Getting ready for flying, refinements to my MF J5 setup

I recently did some trips to different countries, and as much as the newer J30 is better in most ways, it feels like a 'work camera' compared to the lighter J5.

So I 3D printed a new filter step-up adaptor for a new black-mist filter that I bought in Japan and corrected an electrical problem between the contacts on the camera body and the back of the lens.

It's not the final version of the 3D-printed parts. They need a few more improvements and I will find a better colour of filament than the green.


Updated setup with a new filter is much better




Let's find somewhere to take phots. I'm being followed already


I can now do bird photography with MF at some level.


Birds are happy with it


Infinity focus works properly


No zoom function, so the aeroplanes at the airport are very small.


Are the seas turning red in Austrailia? is that comedy? or just a NX-Studio Picture control trick.


Maybe this is the signal that everything is fine.


Walking this way is very busy




Maybe this way, everything working nicely now.

When I fly out again, I think I will take this new setup.

It's challenging, my walking ability is fixed, but I still have laser damage to my eye.

Thank you.

Looks like a nifty setup. I've been using the Voigtlander 40/1.4 Classic on my J5. The M adapter is small, but lens + adapter still feels front-heavy. Does the 7Artisans 35/1.2 not require an adapter?

TFGJR said:

Looks like a nifty setup. I've been using the Voigtlander 40/1.4 Classic on my J5. The M adapter is small, but lens + adapter still feels front-heavy. Does the 7Artisans 35/1.2 not require an adapter?

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This is an APS-C lens that I bought online. But it is for some other camera system. Can't remember, I'd have to go look it up.

The other year I spent some time working out a 3D-printed adaptor. It took some time to get the measurements right. I don't like to show it because it was just an interim development to test with, My excuse is that at the time, the 3D Printer had a thermistor failure and wasn't working reliably. I'm not proud of how it looks but here it is:


I removed the metal lens flange and replaced it with a crudely made 3D printed flange.

Obviously, I will work on the Nikon1 flange again. It's functional to around about the 30% level, but it would be nice to have the holes so that it can lock into the mount and have proper detachability functionality.

My understanding is that APS-C introduced a geometry change over DSLR type lenses. The Nikon-1 system, (I'm investigating this) is more closely compatable with APS-C and not DSLR.

So with the right flange, it's my opinion that it might be able to migrate many APS-C lenses to the Nikon1 system without a lot of effort, providing that the correct vendor specific adaptor flanges are available.

Well, I've done enough tinkering to know how impressive this is. The thought of having access to the world of APS-C lenses makes the N1 heart beat faster. Hope you will keep us posted on your progress.

TFGJR said:

Well, I've done enough tinkering to know how impressive this is. The thought of having access to the world of APS-C lenses makes the N1 heart beat faster. Hope you will keep us posted on your progress.

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Thank you.

Definitely. The big issue with using any of the Nikon-F lenses is the extra size. Whereas if we could use the more compact APS-C lenses, even with only manual focus, it would be better.

Even with this 'cheap' 7-artisans lens, I think it is a step up on the old technology of the Nikon1 lenses in some circumstances.

I'm going to think about trying some Sony lenses later. But I have travel and work for the next few months but maybe next year.

Happy to share the 3D-print .stl files though once I have finished with this one.

TFGJR said:

Well, I've done enough tinkering to know how impressive this is. The thought of having access to the world of APS-C lenses makes the N1 heart beat faster. Hope you will keep us posted on your progress.

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I found the lens cap while cleaning up.

It matches the flange. So it is definitely for this particular 7Artisans lens.


Inside the cap I found an unusual marking I never noticed in my cap collection.

Yes, this is clearly a lens made for Sony APS-C

Hello David. Interesting experiment. The colour reproduction of the posted images is pretty good and I am not familiar with the 7Artisan lenses. As has been mentioned, your adapter work opens up intriguing lens possiblities so I too will be looking to see how the refinements evolve. I have a contax Zeiss 21 which would be fun.

You could imagine as candidates many of the new smallish, fastish aps-c offerings from viltrox, ttartisan, laowa, meike, and others. Good clean fun!

Kazmarov said:

Hello David. Interesting experiment. The colour reproduction of the posted images is pretty good and I am not familiar with the 7Artisan lenses. As has been mentioned, your adapter work opens up intriguing lens possiblities so I too will be looking to see how the refinements evolve.

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I'm using NX Studio to do subtle colour changes to most of the images via their picture controls. I'm typically selecting a value of 30-50% to shift the colour away from the normal raw sensor value. I do each photo individually.

Kazmarov said:

I have a contax Zeiss 21 which would be fun.

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Hopefully yes.

TFGJR said:

You could imagine as candidates many of the new smallish, fastish aps-c offerings from viltrox, ttartisan, laowa, meike, and others. Good clean fun!

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Yes, they are the affordable set that I was thinking of.

But I'd like to do the Sigma 30mm prime and the Sigma f1.8 zoom lenses the most, on APS-C.

The work continues.

Another session finishes, and a snap of my cutting, drilling, scraping and splattering desk.


Test shot with next revision of the interface adaptor. Rust-convertor Picture-control applied.

Photos from the other day




bokeh overload at f1.2




Another shot from the other day that I didn't share




A crocodile head or a rock? luckily it's a rock.



[ATTACH alt=" Birds come to say "Get out of here" "]3760156[/ATTACH]
Birds come to say "Get out of here"

Thank you.

Thanks for the update David.

I have been using NX Studio in parallel to DxO PL as I have acquired more Nikon hardware. I find the NXS colour management more true to how I perceive a scene than DxO i.e. easier to reproduce the scene in terms of colour balance. I know you have been a long term user of NX. Perhaps you would be interested in thisarticle.

PS: like the crocodile rock!

Looking forward to following your work, and, eventually--if you don't mind sharing the 3D-print files--to modifying a few lenses myself.

Terry

Kazmarov said:

I have been using NX Studio in parallel to DxO PL as I have acquired more Nikon hardware.

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It's impossible to stay singularly involved in the N1 system as far as I am concerned. This week I made a big decision though, all my old Canon cameras went into the bin. The N1 system is staying a bit longer as a fingerpoken, soldering, and cutting platform. Harder to do on the Z platform as things are a bit more $$ over there.

Kazmarov said:

I find the NXS colour management more true to how I perceive a scene than DxO i.e. easier to reproduce the scene in terms of colour balance. I know you have been a long term user of NX.

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Not that long actually. Maybe two and a bit years. I'm just a hobby user and my reasons for using it were more about learning the capabilities of Nikons higher-level/newer cameras. I agree, NX-Studio is a gentle camera-centric styling tool I'm glad the updated Picture Control functions work with the Nikon1 NEFs.

Kazmarov said:

Perhaps you would be interested in thisarticle.

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That's exactly how I have been using NX-Studio over the past few years. I'm still exploring the Picture-Controls. There are still some that I'm trying to understand how to use nicely.

I find the advantage of the Nikon1 is that the hardware really nudges you to work harder to get the best out of each image. So that's enjoyable in it's own way.

Haven't tried the Nikon Cloud yet. Maybe I will.

Kazmarov said:

PS: like the crocodile rock!

Click to expand...

Thank you.

TFGJR said:

Looking forward to following your work, and, eventually--if you don't mind sharing the 3D-print files--to modifying a few lenses myself.

Terry

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Sure.

As much fun as it is playing with rotary-tools in "I just need this to work" mode, I've got the Blender loaded and doing the precision hole placement for the screw-holes.

I moved the development back to the precision-workstation room with the 'CAD-Computer'.

My lens mount becomes more of a working reality rather than a dream.

After tool time sessions at home, I can now control the focus and aperture correctly and not like before.

Only natural lighting and minor NX-Studio adjustments used.


A little light creeps into the World from the sky above.


I tried to strike up conversation with the Magpie on the Elephants foot. Oh wait it was a tree.


The abundance of food, tiny figs grow in the branches above.

[ATTACH alt=""There's boats around the corner" says the Magpie "Are you going boating?""]3760167[/ATTACH]
"There's boats around the corner" says the Magpie "Are you going boating?"


I replied "Here's the one that matches my budget at the moment"


I'll just grab a snap of some flowers in the sun.


Yes, there airport sits not far away, but not going today.

Thank you.

Those are impressive results David. Looking at the focus it seems you are within microns of the perfect thickness as both close and distance focus is much improved. Obviously it is difficult because of compression on posting and you might already be there. You mentioned electrical linkages, so have you worked out the appropriate pins on the j5 and the lens and connected them? Very interesting.

Kazmarov said:

Those are impressive results David. Looking at the focus it seems you are within microns of the perfect thickness as both close and distance focus is much improved.

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Thanks, yes I was surprised.

It's not a perfect lens, and not up there with the best modern lenses for sure. But it seems better than many vintage or Nikon1 lenses by a lot.

Kazmarov said:

Obviously it is difficult because of compression on posting and you might already be there.

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I wondered the same. I want to check the images to see how much detail is really in the .NEF. But it makes me want to try better lenses as well.

Kazmarov said:

You mentioned electrical linkages, so have you worked out the appropriate pins on the j5 and the lens and connected them? Very interesting.

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I know which is the PWR pin and which is the GND. As for the data lines, I knew that question was coming. So knowing that, it should be easy to figure out all the others with a digital probe, which I already have on my desk. The next one to find is the CLK signal for synchronist data.

I've had the idea to sell the lens along with the (next version of the) adaptor as a set, to move forward. If I can raise $US50 from the sale of the mounting-rings, I'll have the enthusiasm to work on the data lines. To bring that from very low enthusiasm to an active project. As well as look at a few other lenses in the new "affordable wide primes" lens class.

I'm also thinking of applying funds to a youngster such as an Intern in IT to spend a week with signal interception and probes. It's not as much fun for me now. I'd rather be out walking and talking than staying indoors.

But it's likely to move forward.

Kazmarov said:

Those are impressive results David. Looking at the focus it seems you are within microns of the perfect thickness as both close and distance focus is much improved. Obviously it is difficult because of compression on posting and you might already be there. You mentioned electrical linkages, so have you worked out the appropriate pins on the j5 and the lens and connected them? Very interesting.

Click to expand...

The lens he is using has no electrical interface so there is nothing to connect with the camera.

Ah! and Oh!. Thanks Paul.