Cyclop - The One-Eyed Monster

Mal1905 · Expire: 2011-11-18

Nice to see the rise in popularity of this lens, and the great results being uploaded - must take mine out for some exercise sometime soon Smile

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

And please do share, Mal1905. This lens creates a love/hate relationship; after some sessions I'm ready to sell, then a few shots turns things around and gives a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. I'm still learning what type pictures work out well and make the most sense to take. Yesterday I was using it, trying different things when I spotted the plant in the first picture in my most recent series above. I thought little of it, but snapped on anyway. It turned out to be my favorite of all I've taken so far. Today I took it with me for a session photographing a friend's car. Was wondering what effects could be accomplished. I learned it's a lousy car lens. It's good for some things and definitely not for others. My spider shot demonstrates how sharp it can be in such shots, but it doesn't give a special look, so really why bother when a normal lens can do better. It is best served when you can isolate an image, giving careful consideration to distance between you and image, and image and background.

Any pictures I've considered a success, or near success, I've uploaded here: http://www.pbase.com/mdlempert/cyclop The old fat guy on the bench is me.

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

I'm having a great time learning to use this lens... I hope you all don't mind if I continue to share.

martyn_bannister · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 1151

I love that last one. The background effect is superb.

You were going to sell this lens a week ago. Can I buy it if it takes pictures like this? Smile

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

Wow, I think a have to take mine for a trip again Surprised

Impressive results, very artistic. I could have those on my living room wall Wink

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

Just like to warn you: Click here to see on Ebay.de has perturbing element.

martyn_bannister · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 1151

Papapishu · Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 38 Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Got one today from California off the bay. Paid a hair more than I was comfortable, (70 dollars all told, although no international shipping is a definite plus) but after months of salivating at this thread, I figured I should pick one up.

Yellow coating. No protruding rear element. Swirl. Has the bumpy matte finish.

Focusing is a bitch, although easier with focus assist in live view. Soft, although shocked at the lack of purple fringing this wide open.

Viva la ROMZ. Does anyone here have the 35mm adaptor for the H3T-1 unit? Has anybody even seen it? I'm curious what the night vision shots would look like.

martyn_bannister · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 1151

Lets see some samples please if you get it working Smile

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Papapishu: Congratulations. Let's see some of your best first shots. They will get better as you learn to use the lens. Some suggestions... stay out of sunlight; shoot your subject on angle when you want to emphasize shallow depth of field; shoot on flat plane with subject when you want to maximize depth of field; and bracket focus. Expect lots of failures and just missed, mingled throughout with successes.

justtorchit · Joined: 12 Oct 2009 Posts: 269 Location: St. Louis, MO

Woodrim -

Those shots of the wheat-looking grass (botany was never my strong suite) you have on your site look beautiful! Really, you have some great results with this lens!

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Thank you, justtorchit, I appreciate that.

The fun comes from the challenge of using this lens. I can't over emphasize how important it is to plan your approach with this lens. I find it quite amazing how careful use can provide the most bizarre of effects as well as some that might appear to have come from a normal lens. These pictures don't betray the lens used, and I think most people would be hard pressed to have guessed it:

Papapishu · Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 38 Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

So, I tested out the lens. I'm not sure how to upload here, but if you want to see a full gallery, I have a link up on my facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2055051&id=43102194&l=4c7e436a61

Also, I actually emailed the maker, ROMZ regarding the lens design. I asked if it was at all related to the Helios 40-2. He wrote the following:

Dear Mr. Person,

No. These is two different objectives lens are not connected on the design.
I direct to you our catalogue of production. Probably will be interest for you something.
Best regards,

Sergey Protosavitskiy,
General director

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Did you add a diaphragm of some sort? Had to for some/many of those pictures.

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

Took the monster for a walk today Wink

martyn_bannister · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 1151

All really good shots. The portraits of the girl and the cat are great and I am torn between the pigeon and the bird in the tree - OK - they are all great Smile

A difficult lens from which you have wrought great things Smile

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Nordentro: Very, very nice. You certainly hit the focus on those. Did you use something for a diaphragm? The depth seems too good for the wide open lens.

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

Papapishu · Joined: 26 Feb 2010 Posts: 38 Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

tomasg · Expire: 2014-04-28

here are some more pictures:

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tomasg · Expire: 2014-04-28

one more...

martyn_bannister · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 1151

I'm sorry, but I have fallen pathetically in love with this lens. Every time I see shots posted in this thread I go all goose bumpy. It is such a shame I can't match them Sad

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

You did quite well, Martyn.

tomasg: What distance between you and the boy in the portraits? No added diaphragm, right?

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Has anyone taken this lens apart? I see that there are three screws hidden and revealed by the focus ring movement, but I hesitate to unscrew them without knowing. My rear element is loose and I would like to fix that. However, I do not know whether it is a lens element or just protective glass.

tomasg · Expire: 2014-04-28

Woodrim, the distance is about 3 meters i think, it s the maximum distance i can focus with the lens (Nikon D300), it happens that it s also the right distance to get the best swirls, IF the background is at the correct distance form the subject! No aperture was used.

Regarding the construction of the lens, i simply unscrewed the font elment and acessed the lens elements inside. There are some big elements inside and also very recessed, deep into the lens, it s difficult to put them back in.

I also managed to unscrew the ring in the middle of the lens, under it i found an easy acess to the helicoid, a small part of it, i simply lubricated it, now the focusing is soooo smooth Smile

I had much less fortune trying to unscrew the rear part of the lens, the 3 tiny screws that hold the big rear ring, had proven too be to stiff to unscrew, even after a good bath with WD-40.