Lensbaby

My advice is don't get too carried away with multihole apertures .......and you don't need a CNC machine to make them either.

Simple designs created with a hand punch work really well.....but then I don't know what you're looking for or the effect you desire .

For these one off apertures lay out your design on paper, then hand punch them out......if you don't get it perfect don't worry......the images usually come out pretty kewl if the design works at all .

The not perfect design is sometimes more unique and original...so just go for it, the doing is more important ....experiment, have fun !

High precision aps can be made using litho film. Not through holes but the litho film is crystal clear. Supply the right PDF and you can get an 8.5x11" sheet with a whole bunch of combinations for less than $20.

-Craig

You could not step twice into the same rivers; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.
Heraclitus of Ephesus

Sounds good. Now, where do you get litho film? Can you print it yourself or do you need to send it out? And do you just drop it to your lens baby or do you paste it on a blank disk with a large hole?

Ah.....Craig, doing it the ol' school way ....excellent idea !

Just like the zoneplate/pinhole swapper lens .

As to making these litho apertures....sure you might be able to still get the film from places like Freestyle .

Most likely there is a digital film too that would work, the tip off was the 8.5 X 11 size mentioned......someone like Kinkos or whatever they call themselves now does this.

Time to explore digital film how to's for more info :)

Could this be the next big Bending trend ?

Can I buy some swapper housings with the litho ap holders and optic options.......kewl idea ???

While Craig and Sam are mulling this over, maybe they'll sell us some blank housing for hacking :)) A five pack would be good :)) to start out with .

Deep down on the list of possible optic swap options we have an optic swap cup with no glass or other "optic" installed, just magnets, possibly two or three rows of magnets, for multiple "element" pinholes, fresnel lenses, plastic lenses, or combination thereof. For that matter, whatever DIY solution you might want to glue into an f2.8 aperture disk to hold it in place.

Thoughts?

-Craig

You could not step twice into the same rivers; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.
Heraclitus of Ephesus

Or maybe you could expand your services? We'll send you an EPS file and you make the disk for us?

We use reveregraphics for the pinhole/zone plate films: [www.rgraphics.com]

If you can get them what you want they can output it with great quality. Feel free to tell them that you want something similar to what they are providing Lensbaby and what parameters do the Lensbaby files meet in terms of format, sizing, etc.?

There should be multiple service providers in any medium to large city in the US that can help you with this. Whether they have the customer service to walk a small order like this through is another question. I think Revere would do a great job of this.

-Craig

You could not step twice into the same rivers; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.
Heraclitus of Ephesus

Thanks, Craig, I'll keep them in mind, as there is no large city within hundreds of miles from me. :)

Adam: Man you have lots of techno questions !

The CNC machines I use are very expensive , their job is to cut metal stock into production parts.

I also bought some computer controlled cutters to make mattes or what is being called here as apertures, but frankly they don't have the ability to do what you want.

They don't seem to be able to cut tiny pinholes because they use a blade, what you need is probably a lazer cutter.

In another post, Craig suggested using litho film to make these special apertures, he's right !

Printed circuit boards used to be produced tiny by the use of litho film exposures and etching .

The thing about pinhole exposures is, more then one pinhole and it doesn't work very well......that's why it's called pinhole.......multipinloles......well sounds like a interesting project for you to explore.......Bendy minds want to know more !

Did I get your quest wrong.....you're just calling the multi aperture openings pinholes ?

I'm so confused :)))

Craig......Thoughts, you bet !
But you know me, the wilder and crazy the better !

The optic swap cup option is a fab idea, pardon the pun....so when do you figure I could invest in some ?

I hate hacking up swapper optics just to get the cup .

I've been thinking of spinning some prototype cups on the lathe just to play but......that's very time consuming .

I could be out Bending :))

Update: Having lots of 2.8 magnetic disks and maybe sizes down to F-4 would be great for attaching self-made creative apertures to . I'll have to play first to figure it all out.

I would love to test some of your Imagon style softy apertures too with some of my test optics ......nice product!

Craig I think you're going to drive some of the other lensmakers crazy with all these good optic in the works .

The Russians came out with some new tilt/shift adapters, but they are for macro work.......My 3G mod with Nikon PC optic is so killer compared to the tilt/shift adapter......but that's another adventure :)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/2009 12:40PM by ranfoto.

Quote
ranfoto
Did I get your quest wrong.....you're just calling the multi aperture openings pinholes ?

I'm so confused :)))

They are pinholes all right, there are just many of them. :) They are very, very tiny.

You start with a regular pinhole in the middle, then add increasingly smaller (that's a weird English expression, "increasingly smaller"!) pinholes along the Fresnel zones.

So, from what you said, the CNC machine would definitely not work. Those holes are too small for knives.

Re: CNC matte cutting machine.....

I believe the the smallest hole one could cut would have a radius of .250 inch........not exactly pinhole size !

When I purchased this cutter I was thinking of normal Bendy aperture sizes.......now it's paranormal :0 !

OK, thanks Ran D.

Well, looks like fans of CNC can now make their own CNC mill, though this is beyond my skill level. :)

I posted this 3 years ago

How I make Aperture Disc

And Racen' that three year old post is still Mickey Mouse.....and now I own two vinyl cutters that I don't use that much, but it was a killer idea :)))