Fun With Freelensing!

[Piewacket]

Let me just say, I have been a pro photographer for over 20 years and I had never heard of this till I stumbled on to this post about "Freelensing". It involves removing your lens and then holding it in front of the body to create tilt shift effects... I have tried both a my Canon 50 and an old Nikon 24 lens...with some very cool results. You do have to be careful as you're exposing your sensors to dust...Yes, you could just use a lensbaby but I think there is a different quality to these...It feels very organic, almost like I am painting with my camera.

Full details on my blog today... and am planning another post later in the week.

p.s. I did a search before posting and nothing came up on this topic... if I missed it somehow sorry.

 

[tapesonthefloor]

Let me know if this counts: I'm using my cupped palm as a pinhole lens. Yes, I was exposing my sensor to dust, but since I have 38-39 of them per roll I didn't let it bother me.

Canon T70, hand-as-lens (about f/9?), Fujichrome Sensia 400

Edit: On second thought, if the goal is specifically the tilt-shift effects, this may not count... let me know.

Edit 2:I've removed it but left the link. You're right: it wasn't on topic. Freelense away!

 

[Piewacket]

That is interesting... I saw a pinhole lens cap you can buy on photojojo... I thought why not make one, seems like it would not be that hard. Paper would even work, no?

Not really freelensing though.

 

[bsdunek]

I didn't know it was called that, and probably wasn't when I was doing it. Back in the late 50's, when I had my Retina Reflex S, which had a leaf shutter so bellows couldn't be used, I used to do this. Sometimes hold it backwards - it seemed to work better that way. That does look good, Piewacket.

 

[eddie1960]

I've tried it a bit with my Bronica etrsi lenses and my k10 pentax
probably read the same article (there is also something called a plunger cam which gives a little more control than free lensing (though i haven't built one yet)

 

[eddie1960]

not great but it satisfied me the plunger cam is the way to go

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddie_smith/4932824989/] IMGP1037_DxO by Eddie Smith, on Flickr[/URL]

 

[krötenblender]

This one was done with a PEN E-P2 and a 50mm Pentax-M f1.4 last spring when I heard about freelensing the first time. It's fun, but at last I bought a "real" Tilt-Adapter.

I love this experimental stuff. I also tinkered a dual focal length pinhole "lense" from coke-can and a T-Mount-Adapter and an ultrawide fisheye (192°) from a doorviewer "mounted" on an 28mm vintage lense...😀 You should try that!

 

[eddie1960]

I love this experimental stuff. I also tinkered a dual focal length pinhole "lense" from coke-can and a T-Mount-Adapter and an ultrawide fisheye (192°) from a doorviewer "mounted" on an 28mm vintage lense...😀 You should try that!

I read that project and thought i have to try that

sounded really cool😎

 

[Piewacket]

I added another post today of my experiments. I also found some interesting tilt shift options...!