archphoto]

The trouble with the lensbabies is that they have a curved field of focus. Worthless stuff. I have one.
Begged them for a flat field focus optics but so far nothing......

If you have the tiny's mounted on 6x7 mounts think about this:

lens > 6x7 to pentax 35 adapterring > adapter ring to DSRL.
It should work !

Peter

 

[willrea]

Back in December I saw Jim selling a selling a petzval that was small enough to be shot with a digital. So you can definitely get one for your use, although it seems like a rarity.

 

[sdivot]

Peter,
Thanks for the reply.
The lensbaby is nothing like a petzval. I have one of the new ones and I like it, but it's totally different. I actually like the plastic lens stopped down for a holga type effect if I'm shooting with the DSLR (sorry again).

I could adapt the wee petzvals for the 35mm format easily. That's not the issue. The problem is the image circle is so big that I would lose the edge effects I'm looking for. What I need is a lens that has a really really small image circle.

Steve

 

[archphoto]

And than you will have to start looking for some micro-petzvals........
Focal lenth: between 1 cm and 1 1/2 cm or so.....

Peter