Using a magnifying glass lens on a Speed Graphic

EASmithV · Aug 4, 2009

Well, I have been toying with this lens for a while. Everything looked good on the ground glass, and thanks to J. Bruner's video on calculating f stop, I was able to determine everything I needed to make an image.

It gives me about f3.16, focal length is 143mm

The result is something quite a bit different from what I usually get. I like it.

If you have a speed graphic and have not tried this yet, I strongly recommend you do. Any cheap lens will work. You may be surprised with what you get.

Nikanon · Aug 4, 2009

Wouldn't the f-stop of the lens just be focal length divided by diameter of the opening? Ex: 50mm/25mm = f/2 and 50mm/f2= 25mm diameter . So if your lens is 143mm that over f-3.16 = a diameter of 45.25mm for your magnifying glass objective?

2F/2F · Aug 4, 2009

groovy

Now throw that puppy on your 8x10!

archphoto · Aug 4, 2009

Nice shot !

They have tried that on the Large Format Photography Forum: they call them Chinese Lenses !
Some stunning results with $1,- or $2,- lenses.....
Basicly a single glas Lens Baby does the same, just at a higher price.....

Peter

Schlapp · Aug 4, 2009

Great fun.
Here was my version.

Wade D · Aug 4, 2009

I'll have to try that. Looks cool.

Bosaiya · Aug 4, 2009

archphoto said:
Nice shot !

They have tried that on the Large Format Photography Forum: they call them Chinese Lenses !
Some stunning results with $1,- or $2,- lenses.....
Basicly a single glas Lens Baby does the same, just at a higher price.....

It's been one of the most enjoyable threads in a long time.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=35097

FM2N · Aug 4, 2009

I have also used the front element from my binoculars. Gives me an f/4 and is alot of fun on my speed graphic

removed account4 · Aug 4, 2009

great stuff!
i love using found stuff as lenses too
sometimes all alone and sometimes with a friend )

numnutz · Aug 4, 2009

Here Is my effort - Taken through a somewhat grubby window on a rainy day two weeks ago with my Gandolfi 5 x 4.

First one (The bay-tree in a pot) is from a rectangular hand magnifying glass. Focal length guesstimated as around 250mm aperture about F3. I taped the glass over a lensboard and added a hole in black card approximating an aperture of around f8 over the glass.

Second is using a magnifying glass from a "Helping Hands" Gizmo. Focal length / aperture was guesstimated at 120mm F2 but I constructed an an aperture of around F5.6 from black card.

Shutter was an old box capped over the lens, I hoped the shutter speed was around ½ a second.

Film was Foma 100 developed in Retro Pyro the two images were scanned and reduced in size and Quadtoned with Photoshop.

Rolleiflexible · Aug 4, 2009

These are very cool. It would be easy
to do this with my Norma, with its shutter
behind the lensboard. Another project.

I get much the same result in medium
format by inverting the lens of a Kodak
Brownie Hawkeye ((there was a url link here which no longer exists)).

EASmithV · Aug 6, 2009

I'm really fired up about this!

2F/2F · Aug 6, 2009

They are cool. I will have to do it myself. FWIW, they seem underexposed. I'd try adding a stop or two more exposure next time. It may make it easier to get the prints you want.

Whiteymorange · Aug 12, 2009

Got excited by this stuff and took apart an old pair of not-so-spectacular 7x50 binoculars. Here's the first try with one of the objective lenses. It's clearer than I thought it would be... probably going to try this one for a few portraits this weekend.

The gnome is my "darkroom god" in the tradition of the "kiln god" much loved by potters.

Using a magnifying glass lens on a Speed Graphic

EASmithV

Nikanon

2F/2F

archphoto

Schlapp

Wade D

Bosaiya

FM2N

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Using a magnifying glass lens on a Speed Graphic

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