ProfHankD
Veteran Member
APSC2 (APS-C Squared) Rotate-and-Stitch Adapter is an open-source, 3D-printable, adapter that allows your APS-C Sony E-mount body to capture the largest square format images most full-frame lenses are almost certain to cover. I've been doing a lot of work with polar scanning (e.g., Lafodis160 ), but this adapter is much simpler and fully mechanical, working more like Fotodiox’s RhinoCam Vertex , but with a few important differences.
This is a four-part adapter for Leica M to Sony E -- except it is offset and rotates. The idea is simple: the diagonal of a 36x24mm full frame is approximately 43.27mm, so most full-frame lenses should be able to cover a square with approximately the same diagonal, which would be 30.59x30.59mm. Sony APS-C is approximately 23.6x15.6mm, thus by offset rotation in 90-degree steps it should be possible for four shots to cover up to 31.2x31.2mm. Of course, alignment is never perfect, but allowing for that, it's still possible to get about 30.6x30.6mm... allowing for minor stitching errors, etc., let's call it 30x30mm. Using a 24MP APS-C body, that means you'll get roughly 58MP worth of scene detail (although image stitching software might give you any number of pixels).
Why Leica M? For the same reason the TechArt Pro LM-EA7 uses it: nearly all old lens mounts can be adapted to Leica M, so this adapter is reasonably universal. For example, to use a Canon FD lens, simply mount a Canon FD to Leica M adapter on this and then mount your FD lens on the front. Not only are lots of adapters commercially available, but I've also designed and posted free 3D-printable M adapters for: Argus C3, Minolta/Konica-Minolta AF / SonyA, Canon FL/FD/FDn, Minolta SR/MC/MD, M42, and Kiev 10/15.
For example, I used my old Sony NEX-7 with APSC2 to capture various test images within the coverage of a Canon FD mount Vivitar 135mm f/2.8. For example, one capture with this looks like:
Reduced from 4000x6000 pixel JPEG capture
And four APSC2 capturtes stitched together using Hugin gives:
View attachment dab2703130e74e2297c7881c2a960b1c.jpg
The full-resolution JPEG stitch
To save bandwidth, here are a couple more stitched results, but scaled down:
Reduced resolution stitch
Reduced resolution stitch
Again, those are 58MP images from within the image circle of a designed-for-135-format-film Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 -- and all of those happen to have been shot wide open.
The adapter itself is:
And here it is in use:
Note that this adapter doesn't have a tripod socket (if it did, it would bump into the camera grip when rotating), so your lens or adapter to M mount needs one. Some lenses and adapters have a "tripod foot" for mounting, but this FD-to-M and Vivitar lens didn't, so I used Parametric Lens Mount Ring to print one. There are lots of commercially available alternatives for under $25, but lens diameters vary, and this was easy to customize for a good fit on my Vivitar.
Complete instructions on making and using APSC2 are posted at Thingiverse: APSC2 (APS-C Squared) Rotate-and-Stitch Adapter .
It would be fairly easy to make a version for a Fuji APS-C body. However, Canon EF-M mount is a bit of a problem because Canon's sensor is undersized -- there would be gaps in the stitch. Canon EF-M sensors are 22.3x14.9, so maximum area covered would be 29.8x29.8mm with perfect alignment, and realistically more like 29x29mm... which would feel similar, but definitely requires a different rotation offset.
This is a four-part adapter for Leica M to Sony E -- except it is offset and rotates. The idea is simple: the diagonal of a 36x24mm full frame is approximately 43.27mm, so most full-frame lenses should be able to cover a square with approximately the same diagonal, which would be 30.59x30.59mm. Sony APS-C is approximately 23.6x15.6mm, thus by offset rotation in 90-degree steps it should be possible for four shots to cover up to 31.2x31.2mm. Of course, alignment is never perfect, but allowing for that, it's still possible to get about 30.6x30.6mm... allowing for minor stitching errors, etc., let's call it 30x30mm. Using a 24MP APS-C body, that means you'll get roughly 58MP worth of scene detail (although image stitching software might give you any number of pixels).
Why Leica M? For the same reason the TechArt Pro LM-EA7 uses it: nearly all old lens mounts can be adapted to Leica M, so this adapter is reasonably universal. For example, to use a Canon FD lens, simply mount a Canon FD to Leica M adapter on this and then mount your FD lens on the front. Not only are lots of adapters commercially available, but I've also designed and posted free 3D-printable M adapters for: Argus C3, Minolta/Konica-Minolta AF / SonyA, Canon FL/FD/FDn, Minolta SR/MC/MD, M42, and Kiev 10/15.
For example, I used my old Sony NEX-7 with APSC2 to capture various test images within the coverage of a Canon FD mount Vivitar 135mm f/2.8. For example, one capture with this looks like:
Reduced from 4000x6000 pixel JPEG capture
And four APSC2 capturtes stitched together using Hugin gives:
View attachment dab2703130e74e2297c7881c2a960b1c.jpg
The full-resolution JPEG stitch
To save bandwidth, here are a couple more stitched results, but scaled down:
Reduced resolution stitch
Reduced resolution stitch
Again, those are 58MP images from within the image circle of a designed-for-135-format-film Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 -- and all of those happen to have been shot wide open.
The adapter itself is:
And here it is in use:
Note that this adapter doesn't have a tripod socket (if it did, it would bump into the camera grip when rotating), so your lens or adapter to M mount needs one. Some lenses and adapters have a "tripod foot" for mounting, but this FD-to-M and Vivitar lens didn't, so I used Parametric Lens Mount Ring to print one. There are lots of commercially available alternatives for under $25, but lens diameters vary, and this was easy to customize for a good fit on my Vivitar.
Complete instructions on making and using APSC2 are posted at Thingiverse: APSC2 (APS-C Squared) Rotate-and-Stitch Adapter .
It would be fairly easy to make a version for a Fuji APS-C body. However, Canon EF-M mount is a bit of a problem because Canon's sensor is undersized -- there would be gaps in the stitch. Canon EF-M sensors are 22.3x14.9, so maximum area covered would be 29.8x29.8mm with perfect alignment, and realistically more like 29x29mm... which would feel similar, but definitely requires a different rotation offset.
