Cra**iest wide-angle for m-mount?

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pmu

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I have this basic problem that Leica shooters always have; all my lenses are way too good, I want Holga quality and it seems to be hard to achieve. So, about 28mm focal lenght, much vignetting, horrible colors etc. nice features -- how can I get that with ltm/m-bayonet? Do I have to use a scratched/abused filter in front of some lens or...?

Here is some example images from my fellow strap member Jussi's blog. He is shooting with his modified Oly Pennee. -->

http://www.strap-photos.com/jussi/

http://strap-photos.com/jussi/cutenews/data/upimages/pen_kauppayhtiomies.jpg
http://strap-photos.com/jussi/cutenews/data/upimages/pen_kadulla.jpg
 
Get one of those pentax screw to leica screw adaptors, then use a leica screw to M adaptor on that, and find a pentax 28 screwmount slr lens, guess focus and put one of those rubber folding lens hoods on it that is supposed to fit a 50 so the corners will be black.
 
I acquired a 'semi-fisheye' video adapter somewhere in my travels that could work well for what you're doing.
It attaches to your camera's lens via filter threads and a series of adapters, though the threads are some odd size, maybe a series size? Anyway, image quality is miserable (maybe not as bad as your friend's) and distortion is awful. If you screw it to a 50mm lens, the image covers the whole frame. I think a 24mm would yield a circular image.
Downside is the thing is pretty bulky.
I'll see if I can't find an image or two to scan.
 
Forgive me if I sound too much like a smarta$$ (I'm not trying to be), but why not just get a Holga?
 
O.K., looks like memeory only serves so well. I couldn't find any negs around from when I tinkered with this thing last, so here are some fresh images snapped around the house.
They were taken with the attachment threaded to the front of a 28mm lens and with a Pentax DSLR, so like a 43mm lens on a 35mm camera. It appears that to get a true full frame image you'd need about a 75mm lens, and for a circular image you'd need a 24mm. The 28mm lens just barely won't get the full circle on 35mm.
The maker was Soligor and other than that, it says "Itorex Semi-Fisheye" and "Japan" on the barrel. So I have no idea how common these things are or where to find one, but I'd expect you can still find something similar for sale.
Another non-destructive method might be a wideangle lens and a creatively mutilated filter?
 

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Haha, I thought the same thing about why not simply getting a Holga, but another camera is more bulk than a lens or damaged filter 🙂

Isn't there something called a "lensbaby". I don't know much about it, but have seen some weird effects created with it.

I once had a list of blogs of RFF people, and one of those made some really very good pictures with all kinds of weird filters (as I remember). He mainly had photographs of weathered statues. Maybe someone remembers too and can tell us what he used to create the effects 🙂

[edit]
I found a picture of a lensbaby:
http://prophoto.typepad.com/bonus/images/200609bc_lensbaby3g.jpg

Source:
http://prophoto.typepad.com/bonus/news/index.html

It looks like a fun thing to attach to your camera!
 
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Kyle said:
Forgive me if I sound too much like a smarta$$ (I'm not trying to be), but why not just get a Holga?
Click to expand...

I "hate" to shoot with crappy cameras, even if I like the poor image quality they produce... Besides, it is not cost effective to use 120 film camera for totally random snapshots.

I have say that you can often hear the phrase "...it's all about the lenses" when people talk about Leicas... Well, to me -- it's all about the camera 🙂 I would be happy to use all sorts of bad lenses with my Leica, but I really do not like to shoot with bad cameras 🙂
 
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Well, if you have a Holga, it's medium format for one thing and you always have a Holga. With some sort of adapter or crappy lens, you have your regular camera and you have the option to make Holga like images.

I have to think there is some sort of Russian screw mount lens that would work with a Leica. I'm interested to see what the list produces.
 
photogdave said:
The problem with a lens adapter on a Leica rangefinder is you can't see the effect!
Click to expand...

Unless, like the previously mentioned web article, you use a digital (RD-1 or M8). However, a crop factor is prevalent with both cameras so your already long 60mm goes even longer, to 80 or 90mm.
edit: and the effect won't show until after capture.
 
Spiratone used to make a 12mm prime that "looks" alot like this. Put a M42 T-Mount on the lens. To mount it to the M body, you would need a Canon Lens Mount Converter A, and a Canon Lens Mount Converter B. Add an M mount adapter, and you are -good to go-.

You wouldn't need a finder with such a lens. Wing it🙂
 
I am not sure a lens baby would work at all. The whole point of it is there is no focus, you just move it in and out and bend it until you see focus. I made a poor man's lens baby out of an enlarging lens and assorted tape and things. It worked ok on my digital, but it was hard to use even on the SLR.
 
what about finding on of the "screw on" wide angle adapters that kenko (and others) make - if you could find one the same filter size as one of your M mount lenses, you could probably mess with that a bit.
 
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