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I bought this little widget. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
M42 Lens to Nikon Adaptor optical focus infinity zeiss
That's the title; this is the description:
It allows you to use M42 mount lenses and macro accessories on Nikon cameras. The lens distance scale can be used as well as the focusing to infinity and the adapter has correction lens inside.
Well, what more can you say about such a thing? Seems pretty straight foreward doesn't it? And I have just got a Nikon D3200; and as I dont have many lenses for it; but so still have a fair collection of M42 lenses from my old Sigma SLR: 12mm Fish; 29mm; 50mm Ziess; 135; 300 & a couple of tele-converters.... seemed a way to get a bit more cheap-reach, one end, bit more wide t'other, till I can scrimp for new lenses in Nikon fit. And I like that old fish a lot. Sure it's not going to give the same field of view on a crop-sensor, but its still more than a lot of expenses I really cannot justify at the moment.
And, this widget? Well, got the infinity focus correction in it, unlike the cheaper mount only lenses that let you fit the old MF' glass, but act like an extension tube, screwing focus calibration......
Well, that's what I thought! Note the comment in description "Lens distance scale may be used"....
So, turns up, and I scre the old fish to it.... and everything is blurry.
The fish, of course has no focus adjustment. Being such a wide angle lens, with just three appatures, f8, f11 & f16, its pretty much focus free... with huge DoF.
OK, something not right here; so went to the 300mm, and focused on the moon... how far away is that, 23, million miles? Or is that the circumference of the earth? Bit rusty on my astro-physics these days.... but no matter, its an AWFULLY long way away..... far further than pretty much anything else I might point teh camera at.... far further than anything marked on the lens scale, and to all extents and purposes, practically 'infinity'....... err.... no.... lens scale said it was about 200 feet away!
Tried the 135 and something a bit nearer.... on the old Sigma, focus was at about what I expected, 100 feet or so.... on the Nikon-Mount 50 feet....
So this thing DOESN'T correct infinity focus... it 'compensates', and no... you cant still 'use' the focus scale on the lens.... well, not as marked!
Oh-Kay... so it WILL focus on infinity, that's a plus I suppose.... and on the longer lenses, you can still focus... just at a different distance to the focus rings calibration marks, tending towards focusing on infinity, long before the lens scale gets there.
Means that the fish is left floundering (little pun there.... floundering..... high and dry? Green around the... Oh I give up! If you cant laugh what CAN you do!)......
No focus control, means always out of focus.
Read up a little on the old lens; wonders of the internet; lots of anchient trivia is preserved and perpetuated... some of it useful, like this bit, a review of my ancient 12mm Sigma/Panomar, in which it commented on the lack of focus control, and suggested that some fione focus control might be applied by not screwing the lens fully into the mount.... AND offering suggestion if putting an eleastic pony-tail band around thr threads as a sort of complience control.....
Hmmm... seems a possibility' extension rings move closer focus for macro work after all... and the infinity correction on this thing is throwing close focus some-where around Saturn... so maybe thats the way to go... couple of turns on the mount and a hair-band... bring focus closer, to like, perhaps as near as Scotland.... and we're on a winner.....
No were not.... tried screwing it out.... and 1/3 turn increments... distant focus got worse... not better, up till the point the lens fell off!
Put the 50mm back on, and did some close focusing on a wall bracket..... and Oh look... close focus is out of calibration too... its now over reading!
So at long range, its under cal, at short range its over cal..... its fcuked... isn't it!
So, message the seller; basically say what I said here, and THIS is the reply:-
"You can adjust it back a little when get distant focus.And it really has such situation that it can't focus to infinity when using the fish lens or ultra-wide field lens.tks!"
Yes, this is supposed to be from a UK supplier... in Middlesex!
I am tempted to send it back to them; it was mainly so I could play with the old fish that I wanted the damn thing; and it wont do that; and thier discription is clearly misleading.... Though it did only cost a tenner, and that's a chuck load less than a 300mm lens in Nikon mount, so still moderately useful. If damned annoying.
But what, ideas, suggestions, or comments have you folk out there got on the matter?
Would it be any different on a full frame 35mm Nikon or DSLR, do you know? Or any other suggestions to try and get the thing to calibrate properly.... shaving metal off the top of the mount... inverting the correction lens, anything like that? Or is there a 'propper' one that does do the job?
(The Fish is re-mounted any-way; its on a T-adaptor to begin with. Possible I suppose to get a Nikon T-mount; for it, but bit radical; and I wanted to leep it really on M42, for the Sigma)
M42 Lens to Nikon Adaptor optical focus infinity zeiss
That's the title; this is the description:
It allows you to use M42 mount lenses and macro accessories on Nikon cameras. The lens distance scale can be used as well as the focusing to infinity and the adapter has correction lens inside.
Well, what more can you say about such a thing? Seems pretty straight foreward doesn't it? And I have just got a Nikon D3200; and as I dont have many lenses for it; but so still have a fair collection of M42 lenses from my old Sigma SLR: 12mm Fish; 29mm; 50mm Ziess; 135; 300 & a couple of tele-converters.... seemed a way to get a bit more cheap-reach, one end, bit more wide t'other, till I can scrimp for new lenses in Nikon fit. And I like that old fish a lot. Sure it's not going to give the same field of view on a crop-sensor, but its still more than a lot of expenses I really cannot justify at the moment.
And, this widget? Well, got the infinity focus correction in it, unlike the cheaper mount only lenses that let you fit the old MF' glass, but act like an extension tube, screwing focus calibration......
Well, that's what I thought! Note the comment in description "Lens distance scale may be used"....
So, turns up, and I scre the old fish to it.... and everything is blurry.
The fish, of course has no focus adjustment. Being such a wide angle lens, with just three appatures, f8, f11 & f16, its pretty much focus free... with huge DoF.
OK, something not right here; so went to the 300mm, and focused on the moon... how far away is that, 23, million miles? Or is that the circumference of the earth? Bit rusty on my astro-physics these days.... but no matter, its an AWFULLY long way away..... far further than pretty much anything else I might point teh camera at.... far further than anything marked on the lens scale, and to all extents and purposes, practically 'infinity'....... err.... no.... lens scale said it was about 200 feet away!
Tried the 135 and something a bit nearer.... on the old Sigma, focus was at about what I expected, 100 feet or so.... on the Nikon-Mount 50 feet....
So this thing DOESN'T correct infinity focus... it 'compensates', and no... you cant still 'use' the focus scale on the lens.... well, not as marked!
Oh-Kay... so it WILL focus on infinity, that's a plus I suppose.... and on the longer lenses, you can still focus... just at a different distance to the focus rings calibration marks, tending towards focusing on infinity, long before the lens scale gets there.
Means that the fish is left floundering (little pun there.... floundering..... high and dry? Green around the... Oh I give up! If you cant laugh what CAN you do!)......
No focus control, means always out of focus.
Read up a little on the old lens; wonders of the internet; lots of anchient trivia is preserved and perpetuated... some of it useful, like this bit, a review of my ancient 12mm Sigma/Panomar, in which it commented on the lack of focus control, and suggested that some fione focus control might be applied by not screwing the lens fully into the mount.... AND offering suggestion if putting an eleastic pony-tail band around thr threads as a sort of complience control.....
Hmmm... seems a possibility' extension rings move closer focus for macro work after all... and the infinity correction on this thing is throwing close focus some-where around Saturn... so maybe thats the way to go... couple of turns on the mount and a hair-band... bring focus closer, to like, perhaps as near as Scotland.... and we're on a winner.....
No were not.... tried screwing it out.... and 1/3 turn increments... distant focus got worse... not better, up till the point the lens fell off!
Put the 50mm back on, and did some close focusing on a wall bracket..... and Oh look... close focus is out of calibration too... its now over reading!
So at long range, its under cal, at short range its over cal..... its fcuked... isn't it!
So, message the seller; basically say what I said here, and THIS is the reply:-
"You can adjust it back a little when get distant focus.And it really has such situation that it can't focus to infinity when using the fish lens or ultra-wide field lens.tks!"
Yes, this is supposed to be from a UK supplier... in Middlesex!
I am tempted to send it back to them; it was mainly so I could play with the old fish that I wanted the damn thing; and it wont do that; and thier discription is clearly misleading.... Though it did only cost a tenner, and that's a chuck load less than a 300mm lens in Nikon mount, so still moderately useful. If damned annoying.
But what, ideas, suggestions, or comments have you folk out there got on the matter?
Would it be any different on a full frame 35mm Nikon or DSLR, do you know? Or any other suggestions to try and get the thing to calibrate properly.... shaving metal off the top of the mount... inverting the correction lens, anything like that? Or is there a 'propper' one that does do the job?
(The Fish is re-mounted any-way; its on a T-adaptor to begin with. Possible I suppose to get a Nikon T-mount; for it, but bit radical; and I wanted to leep it really on M42, for the Sigma)
