Adding filters and lenses to Canon SX100is - Hotwire! Hardware Mods, Accessories and Insights - CHDK Forum

Adding filters and lenses to Canon SX100is

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Offline Ruta9

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Adding filters and lenses to Canon SX100is
« on: 20 / December / 2009, 16:07:16 »
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Hey guys, I have a Canon SX100, and was always a little frustrated that I could not add some lenses to my camera, I wanted to use polarizer filters and macro lenses but my camera has no thread.
Well, today I had the most amazing idea and 15 minutes later I was able to adapt an adapter tube for a Kodak Z712 on my camera.

First I needed a little plastic cup. It needs to be the exact size, just about 58mm in diameter, so it fits the fixed ring around the camera lens.

It also needs to be soft, so you don't scratch the surface of your camera. So, plastic or rubber is OK, but no soda cans.

Then I cut off the bottom, so I could get a tube.

I used a dremel to cut the bottom and to smooth out the edges.

The cup and adapter

You can buy this adapter on ebay for $5. I bought this on Dealextreme a couple of years ago and had it laying around.

The adapter fits perfectly inside the plastic cup

You actually need to push a little to make it all the way into the cup, so it's perfect.


My camera

The cup fits perfectly on the ring around the lens

You need to push a little to make it fit. it doesn't come off when i move the camera.

This is what it looks put together


The lens, when zoomed at 10x gets really close to the edge, but does not get pass the threads. The cup is 55mm long.

I sprayed the cup with flat black paint so it looks cooler. The paint is drying as I type this, will post new pics tomorrow.


I got no vignetting from this contraption even when shooting with no zoom, but was just with the tube. Now I need to buy some filters see what this baby can do.


What do you guys think?

I can't wait to try my camera with some filters and lenses. This opens a whole new world of possibilities for me. And to think that I was considering buying a new, more expensive camera so I could use different filters.

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Offline Ruta9

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Re: Adding filters and lenses to Canon SX100is
« Reply #1 on: 21 / December / 2009, 08:05:42 »

Re: Adding filters and lenses to Canon SX100is
« Reply #2 on: 21 / December / 2009, 08:43:18 »
Nice, inexpensive solution.

Hope the paint is OK, it normally scratches very easily on some types of plastic.


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Offline Ruta9

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Re: Adding filters and lenses to Canon SX100is
« Reply #3 on: 19 / January / 2010, 11:53:06 »
I got my lenses today, this is really cool, I never thought that I could use this stuff on this camera


+8 close up lens


Hood

And last, but certainly not least

Circular Polarizer Filter

Re: Adding filters and lenses to Canon SX100is
« Reply #4 on: 29 / January / 2010, 23:04:44 »
It looks like a pro attachment after you sprayed the cap (Vinyl Dye is great stuff.) It looks good!

I think the only thing that you are going to discover is that you are not going to get great shots by stacking your glass. (Sort of like trying to fry ants with a magnifying glass under another magnifying glass.)

 It may create some cool effects though... You will have to post some photos of what the results are from the mod.

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Offline Ruta9

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Re: Adding filters and lenses to Canon SX100is
« Reply #5 on: 30 / January / 2010, 15:31:54 »
It looks like a pro attachment after you sprayed the cap (Vinyl Dye is great stuff.) It looks good!
Thanks.
The best thing about it is that it attaches itself to the camera very firmly, I can hold the tube, shake the camera and it doesn't fall off, and still its very easy to put on and off the camera. I guess I was really lucky finding a plastic cup that was just the perfect size por it.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
(I don't know why there are two videos, I typed the link only once)


I in the first post said I didn't get vignetting, but that was before I had the lenses.
I got a little vignetting with the polarizer, but I fixed it by filing off a couple of millimeters from the plastic cup using sandpaper. Now the pictures are clean.
You can see that now the lens gets a little closer to the thread when zoomed at 10x

I don't care about vignetting with the close up lens becouse it is supposed to be used with the zoom at full telephoto.

I think the only thing that you are going to discover is that you are not going to get great shots by stacking your glass. (Sort of like trying to fry ants with a magnifying glass under another magnifying glass.)

 It may create some cool effects though... You will have to post some photos of what the results are from the mod.
OK, some sample pictures
Polarizer filter. It works just as it should. I can make the sky bluer, the clouds whiter, enhance contrast and eliminate reflections.


I couldn't notice any loss of quality in the pictures using the polarizer. Not too bad for a $6 chinese filter.

The +8 lens is another story. Although it works as advertised, meaning you can focus closer when you have the filter on. The pictures don't look good. There's a lot of blurring and chromatic aberration specially on the edges, the center of the picture comes out OK-ish. I did a little research and it turns out that this is a common problem with this kind of lens. It has nothing to do with the fact that it was a cheap chinese lens, it's something about light refraction, so this lenses have some inherent physical limitations. Check out Washington's eye on the one dollar bill.

That's a resize of the picture, here's a 100% crop of the eye

My advise: Think of these close up lenses as toys. Buy one to try it out if you want, but don't expect to get nice pics.

If you really want to get some nice macro pics don't waste your money on cheap lenses and buy a Raynox Lens. I bought a DCR-250 and it's 100% pure and uncut awesomeness.


This is an 8 diopter lens so, technically, it should have the same performance as the previous lens. Well, it can focus at the same distance and gives the same magnification, but the results are totally different.
I took Washington's pic with both lenses at the same time and under the same lightning conditions.
Look, no blurring, no CA.

Just look at that eye!


After using the raynox lens I don't think I will ever be using the +8 again. Actually, now I want to buy a Raynox MSN 202, which is a 25 diopter lens.

I have other macro shots I took with the raynox lens, I can post them later, I didn't want to overcrowd this post. You can check some of them on my Flickr Gallery
« Last Edit: 30 / January / 2010, 15:43:31 by Ruta9 »

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Offline an0n

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Re: Adding filters and lenses to Canon SX100is
« Reply #6 on: 30 / January / 2010, 19:26:40 »
A good project, well documented, should be inspiration to others,
Well done !
A720IS.

 

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