Weird Lenses – BeyondPhotoShoot

This DIY 90mm f/2.8 Petzval lens looks like it came straight off the production line

April 27, 2017John Aldred

We’ve shown a few DIY lenses in the past, including a 3D printed lens. This one, though, really takes it to the extreme. Based on a Petzval design, Swedish camera maker Mats Wernersson built the lens completely from scratch. But looking at the final product, you’d never know it. It looks like it came straight from a […]

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I converted a Rodenstock 50mm f/1.1 X-Ray lens to fit my Micro Four Thirds camera

April 21, 2017Anthony Kouttron

One of the shortcomings of smaller image sensors is obtaining adequate exposure in dim lighting situations. Anyone used to sub full-frame cameras or just dull kit lenses has felt this pain. To gain appropriate exposure you’ll either have to bump up the ISO, shoot with the lens wide open, add physical light sources to the […]

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The Crapinon 135mm – A DIY lens built from trash

April 3, 2017John Aldred

They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that’s certainly true for weird lens addict, Mathieu Stern. He regularly finds treasure that others only see as garbage. This time, though, he’s taking things literally, building the Crapinon 135mm DIY lens. Mathieu often trawls the local flea markets looking for bargains, oddities and rare lenses. […]

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3 tools to help you get super sharp manual focus shots

February 1, 2017Jake Hicks

Last week we covered three of the main tips to bear in mind when trying to get sharper manual focus images. Ambient lighting, contrasting elements to focus on and actual focusing technique. Although all of these tips are essential in giving us the best possible chance to get more of our manual focus shots pin-sharp, […]

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Tips on Getting Sharper Images with Manual Focus Lenses

January 26, 2017Jake Hicks

Ever since Leica presented a camera at the 1976 Photokina with working automated focusing, autofocus technology has taken leaps and bounds in its advancement. Today’s autofocus cameras are nothing short of miraculous to the point at which it’s hard to imagine where the advancement can go from here. But photographers didn’t always have focusing this […]

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This 40 year old lens easily keeps up with today’s crop of 28mm lenses

January 25, 2017John Aldred

So, we’ve got another old lens to show you. This one looks rather cool, too. It’s the Vivitar 28mm f/1.9. Back in the 70s, when this was made, it was one of the fastest 28mm out there. Voigtlander did have their Ultron 28mm f/1.9 which costed significantly more, though. More recently, Nikon, Canon, and Sigma have released […]

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Putting a night vision lens on your camera won’t help it see in the dark but it does look pretty cool

January 4, 2017John Aldred

I’m a huge fan of old and weird lenses. They have unique qualities to them that can be difficult or impossible to achieve in post. So, when I see new a new video from Mathieu Stern, it always piques my interest. His latest video shows off a very strange lens. Designed for military and police […]

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How to create autofocus with a 120 year old lens

December 14, 2016John Aldred

Mathieu Stern’s at it again with his crazy experiments. This time, he’s taken the lens off a 120 year old folding camera, and attached it to his Sony mirrorless camera. This is nothing new, but what is new is that he’s given it autofocus abilities. The first autofocus lenses were released around 40 years ago, so […]

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Taking sandpaper to M42 lenses to get that anamorphic look on the cheap

November 9, 2016Tito Ferradans

Tito Ferradans here for a lengthy video involving some serious modding and unique looks. Summer is here and DIY projects are up. A few weeks ago I was blown away by a few photos posted by one Victor Danell with a modified Helios 44. His process was to “polish” the glass elements with a strong […]

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Shooting amazing portraits using vintage lenses

November 4, 2016John Aldred

Regular readers here on DIYP will know how much we like seeing Mathieu Stern’s videos. He’s shown us some great old and weird lenses working with modern cameras and shared a few cool stories. Now, he’s teamed up with fellow French photographer Serge Ramelli to talk about portraits. More specifically, they’re portraits with vintage lenses. In these […]

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