Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!

SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

lens butchery!! Nikon L35 AF to Micro Four Third
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:07 pm    Post subject: lens butchery!! Nikon L35 AF to Micro Four Third Reply with quote

Feel rather proud of this conversion and thought I'd show it off a bit Very Happy

Had a non functioning L35 AF that i bought to salvage the back casing for a slightly damaged one that was working.

I was looking for info on a Yashica Electro lens to mft conversion and came across a Japanese site that does lens conversions for Leica and on of the lenses on offer was a Nikon L35 AF kens that looked superb.

After reading all the good posts about the Wide Angle Sonnar designed lens on The L35 I decided to put the lens from the dead camera to use.

I cannibalized the iris from a Wollensak D mount lens that had too much haze to make use of anymore, the whole operation took about 2 days but I think it came out with a nice Steam Punk look with the brass fittings

The hardest part was finding enough surface area to skim off of every part to attain infinity focus, got it to go 1mm past infinity (I prefer this on self converted lenses)




The brass spikey bit I'm using as a lever stopper comes from a Canonet QL1.9 that I always liked and was convinced I'd use it for something at some point!







I used a aperture blade diaphragm from a Yashica Electro or from an Aires llla (I can't remember) for the guide rail and the original lens helix to create a double lens helix to adjust the focus, it's very smooth on the downward stoke but is a bit sticky up the up stroke. (used the spring to help out a bit pulling the lens back)




This is a selfie taken in my badly light bathroom, my GF1 is the only digital camera I have so I had to make due.



The lens is short, just over half the length of the 20mm 1.7 pancake which is cool but because I used a body cap for the conversion I couldn't squeeze enough space out of it to create a lever to control the aperture from the outside, so the whole lens has to be removed in order to change the aperture.

I decided i was willing to live with that after another 2 days driving myself crazy trying to think of a way to add this in Rolling Eyes

I do have to apologies for the picture quality, was taken in bad lighting room, late at night in a not so sober state Razz

I will take another round of shots at some point at better angles.


Last edited by Layer-cake on Mon Aug 26, 2013 8:23 pm; edited 13 times in total


PostPosted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, well done! I've thought of doing that with this lens before, but didn't think I'd manage it. I love Sonnars.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Many thanks brother Very Happy

The one thing that seems to disappear on the micro 4/3 format is the darkening around the corners, was hoping to retain this as people had said the lens has this effect at all apertures.

It's actually not a hard conversion to do if you have played around with this type of thing before, I learnt alot from converting a Konica Auto S1.6 lens


PostPosted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks great, total steampunk!!


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm working on adapting an Olympus Zuiko 2/35 from a Pen EM half frame onto my NEX atm. It's a bit of a tricky one, but I'll get there in the end.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 1:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

philslizzy wrote:
Looks great, total steampunk!!


+1 shoots taken with it ?


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 1:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Edited

Last edited by bernhardas on Sat Apr 02, 2016 8:11 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

philslizzy wrote:
Looks great, total steampunk!!


Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
philslizzy wrote:
Looks great, total steampunk!!


+1 shoots taken with it ?


Only managed to finish it over the weekend so haven't had a time to really put it through it's paces yet, the one thing that i noticed and it surprised me is how much glow there is wide open at 2.8

I'm really a sub-par photographer so I don't think I can do this lens justice!! but I will do my best Smile


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
I'm working on adapting an Olympus Zuiko 2/35 from a Pen EM half frame onto my NEX atm. It's a bit of a tricky one, but I'll get there in the end.


That is a rather strange coincidence Smile tried to do the same conversion but ran into far too many issues during the process, I think it would be easier on the NEX as you have a wider flange area (on the MFT flange it's rather narrow and I wasn't sure i could retain the guiding rails for the focus)

The shutter blades are (correct me if I'm wrong) control via an electro magnet and while I was trying to remove the retaining ring in the front to get to them, the thread cut into itself and I couldn't get it to move after that, caused quite a bit of scaring and rather stopped, kept it as a display camera in the end.

There really isn't alot of info on the Pen EM as it had such a short production run but it really is a pretty piece of equipment!


Last edited by Layer-cake on Thu Aug 15, 2013 1:50 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bernhardas wrote:
Cool conversion. My wife had a af 35 for many years and I was always impressed with iq


Many thanks Bernhardas!! Cool


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congratulations! I still like my L35AF and its lens. So I would be glad to have that lens for my NEX cams.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 7:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congratulations! I still like my L35AF and its lens. So I would be glad to have that lens for my NEX cams.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

LucisPictor wrote:
Congratulations! I still like my L35AF and its lens. So I would be glad to have that lens for my NEX cams.


Many thanks, I have been wondering if there is a MFT to NEX adaptor? was thinking the aperture control would be an issue.

Could probably make one using a C mount NEX adapter and the back lens cap from a MFT lens.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Took the lens out for a couple of days, the lens is hard to use as you could imagine!!


PostPosted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not bad results. I have this camera, and its great, no softness at 2.8, yours must be something to do with the conversion, non-image light entering the image path and causing flare probably.

This was Nikon's first compact camera and their first autofocus camera. Its a bit of history.

I don't suppose you still have the front right hand grip covering. Mine has an odd bit of leather from a Praktica, better than the duct tape one it came with but I'd like an original.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 27, 2013 7:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

philslizzy wrote:
Not bad results. I have this camera, and its great, no softness at 2.8, yours must be something to do with the conversion, non-image light entering the image path and causing flare probably.

This was Nikon's first compact camera and their first autofocus camera. Its a bit of history.

I don't suppose you still have the front right hand grip covering. Mine has an odd bit of leather from a Praktica, better than the duct tape one it came with but I'd like an original.


The lens is prone to alot of flare, think there is too much reflective surface from the aperture control ring on the inside.

The program I used to compress seems to have destroyed the sharpness of the images but the lens is reasonably sharp when I can get the intended item in focus.

And yes I do still have the plastic grip, you can IM me your address and I'll gladly send it off to you. Smile