Another 35mm Adapter Tutorial

[marlenedegrood]

I hope this series of video tutorials is less confusing than the last one I did. But first the written details.

My Materials List:
Canon FD 50mm 1.4 Lens $70 Ebay
Canon FD Mount $13 Ebay
Focus Screen $ depends on what you use, I've had success with an AOL CD Plastic Case but a Nikon Type D Focus Screen is good if you can find one and you can find tutorials on making a wax screen.
72mm Macro Filter $25 Ebay
72mm Cokin Series P Ring $8 Ebay
Scrap piece of 2" ABS Black pipe $2.00
2" ABS Cap $2.00
2" ABS Coupling $?
2" ABS Cleanout Body $?
JB Weld $4.00
Sandpaper

Tools:
Drill
Jewelers Screwdriver
Hacksaw
Dremel

Here's what the materials look like layed out

http://thedigitalspectrum.com/Images/assembly.jpg

The distance between the front of the Canon FD Mount and the end of the "connector" is critical. Start with about 43mm from front of lens mount to end of connector. Tape a piece of diffusion material (like you get from Lee's Filters) on the end of the connector, put on your 2"coupler and look through it at a distant object with the 35mm lens attached, focus on infinity and see if it's sharp. If you come up short on the focus (meaning your lens is on infinity but your distance didn't come into focus yet) then you need to sand down your connector. If you come into focus on your distant object before reaching infinity on your lens then your focus screen is too close to the lens.

I forgot to mention in the video that it is important that your connector is perfectly flat, if it's not then your screen will not be parrallel to your DVX lens and you won't have a sharp image from corner to corner.

If you are going to use a Nikon Type D screen then you may want to check out my previous tutorial which shows how to mount the screen.

Here's what it looks like finished, but I use that term loosely :)


http://thedigitalspectrum.com/Images/LowBayAdapter2.jpg

Here's the video tutorials in 3 parts:

Part 1 http://homepage.mac.com/marlene.mac/iMovieTheater19.html

Part 2 http://homepage.mac.com/marlene.mac/iMovieTheater20.html

Part 3 http://homepage.mac.com/marlene.mac/iMovieTheater21.html

There are several ways to make these, experimentation is good. This is just an example of where to start. I even have plans for another design.

Hope this helps.

[marlenedegrood]

Since I posted this newer tutorial........everyones watching and commenting on my old tutorial....Now I'm the one who's confused :)

[R_WEHNER]

awesome...

how long did this take you to make? not too long. Just curious.

definatly going to try this myself.

Great tutorials as well

[idvfilms]

Marlene, what type of shade is on that lens? it's a canon right?

[MovieMakersClub]

You did a GREAT Job on your Tutorial!!

:-)

[marlenedegrood]

Marlene, what type of shade is on that lens? it's a canon right?

The shade is an Asian brand that I threw in with an order for a macro. It's metal and works great with no vignetting.


And thank you MovieMakersClub.

[marlenedegrood]

awesome...

how long did this take you to make? not too long. Just curious.

definatly going to try this myself.

Great tutorials as well

Thank you.....I'm glad you enjoyed the tuts.

Once you have the parts it doesn't take long at all to put together. Probably the longest part is getting the "connector" the right distance from the lens mount, once you get it close you have to sand it.

I'm glad that you're going to try this, it really is quite simple and fun to make.

[rabbitearsmedia]

Just finished watching your latest tutorial. THANK YOU!! I can see clearly now... sorry for the pun. Although I've been searching high and Lowes for the end cap (#5817) for the lens-mount and no one has it around here!!! Neither Home Cheapo or Lowes that I've been too (closest ones around). Although I just got off the phone with the Plumbing supply down the block from me and they might have it!! bloody ironic. Just waiting for the Macros and P ring and I'll building this out!

Thanks Marlene for the inspiration, advice, and tutorials!!

[marlenedegrood]

Just finished watching your latest tutorial. THANK YOU!! I can see clearly now... sorry for the pun. Although I've been searching high and Lowes for the end cap (#5817) for the lens-mount and no one has it around here!!! Neither Home Cheapo or Lowes that I've been too (closest ones around). Although I just got off the phone with the Plumbing supply down the block from me and they might have it!! bloody ironic. Just waiting for the Macros and P ring and I'll building this out!

Thanks Marlene for the inspiration, advice, and tutorials!!

My local family hardware store often has more to offer than the chains. Hope you found it!

[mcgeedigital]

How do you cut the connector so that both edges are parrallel? Band saw?

[marlenedegrood]

How do you cut the connector so that both edges are parrallel? Band saw?

Funny you should ask......that to me is the hardest part. I use a hack saw and try to follow my measured lines as best I can, then I lay sandpaper on the workbench and sand it. My workbench is level so I use a bubble level to get both sides parallel to each other and the cap the "connector" is going into. I'm sure there's a better way but that's just what I do.

[Existentialist]

You are a genious!! Great, great job! Really enjoyed the video tutorials. Thanks!!!!

[SalaTar]

Just a Thought.
How about using a Macro Bellows before GG (found el chepo new for 89$) so you can use more than one brand of lense (via premade adaptors), mark your lense focus points on rail.

[marlenedegrood]

You are a genious!! Great, great job! Really enjoyed the video tutorials. Thanks!!!!
Thank you....it is responses such as yours that making sharing information so easy to do.

[marlenedegrood]

Since making this tutorial I have since traded out the +10 Asian Macro for the +7 Century Optics Achromatic Diopter. I added a 2" spacer so I wouldn't have to use the Asian +2 close up. I strongly advise not using the +10 Asian Macro, the aberations are bad and it's just not sharp on the edges.
Here's my latest test
http://homepage.mac.com/marlene.mac/iMovieTheater25.html

Spend the $200 for a 2 element achromatic diopter....it's worth it!

[Sacksnack]

Marlene the footage looks great. There's something about adapter footage that is a blast to color correct and color grade. It seems a little flat right from the adapter...very even. But bring it in to your NLE and boost the contrast and colors and it looks great.

Quick question, is the CO achromat right in front of the DVX lens, or is it further away, closer to the focus screen?

[marlenedegrood]

Marlene the footage looks great. There's something about adapter footage that is a blast to color correct and color grade. It seems a little flat right from the adapter...very even. But bring it in to your NLE and boost the contrast and colors and it looks great.

Quick question, is the CO achromat right in front of the DVX lens, or is it further away, closer to the focus screen?

The +7 is attached to the DVX lens by means of a step up/step down to the Cokin ring, so yes....it is right in front of the DVX lens. It's also important to note that if you need to use another close up such as a +2 or +4, that you put that on after the +7 CO. In other words.....the +7 CO should be the first piece of glass directly in front of your DVX lens.

[Sacksnack]

Thank you kindly.

-Kevin

[insanityfw]

Thanks Marlene!!! What a great thing you've done. I don't care for the term (overused), but in this case it fits...."you rock!!!".

[TeamJoeDawn]

Marlene,

sorry if you have answered this before (I searched and couldn't find it).. but what and how exactly are you using as a screen again? I guess I don't understand the AOL disk description.

Thanks!!!

[Sacksnack]

Marlene is using an AOL cd case as her focus screen....the image from her 35mm lens is displayed on the translucent white piece of plastic...and the DVX records that image.

The key to a good focus screen is to allow the right amount of light through, without showing too much grain. Marlene found that an inexpensive plastic CD case works as good as some of the expensive alternatives.

-Kevin

[marlenedegrood]

Thanks Marlene!!! What a great thing you've done. I don't care for the term (overused), but in this case it fits...."you rock!!!".

Thank you! This site gives me so much, any little bit I can give back is a pleasure. I've never been much of a forum person but this forum has got the greatest members in the world in it.

[marlenedegrood]

Marlene is using an AOL cd case as her focus screen....the image from her 35mm lens is displayed on the translucent white piece of plastic...and the DVX records that image.

The key to a good focus screen is to allow the right amount of light through, without showing too much grain. Marlene found that an inexpensive plastic CD case works as good as some of the expensive alternatives.

-Kevin

That about sums it up. But, when looking for alternative focus screens, always seek one that is uniform. A while back someone suggested using a plastic beer cup so I checked one out and the biggest problem was that it wasn't uniform in density, it was also very thin and would probably deteriate in a short time.

[MattinSTL]

Your footage speaks volumes... you gotta' be really far up the list of valuable forum members. If I could buy stock in you personally I would.

[marlenedegrood]

Your footage speaks volumes... you gotta' be really far up the list of valuable forum members. If I could buy stock in you personally I would.

Wow.....what a compliment! I think you made me blush.

[faceless1]

just a question. i am planning to build an adapter, and i've read that when you look at the viewfinder, it will be upside down. is this true? if so, would putting a little mirror in the adapter help solve the problem?

[marlenedegrood]

just a question. i am planning to build an adapter, and i've read that when you look at the viewfinder, it will be upside down. is this true? if so, would putting a little mirror in the adapter help solve the problem?

Yes, the image is upside down as that's how the lens projects the image on the gg. As for the mirror technology.....you'd have to ask Queyen Le how he accomplished that in his Letus Flip

[twocik23]

I believe it's a prism, then a mirror. This is what will bring the image back to normal, but you'll lose 1.5- 2.0 stops of light.

[twocik23]

Take a older camera apart and you will see. The lens, mount, mirror, screen, prism.

[faceless1]

i took apart an older camera...that's why i thought of it. one had a mirror, the other a prism. i didn't know you would lose stops of light. so what's the magnet thing i hear about?

[ovjamaica]

You place a small magnet on the flip-out LCD, near the hinge. This flips the image vertically so that your picture is right side up. This only changes the display, not what is being recorded on tape. But it allows you to get your framing right. When you capture your footage you can just flip it horizontally & vertically and you're ready. There's an awesome plugin for Vegas that does this really well. I've read that other NLE's can do this as well, so it shouldn't be a problem.

[marlenedegrood]

I never tried the magnet trick but it seems that it would flip the image so you're not looking at it upside down but left would be right and right would be left.

[ovjamaica]

Actually it flips it vertically. You can handle the left/right flip by turning off the MIRROR option in the camera setup. Works really well actually.

[marlenedegrood]

Well there are certainly times when I would rather not set up the 7" monitor, guess I'll have try the trick.

[faceless1]

so the dvx has no problem around magnets? i know some electrical devices do not recommend it, i'm just curious.

[hpd]

Actually it flips it vertically. You can handle the left/right flip by turning off the MIRROR option in the camera setup. Works really well actually.
what camera does that? If You talking about magnet trick wich enables so called self shooting mode then it will be flipped vertically an horizontally. Or better explained the picture on FV will be rotated 180degrees.

[Prof]

I was toying around with the parts I got from ebay and Lowes. I have a nikon D focus screen, but I am still waiting on the step up rings. In the mean time I tried something out of curiousity, and was surpised by the results which I will post later. I used SCOTCH TAPE as my focusing screen, and it does a pretty good job. I had to used letter box mode to hide the seams, but it work out nicely. Somebody try this and tell me what you think.

[Car3o]

the tape and all sort of other types of material like tape has
been tried to death over at DVinfo. Alain has done tests on
just about everything like that.

[ovjamaica]

what camera does that? If You talking about magnet trick wich enables so called self shooting mode then it will be flipped vertically an horizontally. Or better explained the picture on FV will be rotated 180degrees.

The DVX does that. Try it and you'll understand.

[snodart]

The magnet trick doesn't work on the 100B because it has a plastic switch inside (yes, I looked).
:eek:
The same is true with the HVX. Here is a post about how to open it up and flip it (if you dare).

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=53456&highlight=adapter+flip+open

Really all you are doing is removing the small plastic cover where the lcd attaches to the cam and then pushing the switch up with a small zip tie or other non conductive item. I drilled a tiny hole in the plastic cover so that it could go back on. I used a very small piece of a zip tie so that the lcd would still close. There are drawbacks of doing this (breaking warranty), but what can I say, it works great. Look at the post above about the HVX to see more. My DVX worked the same way.

Good luck and be gentle.
:)

[ovjamaica]

Sorry, should have elaborated. The magnet trick works on the DVX100 and DVX100A. I am not privileged enough to have a 100B, so I'm just talking about my own experience. Nice trick snodart. Well, aside from the loss of the warranty. But whatever. :D

[brownhood]

Marlene the pics of the materials layedout and the finished adpt. are no longer appearing in the thread.... maybe you can repost or send them to me by email.
thanks ... Chris

[MagicCat]

Funny you should ask......that to me is the hardest part. I use a hack saw and try to follow my measured lines as best I can, then I lay sandpaper on the workbench and sand it. My workbench is level so I use a bubble level to get both sides parallel to each other and the cap the "connector" is going into. I'm sure there's a better way but that's just what I do.
I used to cut PVC rings to make Mic shock mounts. I have strangely had alot of experience doing this.

The best way I found to do this is to make a Jig for either a hack saw or better yet, a Dremel tool so the cutting surface is axactly the height off of your table, that you want for the length of the PVC pipe.

Make sure your Blade or Cut-off wheel is perfectly level. Then using smaller sections of PVC, push the PVC up against the Dremel or Saw blade and Turn the PVC around and around until you cut through it. You will of course have to make sure the bottom of the PVC is level or use a factory cut end to begin with.

Similar in concept to taping a pencil to something so it is laying horizontal, then moving a Cup or something round up to it and turning the cup against the pencil tip until you have a perfect line drawn around the cup. In this case the pencil is the blade of the hack saw or Dremel cut-off wheel. When using a dremel, set the speed very low. PVC melts quickly and will really screw up your perfect edge. If you have time, the best cut is achieved using a hack saw blade or a stationary blade of some sort.

The Idea here is to move the surface of the PVC across your blade and not the blade across the surface PVC.

Another way is to buy a Mitre Box. HOwever hack saw blades are ver short in Height and they tend to move around in the MItre box.

MagicCat

[KarateKidde]

Is it possible to use the Sony pd170 wide angle lens with a stepdown ring on the DVX for the dof adapter? It says it is x .7....is this the same as +7?