Within the latest DIY Perks undertaking, Matt constructed a big format digital camera utilizing an previous episcope lens that produces the identical outcomes as a 35mm f/0.4 lens (full-frame equal) for the entire price of $190.
Matt from the Youtube channel DIY Perks is certainly a really inventive man. We featured his work beforehand – you may keep in mind when he made the Canon EOS R5 report 8K uncooked with none restrict by swapping the digital camera’s inner warmth sink along with his personal higher design. This time Matt determined to create a big format digital camera (or a VERY quick lens – relying on the way you take a look at it) and the ensuing footage seems distinctive.
It’s all about shallow DoF
The chase for shallow depth of subject that ends in the blurry background stuffed with bokeh and helps separate the topic and provides the viewer a way of depth has at all times been part of the filmmaker’s (and naturally photographer’s) life. Though a shallow depth of subject alone doesn’t assure a pleasant consequence, it is among the instruments that’s supposed to assist inform the story and make the photographs extra interesting.
If I simplify issues a bit, there are mainly two methods on learn how to (optically) attain a shallower depth of subject with a given angle of view (and a hard and fast topic distance to the digital camera):
- Bigger “sensor” – Bigger sensor (or projection aircraft) permits us to make use of an extended focal size lens to succeed in the specified angle of view. Due to how a lens works, an extended focal size lens (with the identical aperture) produces shallower depth of subject.
- Sooner lens – The quicker the lens is (or the decrease the aperture worth is), the shallower depth of subject we are able to get. Reasonably priced affordable normal are prime lenses with f/1.4 aperture on a full-frame sensor. There are quicker lenses, however each cease quicker than f/1.4 normally comes with a really excessive price. There are additionally bodily limitations – one of many quickest full-frame prime lenses ever made is the Carl Zeiss 50mm f/0.7 which is a really costly piece of glass.
The primary possibility that makes use of bigger projection circle (bigger “sensor”) is extra attention-grabbing, as there are a lot of inexpensive classic specialty lenses that permit for attention-grabbing outcomes.
In truth, we already reported a few comparable DIY undertaking in 2018 when filmmaker Zev Hoover constructed a big format digital camera. Matt’s undertaking works equally, however his setup is a bit neater and extra sensible for my part.
Episcope projection lens
The lens that Matt used for his undertaking is an previous Episcope 432mm f/5 lens that was utilized in early projection units to undertaking a light-weight bounced off of actual objects. This large lens produces an enormous picture circle of round 500mm in diameter. For reference, trendy massive format cine lenses produce picture circles with a diameter of round 46mm.
The construct
The problem right here is learn how to seize the entire picture circle. There are clearly no digital picture sensors that might seize such a big picture. The concept that Matt used for his undertaking is to place a skinny semi-transparent display screen within the projection aircraft of the lens, after which seize the picture on that display screen from the opposite facet with any digital camera.
Images diffusion sheet is the fabric Matt went with, because it has fairly a advantageous construction and becoming traits for this goal. The sheet was then sandwiched between two items of acrylic glass. Within the means of development, Matt discovered that the picture on the diffusion sheet confirmed heavy vignetting, so he had to make use of two flat Fresnel lenses to direct the sunshine rays in direction of the digital camera on the again.
The following enchancment to the digital camera’s design was making a mechanical focusing system to have the ability to exactly change the main focus. Matt used two threaded rods linked with a low-rpm motor and to be trustworthy, it seems fairly neat and appears to be working very nicely.
Lastly, to dam undesirable gentle from coming into the lens system from the facet, Matt made a brief bellow sleeve from black paper.
I’ve to confess, I’m very impressed by the ensuing clips and the look of the shallow depth of subject pictures that Matt captured for the video. This entire system transforms this Episcope 432mm f/5 lens right into a 35mm f/0.4 because of a crop issue (relative to full-frame) of 0.08x.
Value and availability
As this can be a DIY undertaking, this sort of gadget isn’t being bought commercially, after all. For these of you who’re, like me, tempted to construct such a tool yourselves, Matt promised he’ll put collectively a bundle with designed fashions for all of the 3D-printed components, all of the measurements, and so on. On the time of writing the article, this was, nonetheless, nonetheless not out there. Let’s hope Matt will embody the hyperlink as quickly as potential. The opposite important gear is, after all, a becoming Episcope lens, which could really be a bit troublesome to get.
The entire price of the fabric for this undertaking is, based on Matt, round $190. This may, nonetheless, rely upon the worth of the lens. I can think about the costs of comparable lenses went considerably up after Matt launched the video.
What do you consider the DIY Perks’ newest undertaking? Are you tempted to construct this your self? Tell us within the feedback part beneath the article.
