Camera Labs

Now, I don't have a dslr I do have a camera with a barrel style lens 28-300 mm. Well I had a cool idea today, I am going to try to make my own lens, out of a cardboard tube and I really don't have much more in mind yet, what i'll use for glass etc. I'm thinking of going to the dollar store, thrift shop garage sales, etc. Buying old camera lenses, (cheap cheap) and cheap glasses and anything that has some magnification power, so you verdict? will it work?

_________________
Jake O'Connell, 40D Crew
Canon EOS 40D | 28-135mm IS | 50mm f/1.8 |Vivitar DF 383 | Vivitar 285hv
My Flickr
my Blog
"Photography isn't so much about the results as it is the collective experience, your interactions with people and with the world"

.
It will be a fun project and I think you will learn an awful lot. My guess is that the dollars spent will be to gain an education rather than a very useful final product. Maybe plastic pipe instead of cardboard though...?

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Its very strong cardboard the kind you ship posters in, and I already made one and it's not very good quality a lot of that is due to a couple scratches and such but there is a very neat effect, a little wide angle and a little magnification and a added blur all at the same time, I'll post some samples in a bit.

_________________
Jake O'Connell, 40D Crew
Canon EOS 40D | 28-135mm IS | 50mm f/1.8 |Vivitar DF 383 | Vivitar 285hv
My Flickr
my Blog
"Photography isn't so much about the results as it is the collective experience, your interactions with people and with the world"

This is kinda neat man, home made lenses. The outcome will be UNIQUE!

i m looking forward to see the final results

_________________
My Picasa

My Flickr

Its been done, cardboard lenses: http://www.photocritic.org/2005/macro-p ... -a-budget/ is a good example of a macro lens, but when i woke up this morning I wanted telephoto, like the nice 300-800mm sigma. Well after a trip to the dollar store I bought a really big magnifying glass and started messing around a bit. Grabbed my cardboard tube and cut it up taped my glass on and viola! I have some samples here (down below).

But first lets talk about it. It got a little scratched and dusty but what can you do? (not scratch it of course) I went outside anyway. the first few were less than spectacular but then I took a couple photos and my first thought was simply, "Tilt-shift" lenses like the lens baby.

The lens adds a little magnifications while simultaneously offering wider angle capabilities and a cool blurring effect even at f/8 (due to shape of the glass) So for 3 usd you to could have your very own diy dollar store magnifying wide angle tilt shift lens or DDSMWATSL, if you get some free time I really recommend making your own lens. I don't see this as practical but it is a neat effect. and I've been calling it a lens for me as I mentioned above, its more of an adapter, that goes on the lens so converter maybe being the right word?

and now, without further a-doo I present to you the Jake "A" Series (insert focal length here) wide-magni converter. (The a stands for affordable or maybe adorable)

First we have one of the first photos, a hatchet that i left out all winter to rust.

Next the two images that made me think tilt-shift:


and I really like the next 3, especially the 3rd one the bokeh isn't great not that smooth creamy but is a nice effect.





I'll have a picture or two of the lens(converter) in about 20 minutes

_________________
Jake O'Connell, 40D Crew
Canon EOS 40D | 28-135mm IS | 50mm f/1.8 |Vivitar DF 383 | Vivitar 285hv
My Flickr
my Blog
"Photography isn't so much about the results as it is the collective experience, your interactions with people and with the world"

Good work Jake! We NEED to see a photo of the lens!

Wow nice job! It really "pulls" you into the shot. All future lenses like this should be called Jake Lenses.

_________________
Graham
Flickr

Hmm, I thought I'd posted the photo of it...
Heres one this is just the lens a cardboard tube with a magnifying glass taped on the end: http://flickr.com/photos/21896544@N02/2359959834/ and heres another (the yellow thing is the plastic handle the glass came in) http://flickr.com/photos/21896544@N02/2359125635/

Opps I guess I had a bit of a typo in the original message

_________________
Jake O'Connell, 40D Crew
Canon EOS 40D | 28-135mm IS | 50mm f/1.8 |Vivitar DF 383 | Vivitar 285hv
My Flickr
my Blog
"Photography isn't so much about the results as it is the collective experience, your interactions with people and with the world"

Man that is sooo cool, looks more like a fisheye to me than antyhign ellse! buts its very neat that you have created a lens, did you mount it directly to the camera body?

_________________
My Picasa

My Flickr