Jump to content

Wide-angle adapting for Super 8


Marc Laurier

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

 

I am looking to put a wide-angle lens on my Nikon R10 for some indoor shoots in tight spaces, though I don't know if this is possible or practical. Has anyone tried such a thing?

 

The threaded filter ring is 67mm; thus, I am wondering if it would be best to look for a 67mm adapter and simply screw it in, or whether this would cause excessive vignetting. If vignetting would occur, would it help to use an adapter with a wider diameter than 67mm? And if so, how would I attach such a thing?

 

Having never attempted such a thing, I am really wondering what kind of equipment am I looking for here -- would adapters for video cameras or glass from still camera lenses suit my purposes?

 

Also, a colleague told me that you can visually detect the presence of vignetting through the viewfinder if you stop the camera all the way down. Is this correct?

 

Thanks very much in advance for sharing your experiences and advice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Ronney Ross

I have done it with both a Nizo 157 and a Sankyo camera. Just find (got a cheap-o ala ebay) a wide-angle adapter the fits the ring mount of your lense. I found the once I got around 4mm or added filters/steprings the image may vignette early.

 

R. Ross

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Marc,

 

I would recommend that you get a high-quality aspheric wide angle lens attachment for your fine Nikon zoom lens.

 

Schneider Optics has made some very good UWL lenses (UltraWideAngle), which is focused by using the zoom lense´s macro setting lever, and the one you want is the largest, the Schneider Asheric UWL III. Depending on the lens, you will get a wide angle lens around 4mm (about a 24mm on a 35mm SLR) - on my Beaulieu´s 6mm wide end, I get 3.9mm.

They sometimes show up in the used 'Movie' sections, under 'Film cameras' on eBay.com, but check very carefully first with the seller and scrutinize the photos in the listing, because these lenses are made of an acryllic plastic material (as in some eye-glasses) and they are very easy to scratch. The front cap must always be in place, when you are not shooting, and cleaning should be performed only with a rubber hand blower (the large black rocket-shaped one from Giotto is good) or in extreme cases, with a very clean and soft lens tissue (Rosco or Kodak) or a cotton cloth (however, as seldom as possible).

 

You can find one here, for example, from Mr. Uhmeyer in the 'Super8 Camera Shop' in Germany: http://www.super8camera-shop.com/shop/

 

If you click ' Camera Acessories' and 'Wide lens ...' you will see two of them at the top. The one that is in the best condition sells for 119 EUR. You might get one cheaper than that on eBay. This lens type has both the (inner) 62mm and the (outer) 67mm filter thread, so it works on Beaulieus, Canon XL-S´s, Nizos, Nikons, and a number of other cameras with large front filter threads. There are also a 58mm filter thread version, the UWL II (for many Nizos), and an even smaller one, the UWL I, with 49mm and 52mm threads.

 

Good luck!

Best regards,

Bengt in Stockholm, Sweden ;)

Edited by Bengt Freden
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Glenn Brady
Schneider Optics has made some very good UWL lenses (UltraWideAngle), which is focused by using the zoom lense´s macro setting lever, and the one you want is the largest, the Schneider Asheric UWL III.

 

Schneider UWL conversion lenses were designed primarily for use on Schneider Optivaron lenses, weren't they? Even though the Nikon R10 Super lens has a macro focusing feature, given the cost of the Schneider UWL conversion lenses, it might be prudent to borrow one to verify its function on the R10 before buying one.

 

I believe the Schneider UWL IV is the largest in the series, having an M77 thread. The UWL III has stepped M62 & M67 threads.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Glenn,

 

It is true that the UWL aspheric lenses were designed for the Schneider Optivaron (Leicina, Beaulieu) or Variogon (Bauer, Nizo) lenses but I have heard and read about uses on other zoom lenses. I also think it would be very prudent and wise to test it out on the Nikon zoom, if possible, before buying. Zoom lens constructions are fairly similar on high-end Super8 cameras.

 

I knew that there was an even larger lens, the UWL IV, but I have never seen it.

 

Canon has their own 'C-8' wide lens design for their Canon 1014 and 814 XL-s cameras and also one dedicated wide lens attachment for the Scoopic 16 cameras with macro function.

 

Best regards,

Bengt ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

I've been curious about this too. I'm looking to get a slight fisheye effect (no vignetting) for my super 8 cameras. I purchased a Beaulieu 4008 ZMII "super 8 sound" before they became "pro8" package off ebay 3 years ago and along with it came some sort of fisheye super wide angle lens. It's fixed focus and only has aperature control, I've been really happy with the results. Not really sure what kind of lens it is though. It's hard to identify, I'll try to post pics when I get the chance if someone thinks they can identify it. I wish I could find an adapter for my Nikon R8 to get something as wide or perhaps one for my minolta D10 for time lapse work.

 

Do I need to stick with the old school UWL adapters or would something like this work?here

 

There's also the century c-mount lenses. Duall in New York rents a 1.9mm C-mount lens, but I have yet to see some stills or footage of what that acheives. Seems like it should be wide enough or maybe too wide. On top of that I couldn't find one for sale anywhere or even afford it if I could find one.

 

This guy posted some footage supposedly shot with the 3.5mm lens but it's not quite wide enough for what I want to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The UWL III just doesn't work with a R10. A pity because 67mm screwthread fits so nicely.

 

Do not buy anything from Mr. Uhmeyer in the 'Super8 Camera Shop'

he is a crook and sells scratched lenses and cameras with serious troubles

without blinking. The garantees he gives are just fake.

 

Check the forums and you will find plenty thread on this fraud.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok well that's good to know. Duall Camera sells them too they say the UWL I fits the Nikon R8? Should I just stay away from that?

 

On another note here's the lens I've got. I'll post some stills from the footage I shot with it as well. It looks like it's some sort of small cctv type c-mount lens with a step up ring to fit a super wide adapter of some sort. Not sure?

post-6834-1251507988.jpg

post-6834-1251507995.jpg

post-6834-1251508002.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
Guest Jeremy Hunt

Hey

 

I own a Cannon 814 auto zoom, and i want to do wideangle and telephoto stuff. It says on the lens that its a c-8, will this work with it?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...E:X:RTQ:US:1123

 

I talked to the guy at the super 8 shop and he said, You will need 58mm wide lens or bigger with step ring down 62 to 58.

 

I need more info, i dont know very much about super 8 cameras.

 

-Jeremy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Nikon R10 and Canon 1014XL-S, which I bought the C-8 adaptor for.

 

Unfortunately something in the R10 lens construction doesn't allow the C-8 to work. It only ends up giving you universal (infinity) focus. Not much help... and you have to VERY carefully focus it in macro to get a good sharp image.

 

I'm not sure what the deal was with the R10 macro, but it's strange. You have to focus with the macro ring, right?... and that in turn changes your framing. It's sort of a sh*tty design compared to the 1014XL-S macro which lets you keep your framing and focus your shot.

 

It's my guess that since the Nikon R10 Macro ring acts as the focus, and in turn changes the frame size, you might be outta luck shooting wide angle.

 

I've always LOVED the R10, with this exception... the macro is just a strange design and causes lots of problems in "getting the right shot."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 years later...

Hello everyone,

 

I've been reading this thread along with this one : https://cinematography.com/index.php?/topic/49769-post-your-wide-angle-shots-here/

and am a bit confused. I know these are both old threads, but nothing seemed definitive on which lenses worked. Has anyone got any new information? I apologize if this is somewhere else, I'm a bit new to the website. 

 

Ted, I also have a Beaulieu 4008zmii. The footage you took with they mystery lens looked very good from what it seems. I've got a  6-80mm lens. Very nice lens, but doesn't quite do the job in tight spaces and I would like to have that intimate feeling you get with wide angle lenses. Especially with people in a tight room, car, etc... Did you end up finding something wider that you liked?

 

Or anyone else, did you come to any conclusions on which ultra wide angle lenses work well for the Beaulieu?

Thank you

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...