FOFAG* Lens No.1
Repurposing a remnant.
Curiosity got the better of me with this lens, though perhaps, not in the usual sense.
The lens in question is an old Minolta auto-focus tele-zoom that’s no longer fit for purpose in it’s original form, so I decided to take a closer look at what goes into the making of one of these.
It’s amazing just how complex these lenses are, with their zoom, focussing and aperture mechanisms and all the electronics that they manage to squeeze into the barrel to control it all.
Gradually, ever so gradually, it’s form diminished into a pile of a thousand and one parts (or so it seemed) that gathered next to me.
Sadly, most of it was beyond any kind of re-use in any way. One part, however, caught my eye. Maybe this bit was different, maybe it would live on..
The very front element(s) are housed in one end of a plastic tube that had fitted into the main body of the lens.It just so happened that this tube fitted over my old set of M42 extension rings. So, with those rings adapted to mount on my Canon 6D**, the tube slid into place snug enough to avoid any light leaks, yet with enough clearance to allow it to be focussed trombone-style. Not quite free-lensing, but heading that way.
I had no expectations. I didn’t really know for sure if it would form a suitable image at the camera’s sensor plane. My luck, however, was in. The results were rather pleasing, with a fairly sharp centre that rapidly dropped off into the corners of the frame, giving a soft, ‘glowy’, somewhat dreamy rendering.
Thanks for joining me once again. I hope you’ve enjoyed these views from warmer days a little while ago.
One last one. Our Pippin taking it easy.
(*FOFAG - Faffy’s Optical Fun And Games.)
(** So far I’ve only tried this set-up on my dslr. At some point I intend to see how ‘No1’ behaves with b+w film.)
P.S. There is a ‘FOFAG Lens No2’ in the pipeline, a somewhat different arrangement. For another time, perhaps.
Ralph, your images are like small spells ... soft, dreamy and poetic! Full of that tender blur where memory and light meet. Kind of surreal. I’m utterly enchanted by them, it's as if the world agreed to be seen a little more gently ... you know softer around its edges. 🙏💖
Oh my goodness you've really been tinkering this time Ralph!!😂 But what beautiful results, especially that portrait of the lovely Pippin! It looks like you've built your own version of a Lensbaby lens that's great for nature and portrait photography - I love that softening effect. Looking forward to seeing your next FOFAG adventure but you must show us a photo of the lens all taken apart too...dare I say I'm increasingly fascinated in a geeky kind of way!🤓🤣