New macro toy! For sale: 1 Darlot 1879 Petzval…

[ravnostic]

The ad read ‘lots of old photography equipment’. Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, I got there after some schmuck before me bought all the medium format stuff. But I got a few things. Among them was this:

(all pictures in haste, didn’t bother with fine focusing.) Teeny little thing. 4 cm in diameter. Didn’t know what I’d do with it, but figured I’d do something. The price was right, at least.

So, tried it out, and low and behold, it’s a new macro toy! In conjuction with my two lenses, just like the Darlot, I can get close. Really really close.

Them’s millimeters. I count 6.5, approx. Since the sensor is 22.2 mm wide, I think that makes it nearly a 3.5x macro, no?

In any case, that’s bigger than the Darlot, in which I can get just over 1mm in the frame, which I believe is a 2x macro.

The card it’s attached to is a nice touch. It’s a hell of a lot easier to hold and take pictures with. 1 lb vs 4 oz (approx; I bought a scale at an estate sale and could be more specific, but it’s stowed away in a box somewhere; close enough.)

Easier to keep light from leaking in, as well. And I can control the f/stop.

Who needs 1800’s technology, anyway?

Anyone wanna buy a Darlot? Comes with a magic lantern projector, for free!

//I kid. I’m not selling the Darlot. At least I don’t think so. I’ll have to take a few hundred pics with the Wollensak and see how I like it.

[sleeping]

Yeah, shorter focal length on the front lens = more magnification. Generally I haven’t been able to use the aperture on the front lens in this situation, though, it’s basically just acting as a modifier (a more powerful, better corrected closeup filter) for the rear one.

You might also think about something like this (it ought to have a fair bit of coverage, it was probably intended for enlarging 645 or 6×6 negs):

http://www.creativepro.com/article/build-a-tilt-shift-camera-lens-peanuts

[ravnostic]

Holy farkola! sleeping, you are a God among men (or women, as the case may be.) Why did I go to this sale? Because I wanted Elsinore‘s TS lens toy at a price I could afford. I was going for a medium format lens, which as I said, some schmoe came in and got before I did. I figured this to be too small.

I tried to toy with the lens briefly but thought I couldn’t focus far away with it, and it was too small anyway, to make something of it–but it was a cool macro, at least.

But what you just wrote made me give it a second look (so to speak). I need to hold this lens closer to the camera body (with no other lens, just the body.) And lo and behold–I got a tilt shift lens! Without even having any ‘framework’ at all, just holding it, I got the effect! [beams with joy!!]

I’ll grant you–these are crappy shots. I just stuck my head out the door and took them. My apartment complex isn’t scenic. But by gum, here are my very first two TS shots, evar!

Needs work–taste like freeze dried chicken.

I’m going to be a tired puppy at work tonight. Like I’m going to sleep now! I’m going to play!

Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I have what else I need to make this a proper TS set up already.

[Elsinore]

I have a longer Wollensack lens–two of them actually, because they’re for my large format Through the Viewfinder camera, and it’s a twin lens reflex. They’re actually pretty good lenses. I want to do something like the article sleeping posted just to be able to use it on my Canon. Not as much for t/s as just for the vintage lens goodness.

[ravnostic]

When I was reading this morning, I read Wollensak’s are hit and miss in the quality dept, but mine, like yours, seems just fine (not that I’d know the difference). Which article sleeping wrote?

//I got almost 3 hours sleep before work. I’m tired. Only 8 more hours to go of the 12 I started with…

[Elsinore]

The article he posted about making a t/s lens on the cheap. Another option I’d have would be to jerry rig one of my large format lenses onto a macro bellows attachment, but those things are kinda spendy. The thing with large format lenses are that they often aren’t as tack sharp, particularly wide open, as we expect from our smaller format lenses. They were meant to be stopped down.

[sleeping]

Another option I’d have would be to jerry rig one of my large format lenses onto a macro bellows attachment, but those things are kinda spendy.

Cheap ones on ebay run about 30-40$.

[Elsinore]

Oooo!

[ravnostic]

How long ago was sleeping‘s article posted? I can’t find it. Unless you mean the link sleeping provided, in which case, I sawed it already…

I’m in the process of creating my own T/S setup. I’m going for omnidirectional (why settle for horizontal only?), and one that I can set up without having to hold it in place, so I can take picture after picture with the possibility of making a ‘movie’, so to speak.

So far, so good. But I have to wait till tomorrow for the epoxy to fully cure. And I have to get to sleep so I can go to a Christmas event later this afternoon. Kills me to not be able to finish today, but if I want it to work well, I have to be patient, don’t I?

Pictures are being taken, Assuming it’s not a total fail, images and a post will follow.

[sleeping]

I haven’t written anything on this, I just posted that link…

[Curious]

I haven’t written anything on this, I just posted that link…

so quit slacking off and get busy posting. we count on you for technical advice.

seriously, we do.

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