Further close-up experiments: X Vario & Raynox c/u lenses.

[dkCambridgeshire]

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I use various Leitz Elpro supplementary c/u lenses, stacked and unstacked, with my XV and obtain good results. However, the problem with small diameter Series VI Elpros is that they require non-standard size stepping rings - necessitating making same or having them custom made. The larger 55mm diameter Elpro 1, 2 and 3 c/u lenses are easier to modify but they can be rather expensive to buy secondhand … and the most useful 4.92 diopter Elpro 2 can be rather elusive. 

 

There are other achromatic c/u lenses available as per  http://fuzzcraft.com/achromats.html all of which are very much better than the cheap single element Ebay and Amazon c/u lens offerings. 

 

Amongst the more commonly available achromats are the Raynox 150 ( 4.8 diopter) and Raynox 250 (8 diopter) c/u lenses costing approx. £35 to £40 new ... but which are also frequently available secondhand. They are 3 element achromats - whereas the Elpros are 2 element. 

 

I've managed to acquire one of each secondhand - the 250 was just £17.50 which compares more than favourably with the cost of a couple of 4.92 diopter Elpros. 

 

Unlike the Elpros, the Raynox lenses will not readily stack together because they have a rear 43mm male thread and a front 49mm female thread … but 49mm to 43mm stepping rings are available enabling assembly of a 4.8 diopter + 8 diopter module i.e. 12.8 diopter in total. 

 

But will it work and will it give reasonable results? If it doesn't then buying a stepping ring could be a waste of money. 

 

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I decided to tape the two Raynox lenses together and experiment. The Raynox rear 43 mm thread screws straight onto the XV lens' 43mm filter thread. Note the tiny spider infiltrator!

 

 

So far so good … now let's see how close the combination will focus by attaching the camera to a copy stand … and then by trial and error, gradually move the camera to its closest possible focus:

 

 

Note the sheet of polystyrene to one side of the copy stand base which is reflecting the window light … kitchen window is opposite the polystyrene. 

 

 

This shows the closest that the 12.8 diopter module will focus; 33.5mm length of tape measure onto the camera sensor's 23.6mm width.  Magnification is thus 23.6/33.5 = 0.7 i.e. 7/10 life size which approximates to 3/4 life size.

 

In practice this is ample for most close-up photography projects.

 

But let's see how close the combination will focus onto the 50p coin shown in the first two photos; coin is supported on a pen top. Had a textured background been used, the coin would appear above an out of focus background. 

 

 

More than sufficient to fill the frame. But note the high magnification shows all the coin's imperfections and blemishes. 

 

Having proved that the stacked Raynox c/u lenses are a viable proposition I've now ordered a 49mm to 43mm stepping ring from SRB for future use. 

 

In future I'll compare the actual results for other subject matter using both the stacked Raynox and stacked Elpro close-up lenses. 

 

I doubt if any significant differences will be apparent but the above results do show some very slight pin cushion distortion. 

 

Hope the above experiment is food for thought for anyone wanting to use their XV for relatively high magnification close-up photography. 

 

All above apparatus photos taken with Leica C compact. 

 

Best wishes

 

dunk 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guytou]

Bonjour tremper,

 

 

Je ai également utilisé ces Raynox fermé jusqu'à 150 et 250 pendant environ deux ans (initialement sur mon D-lux5 puis X Vario.)

 

Je suis très satisfait de leur facilité d'utilisation et surtout de la qualité des résultats. Mais je ne l'utilise pas fermé deux-up encore ensemble.
 

 

 

Merci beaucoup pour votre expérimentation (toujours très précis!) Et je pense de votre prochaine utilisation avec anneau 49/43.

 

 

Gars



 

Edited September 27, 2015 by Guytou

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[dkCambridgeshire]

Merci beaucoup Gars

 

dunk