Trying to bulid a L.F. lens with a prism gadget lens

[Trent Westin]

I am trying to bulid a lens with a prism gadget lens and I am in big troubles.
First of all because I don't know if it is such a good idea.
Then because I know very few, close to nothing, about optics.

I try to explain in my non plain english:
I bought at Moma's NYC store a gadget, it is a thick paper reproduction of Leica camera. But where usually is the lens there is a weird lens, a sort of multiple diffraction lens, like a kaleidoscope. You see a bite of reality multiplied in several squares. The shape of the lens is flat towards your eye and opposite is square patterned.
Apologize again for my english.

Well you need to put this lens very close to your eye (something about from 0.5 cm to 3 cm) to get the effect. Well I would like to use this lens with a large format camera, so I need to build a lens with it.
I tried unscrewing some old lenses of mine (an old 150mm and an 240mm), but I cannot focus. Better result is with a 127mm.
But no focus.

Is it possible to build a lens with this lens or it is just impossible?
Could you give me some suggestions?
Thank you very much,
Trent

 

[Pinholemaster]

Go for it. Knock your socks off. You could find a whole new look, or make the perfect paper weight. Why not experiment. Tell us your results when you are through.

 

[Curt]

Are you refering to a rangefinder?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CNAM-IMG_0551.jpg

 

[Jim Jones]

There are multiple image adaptors for cameras that sound like your device. They usually have a flat central area with several prisms around the edges. Usually they are mounted in filter rings that attach to the front of an existing lens. If your device is like one of these, it might work best on the front of your camera lens. When using one, the lens aperture may have a large effect on the image.

 

[Trent Westin]

Thank you Jim,
You are right about the lens aperture issue. The first think I did is to put my device just in front of the lens. Several lenses. And in every case the image was soft and out of focus. So I started to unscrew my lenses using the rear or the front elements together with my gadget. It did not worked either. And here I am asking for some advices....
Thank you again,
trent