How to get a 50mm f/1.2 lens for only $20
Sep 13, 2016
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Super fast primes are a handy thing to have. But they’re not cheap. Their price puts them out of reach for many photographers. Even if funds aren’t an issue it can still be difficult to justify spending that much on one prime lens. But what other options are there?
Well, if you’re Mathieu Stern, one option is to breath new life into a $20 Bell & Howell 50mm f/1.2 projector lens. In his latest video, Mathieu shows us just how simple it is to start using one of these with your DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Camera and projector lenses work on essentially the same principle, just in reverse. They both collect light from one side and project it out of the other. For camera lenses, they collect light from the world and projected it onto your small sensor. For projector lenses, they collect a concentrated amount of light and project it out into the world.
While the primary functions are opposite, either type of lens can theoretically work in either direction. The only major differences is that camera lenses offer more control over features like aperture and focus distance. Projector lenses are typically focused on the projector screen by moving the lens toward or away from the light source.
Using a projector lens as a camera lens works the same way, by moving the lens closer to or further from the sensor. To faciliate this, Mathieu uses a set of extension tubes. This then allows the lens to float freely within the tubes, while providing a seal around the lens mount of the camera.
A great technique, and an it produces some pretty amazing results, especially given the cost.
To see more of Mathieu’s videos on weird lenses, check out his YouTube playlist, and see his channel for other cheap and weird lens reviews
Have you tried this? What other lenses have you repurposed to work with your camera? What was their original function? Let us know in the comments.
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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12 responses to “How to get a 50mm f/1.2 lens for only $20”
$20 – bet that’s great quality….
Based on the sample, the quality looks pretty good. The bad part is that the video didn’t show anything about the process of conversion.
I am wondering where did he found that lens… Cannot find any.
There isn’t really any conversion, as such, required, John. It’s basically just popped right into the extension tubes and kinda “free lensed”.
Ивелин – I saw one on eBay earlier today, but the bidding seems substantially more than $20 now. It’s still not a crazy amount, yet, but there are nearly three days left.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152235457576
hate the fat that most bright lenses are 50mm or near that, not much wide angle stuff that is 2.8 or brighter :I At least in the “cheapo” compartment
I think because they’re harder to manufacture, the sweet spot seems to be around 35-85. Below or above that you don’t see many lenses brighter than 2.8.
Jonas Tawil overall, i dont see much lenses nder 35 :D especially if they were made for 35mm or so. Ah, the 2x crop on M4/3 :P I guess ill stick with my kit lens and a wide angle adapter. Not the best, but at least i have it
Canon has a 28mm f/1.8 that is pretty awesome.
I would love to use this with the lightblaster for more light
Hm. Looks like something worth investigating. Thanks.
– OpticsOwl.com
I’m lucky enough to have one of these lenses, and they’re fantastic. I purchased a macro extension tube set for my Sony A7 and free lens the two. The only real draw back is keeping the lens in the tube (as it’s not fixed) and exposing the sensor to dust etc.
I’ve been trying my hand a video with it, and get some pretty good results. The gigs need to be loud though to mask out any noise from the lens in the macro tube (metal on metal).
https://youtu.be/TkbF0ueN5t4
The photo set from this gig can be found here: http://phunkography.format.com/phunkblog/the-working-man
*PS, I had a broken foot when shooting this set, so they’re a bit static. ;)
Hi, I have done this with Russian KP 16 50mm f1.2 projector lens with a m39-m42 adapter ring bonded onto the lens barrel and set to give infinity, then I mounted it on an m42 – m4/3 focus helicoid, the lens works best at shorter focus distances down to about 300mm after that it’s too soft for my taste, fairly decent in the centre but falls off a lot quickly, you need to learn how to use it and you can get some nice pics.