Foggy day on the Anisquam River in Gloucester, Massachusetts

[Andy Perrin]

NEX-7 330WB80 80mm/5.6 EL-Nikkor F/8 0.3" ISO800

[Andrea B.]

That's lovely!

[Guest]

Hey Andy,

 

I like this long shot over the river. Was it really a foggy day, or is the mood in your image from UV haze? Also wondering how much you like working with that 330WB80 filter? Its clear cut-off before 400 nM looks enticing, but only 25 mm diameter? Seems like that would cause vignetting on shorter focal lengths.

[Andy Perrin]

It was foggy and the UV haze effect made it more extreme.

 

I like the 330WB80 because it is cheap and seems to be the best filter I can find at this price. (I was unimpressed by the stacks I tried.) I rear-mount it behind the lens which avoids a lot of artifacts and allows me to use a small filter which covers the rear of the lens. I can sometimes see dichroic filter-caused color changes at large angles and short focal lengths. (Is that vignetting? I thought vignetting referrrd to dark edges caused by the image circle being too small relative to the sensor.)

[Andrea B.]

Andy, how are you rear mounting that on the EL-80? I haven't really tried any rear mounting but need to learn more and so am curious as to the materials used. Thanks in advance for a description or a picture.

 

Also who makes that 330WB80?

 

You might have a combination of vignetting & dichroic color changes?

[Andy Perrin]

I don't think it can cause vignetting (in the sense I defined above) because nothing is blocking any part of the light from getting through.

 

I'll make a picture later, but I use that 3M poster putty around the rim of the filter to stick it on the rear of the lens. It's quite firm. I generally need a plastic spudger to get the filter off. But it allows me to change the filter without permanently altering anything. The putty is available at CVS in these parts.

 

The filter is by Omega Optical and was purchased on eBay.

[Guest]

Interesting. Could you share a photo of the filter in its rear mounting position? I'm wondering if I could do this with some of my lenses as well. If so, I could opt for somewhat less expensive 25mm versions of filters. I like the idea of the filter not being out on the front of a lens (where it can be more easily damaged).

[Andrea B.]

ah, omega bob....

 

Poster putty -- cool idea! Yes, could be a tad messy to clean out of grooves and stuff, but still --- cheap & handy. So now I'm like duh why didn't I think of that!!!!

I usually rig up stuff with velcro bits. But velcro can also be messy to remove.

 

During the Christmas shopping madness I had occasion to go several times to our local Barnes & Noble where they were featuring a small 3D printer. (Wonder if they sold any??) I must have stopped 50 times to look at that thing wondering if I could use one to manufacture lens fittings for all the weird lenses I need to get kitted up. The SigOth did not think it could be used to make anything threaded. But then he has always wanted a giant metal lathe for home use (!) so he has his biases.

[Andy Perrin]

Typically the putty comes off in one piece when you take it off. The only cleanup issue I've had is that it can leave a bit of residue on the edge of the filter, but that comes off with light polishing.

 

I agree with SO that threaded stuff will be impossible with a 3D printer using plastic. They don't have the resolution to get the kind of tolerances you need.

[Andy Perrin]

Mark, for sure, but not right now. Got a houseful of guests and so forth right now. Kind of chaotic!

[Andy Perrin]

Here is the way I rear-mount the filter.

[Guest]

Interesting. I wonder if this would work with any lens/camera combination? I suspect there may be a limitation due to the spacing between the rear of the lens and the swing of the mirror. I'll have a look at my D750 and see how much space there is to work with.

[Andy Perrin]

My camera has no mirror, so that hasn't been an issue for me, but report back! The putty I use is Scotch Removable Mounting Putty.