Need help with a lens please
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Need help with a lens please
I need some help purchasing a lens for my new PB4 bellows.I know I want a 50mm but macro,non macro,auto focus or manual.
- rjlittlefield
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An excellent lens for this use is the EL Nikkor 50 mm f/2.8, reversed. This is an old enlarging lens, manual aperture with a simple mechanical ring. You will need a reversing ring and a step ring (40.5mm?) to fit the old front of the lens. The lens should be $50 or less on eBay; the rings less than $10 each.
Avoid the EL Nikkor 50 mm f/4. That is a simpler optical design that has much less resolution.
--Rik
Avoid the EL Nikkor 50 mm f/4. That is a simpler optical design that has much less resolution.
--Rik
- Craig Gerard
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Quinton,
Which lenses do you currently own?
In an earlier thread you posted a link to some images you had taken; but I can no-longer find the link?
It may be a case of purchasing a reverse mount adapter as Rik has suggested; you may already have a suitable lense. We need to know what lenses you have on hand.
Craig
Which lenses do you currently own?
In an earlier thread you posted a link to some images you had taken; but I can no-longer find the link?
It may be a case of purchasing a reverse mount adapter as Rik has suggested; you may already have a suitable lense. We need to know what lenses you have on hand.
Craig
To use a classic quote from 'Antz' - "I almost know exactly what I'm doing!"
This should work.http://www.photopoints.com/main/photos/ ... x?ID=12608Craig Gerard wrote:Quinton,
Which lenses do you currently own?
In an earlier thread you posted a link to some images you had taken; but I can no-longer find the link?
It may be a case of purchasing a reverse mount adapter as Rik has suggested; you may already have a suitable lense. We need to know what lenses you have on hand.
Craig
- Craig Gerard
- Posts: 2877
- Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 1:51 am
- Location: Australia
Quinton,
Yes, that link works. Thankyou.
Regarding lenses.
A brief look at the EXIF information associated with some of the images, informs me that you are using a Nikon D700; you have a 28mm, 105mm and 500mm lense; but you also appear to have a variable zoom lense.
Do you own a 50mm lense?
If you own a Nikon Micro Nikkor 55mm/3.5, for example, you could reverse mount that lense on the PB-4 bellows.
Alternatively, Rik's suggestion regarding the use of a reverse-mounted 50mm enlarger lense is a good solution. The EL-Nikkor 50mm/2.8 is a good lense (reverse mounted) for use with a bellows.
Here is one example of such an arrangement.
Craig
Yes, that link works. Thankyou.
Regarding lenses.
A brief look at the EXIF information associated with some of the images, informs me that you are using a Nikon D700; you have a 28mm, 105mm and 500mm lense; but you also appear to have a variable zoom lense.
Do you own a 50mm lense?
If you own a Nikon Micro Nikkor 55mm/3.5, for example, you could reverse mount that lense on the PB-4 bellows.
Alternatively, Rik's suggestion regarding the use of a reverse-mounted 50mm enlarger lense is a good solution. The EL-Nikkor 50mm/2.8 is a good lense (reverse mounted) for use with a bellows.
Here is one example of such an arrangement.
Craig
To use a classic quote from 'Antz' - "I almost know exactly what I'm doing!"
- PaulFurman
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Reversed generally works better for non-macro lenses at more than 1:1 (1x) magnification. For a macro lens designed for 1x or .5x, you may be able to go up to 3x without reversing. Here's some discussion about the 55mm and similar lenses.
For bellows, you're already going to have about 50mm of extension so enlarger lenses work nicely, lacking focusing helix.
For bellows, you're already going to have about 50mm of extension so enlarger lenses work nicely, lacking focusing helix.
Reversing conventional lenses for use at higher magnifications.
How it was originally explained to me was that normal lenses are designed to have their rear element nearer the film/sensor than their front element is to the subject.
At 1:1 both subject and film/sensor are about same distance from the lens elements. At greater magnifications the subject is closer to the front lens element than the film/sensor is to the rear one, so turning the lens around (reversing it) restores the ratio of the distance from that lens element the lens designer had computed it for.
No doubt somebody will put me right if I have it wrong?
DaveW
How it was originally explained to me was that normal lenses are designed to have their rear element nearer the film/sensor than their front element is to the subject.
At 1:1 both subject and film/sensor are about same distance from the lens elements. At greater magnifications the subject is closer to the front lens element than the film/sensor is to the rear one, so turning the lens around (reversing it) restores the ratio of the distance from that lens element the lens designer had computed it for.
No doubt somebody will put me right if I have it wrong?
DaveW