The slide at the bottom is a macro focusing rail. It allows you to mount the rail to a tripod, and then move the lens (and camera) very precisely back and forth along the rail to get the exact focus point you want.
The bellows-arrangement is an adjustable extension tube, which is used to convert a non-macro lens (which cannot focus close enough to do macro work) into one that can focus close enough. It does this by moving the lens further away from the camera than it ordinarily would be.
When combined with the macro focusing rail, it allows for relatively easy macro photography. By turning the knob on the rail, you extend the bellows, both adjusting where the lens will focus and how close it will focus.
These days extension tubes tend to come in fixed sizes (and don't go anywhere near as long as this one does, as most modern lenses will focus relatively closely already).
If you are able to remove the lens arrangement from the slide, and it reveals a standard tripod thread, you may be able to use this rail with a macro lens that has a tripod collar, such as the Canon 100mm L macro lens (I think the collar for this lens is an optional accessory). Macro rails are still commonly used by people who do a lot of macro photography. However, I would guess that this rail and bellows setup is not designed to be separated, and the rail is also acting as a support system for the bellows, to keep the lens in line with the camera.
I can't tell from the photos what type of camera the bellows or lens on the front are for, but one thing is for certain -- they will not fit a Canon EF camera right away! If you were lucky, they would use an M42 mount or other common mount, which would allow you to buy a cheap adapter to fit the whole contraption (or just the lens, which will almost certainly be removable) to your Canon camera. Are you able to get a detailed photo of the attachment point at the rear of the bellows, and/or the rear of the lens when removed from the bellows?
The lens looks LTM M39 thread, but maybe M42 but a bit small, that's based on the Made in the USSR label. That does a Canon adapter but its troublesome because they're usually rangefinder lenses and they don't like digital I find (LTM adapters). As for the other end looks like a bayonet attachment. At a guess I'd say PK. Was there any Pentax camera equipment with this??
You should message the seller for the second item and ask him what the camera fitting for it is. Then if it was me, once I knew, I'd sell both items on ebay separately, because this kinda kit won't in my opinion work well with your digital, but thats just my opinion.
@smevvy OK, the lens is (I think!) a Schneider Componar-C enlarging lens. It has an M39 mount. As it doesn't have any ability to focus without being used with the bellows, it wouldn't be very usable mounted directly to the camera. There are other Schneider Componar-C lenses that will mount to the front of the bellows in place of this lens (for macro at other focal lengths).
The rear mount appears to be a bayonet-style mount, but it's a bit unusual because it's a reverse bayonet (the lugs go in rather than out, as on most lens-side bayonet fittings). Unfortunately I don't recognise it, maybe someone else might. It's not a Miranda mount as they have four 'lugs'. It *might* be a Tamron Adaptall mount, which looks vaguely similar, but that's an unusual mount for something that came out of the USSR. Hopefully someone else will be able to identify it for sure.
yeah this bellows was built in the soviet union for the Schneider Kreuznach m39 lens to M42 mount like a Zenit. Maybe if you twist the very end of the mount it will come off, and maybe someone has put a M42-PK mount on it already which is confusing us. Still, on a cropped sensor it mightn't be any use. ;)
I think the problem is that a bit is missing. I suspect this was built to accept a variety of final mounts (M42, K, etc.) and for simplicity they manufactured this bit separately, in the same way as many lenses did back then (where manufacturers like Pentacon made the lens mount removable from the lens so they could fit a variety of mounts to a single lens part). I think what it should look like is this. (Note the silver M42 screw mount that appears to be mounted over the top of where the reverse bayonet mount is).
I'm not sure whether it's possible to buy an adapter to convert what's left to a mount like M42 that can then be converted again to EF, but it seems like a long shot.
You place the lemon inside the main box part, and you set the dials on the slider according to the weight and circumference of the lemon. Then you turn the wheels on the right of the main box - the one closest to your body first, which will extract every ounce of juice from the lemon, followed by the one further away from you, which will remove the pips, and place them in a separate compartment, ready to be disposed of.
This is still, to this day, the most effective lemon juicing device ever invented, as it extracts all the juice possible, removes the pips, and leaves you with a whole (entirely dried) lemon carcass, which makes an excellent replacement squash ball for players who forget to bring their own.
Sadly, though it never caught on due to its exorbitant manufacturing costs, and the fact that one had to weigh each lemon, and measure its circumference prior to juicing it, meaning that each lemon took (on average) forty-five minutes to juice. However, if you're willing to spend both time and money on it, no lemon juicer will produce better results.
A word of warning, though - DO NOT use this for juicing limes. Limes are entirely different, and will cause this device to explode.
I've got another question for all you geniuses...my canon 600D arrived today (woohoo!) and I had assumed that the 50mm 1.8 lens which came on my grandparents' canon t50 would also fit on my 600D. It doesn't...
Have the sizes/fittings changed over the years? Will there be some kind of adaptor I can buy to attach the lens to my new camera or will I need to buy a whole new lens?
Sure they have. Canon FD of the seventies and 80s does not fit Canon EF of the 1990s to present. Adapter on ebay will cost about $10 and be called FD lens to EOS mount adapter.
x
@smevvy No, that will convert it for the EOS-M mirrorless camera, not your EF digital SLR. (Although it's cool to see that there's an EOS-M adapter for that so quickly!)
Unfortunately you can't do a 'nice' conversion of Canon FD lenses to EF, because the Canon FD lenses mounted slightly closer to the film than EF lenses do, so there's no room for the adapter when fitting them to an EF camera.
However, there are two 'not nice' ways of converting. The first is an adapter that loses the ability for the lens to focus to infinity, so you can use it for subjects up to a few feet away, but no further. There's an example here.
The second way is to buy an adapter that contains a correcting lens, which will shift the focal point to where it needs to be to work properly with a modern Canon camera. This allows you to use the lens at any focal length, but the corrective lens does take away the sharpness of the lens, and adds distortion. There's an example here.
It's ironic (and slightly annoying) that many other lenses can be converted to EF fit better than Canon's own FD lenses.
Note that some clever people have produced adapters that can work with some of the super-expensive Canon FD super-telephoto lenses that allow them to keep infinity focus and don't have any corrective glass, which takes advantage of an ability to adjust how these lenses focus. Unfortunately these don't work on cheaper, non-telephoto lenses, but if your grandparents have a 800mm FD lens in the attic then prepare to celebrate! ;) This adapter is here, for anyone interested.
@chewyteeth I think that's the same as my second link, from a different seller. They do absolutely work, but because they have a lens in the adapter, they do take away some of the sharpness. I think they also have a small magnifying effect, so a 50mm lens behaves like a 65mm lens (approximately) when you use this adapter.
It still works well, it's just not quite as nice as solution as modifying M42 lenses or other lenses which were designed to mount further away from the film than EF lenses, allowing you to use an adapter without any optics in, hence being cheaper and retaining the full original image quality of the old lens.
I guess you've got to decide whether it's worth spending $30 on an adapter to convert an FD 50mm f/1.8 lens to EF, or whether to just buy the EF 50mm f/1.8 lens, which will fit straight on and has automatic focus and aperture control. Personally I'd probably get the adapter just to play with the lens, since you have it already, but be aware that it may not be a lens you can get a lot of value out of every day.
You'll get 30 dollars for your fd lens and 30 for the bellows on ebay, then buy a pk mount or m42 mount to eos, then get the appropriate smc pentax 50mm f1.7 with the money. It'd be available in both mounts.
ok thanks guys...sounds like i should probably sell my grandparent's stuff (nobody else in the family wants it) and buy myself a new 50mm 1.8 lens. Their T50 doesn't work anymore but maybe someone will buy it!
Only think I might keep is their speedlite, which does seem to fit on my 600D. Not yet sure if it works though.
Also thinking about getting some close-up filters for a new 50mm lens. Do you think they're worth buying?
erm...be careful using film flash guns on your digital, thats a fast track to blowing a connection! speaking from experience, ahem.
I often receive film gear I don't really wanna use, or I get bored of. I sell it on and make some money and buy what I do want. I recently fancied one lens out of a big bag of cameras and lenses, I bought it all, shot with the cameras, had some fun, then sold it all off and kept the one lens. And by selling it all separately I made more money selling 90% of the stuff than what it all cost me, and it left me with a good camera bag, Tamron lens, and some filters and a lens hood for my DSLR. I use old flash guns with my DSLR but only off camera with a transmitter and receivers.
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The bellows-arrangement is an adjustable extension tube, which is used to convert a non-macro lens (which cannot focus close enough to do macro work) into one that can focus close enough. It does this by moving the lens further away from the camera than it ordinarily would be.
When combined with the macro focusing rail, it allows for relatively easy macro photography. By turning the knob on the rail, you extend the bellows, both adjusting where the lens will focus and how close it will focus.
These days extension tubes tend to come in fixed sizes (and don't go anywhere near as long as this one does, as most modern lenses will focus relatively closely already).
If you are able to remove the lens arrangement from the slide, and it reveals a standard tripod thread, you may be able to use this rail with a macro lens that has a tripod collar, such as the Canon 100mm L macro lens (I think the collar for this lens is an optional accessory). Macro rails are still commonly used by people who do a lot of macro photography. However, I would guess that this rail and bellows setup is not designed to be separated, and the rail is also acting as a support system for the bellows, to keep the lens in line with the camera.
I can't tell from the photos what type of camera the bellows or lens on the front are for, but one thing is for certain -- they will not fit a Canon EF camera right away! If you were lucky, they would use an M42 mount or other common mount, which would allow you to buy a cheap adapter to fit the whole contraption (or just the lens, which will almost certainly be removable) to your Canon camera. Are you able to get a detailed photo of the attachment point at the rear of the bellows, and/or the rear of the lens when removed from the bellows?
I've taken a couple of photos of the attachment points. let me know if you think an M42 mount might work!
The lens looks LTM M39 thread, but maybe M42 but a bit small, that's based on the Made in the USSR label. That does a Canon adapter but its troublesome because they're usually rangefinder lenses and they don't like digital I find (LTM adapters). As for the other end looks like a bayonet attachment. At a guess I'd say PK. Was there any Pentax camera equipment with this??
this is the lens.
it is an enlarger lens and its got no aperture settings, it is leica M39 mount.
this is the bellows.
The rear mount appears to be a bayonet-style mount, but it's a bit unusual because it's a reverse bayonet (the lugs go in rather than out, as on most lens-side bayonet fittings). Unfortunately I don't recognise it, maybe someone else might. It's not a Miranda mount as they have four 'lugs'. It *might* be a Tamron Adaptall mount, which looks vaguely similar, but that's an unusual mount for something that came out of the USSR. Hopefully someone else will be able to identify it for sure.
You guys are insanely knowledgeable! Thank you so much for all your help.
(I found it in a box along with a canon T50, 50mm lens, flash, and other random bits and bobs!)
I'm not sure whether it's possible to buy an adapter to convert what's left to a mount like M42 that can then be converted again to EF, but it seems like a long shot.
http://365project.org/discuss/general/15997/more-discussion-on-best-way-to-clean-slides
@filsie65
You place the lemon inside the main box part, and you set the dials on the slider according to the weight and circumference of the lemon. Then you turn the wheels on the right of the main box - the one closest to your body first, which will extract every ounce of juice from the lemon, followed by the one further away from you, which will remove the pips, and place them in a separate compartment, ready to be disposed of.
This is still, to this day, the most effective lemon juicing device ever invented, as it extracts all the juice possible, removes the pips, and leaves you with a whole (entirely dried) lemon carcass, which makes an excellent replacement squash ball for players who forget to bring their own.
Sadly, though it never caught on due to its exorbitant manufacturing costs, and the fact that one had to weigh each lemon, and measure its circumference prior to juicing it, meaning that each lemon took (on average) forty-five minutes to juice. However, if you're willing to spend both time and money on it, no lemon juicer will produce better results.
A word of warning, though - DO NOT use this for juicing limes. Limes are entirely different, and will cause this device to explode.
I've got another question for all you geniuses...my canon 600D arrived today (woohoo!) and I had assumed that the 50mm 1.8 lens which came on my grandparents' canon t50 would also fit on my 600D. It doesn't...
Have the sizes/fittings changed over the years? Will there be some kind of adaptor I can buy to attach the lens to my new camera or will I need to buy a whole new lens?
Thank you in advance!
x
Fab, thank you!
Something like this?
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=271122410343
Unfortunately you can't do a 'nice' conversion of Canon FD lenses to EF, because the Canon FD lenses mounted slightly closer to the film than EF lenses do, so there's no room for the adapter when fitting them to an EF camera.
However, there are two 'not nice' ways of converting. The first is an adapter that loses the ability for the lens to focus to infinity, so you can use it for subjects up to a few feet away, but no further. There's an example here.
The second way is to buy an adapter that contains a correcting lens, which will shift the focal point to where it needs to be to work properly with a modern Canon camera. This allows you to use the lens at any focal length, but the corrective lens does take away the sharpness of the lens, and adds distortion. There's an example here.
It's ironic (and slightly annoying) that many other lenses can be converted to EF fit better than Canon's own FD lenses.
Note that some clever people have produced adapters that can work with some of the super-expensive Canon FD super-telephoto lenses that allow them to keep infinity focus and don't have any corrective glass, which takes advantage of an ability to adjust how these lenses focus. Unfortunately these don't work on cheaper, non-telephoto lenses, but if your grandparents have a 800mm FD lens in the attic then prepare to celebrate! ;) This adapter is here, for anyone interested.
I was thinking like this, which is only slightly more expensive than I thought. would this not work Al???
@abirkill
It still works well, it's just not quite as nice as solution as modifying M42 lenses or other lenses which were designed to mount further away from the film than EF lenses, allowing you to use an adapter without any optics in, hence being cheaper and retaining the full original image quality of the old lens.
I guess you've got to decide whether it's worth spending $30 on an adapter to convert an FD 50mm f/1.8 lens to EF, or whether to just buy the EF 50mm f/1.8 lens, which will fit straight on and has automatic focus and aperture control. Personally I'd probably get the adapter just to play with the lens, since you have it already, but be aware that it may not be a lens you can get a lot of value out of every day.
Many have postulated that it does not work. Thank you, though!
@peterdegraaff
Many thanks!
ok thanks guys...sounds like i should probably sell my grandparent's stuff (nobody else in the family wants it) and buy myself a new 50mm 1.8 lens. Their T50 doesn't work anymore but maybe someone will buy it!
Only think I might keep is their speedlite, which does seem to fit on my 600D. Not yet sure if it works though.
Also thinking about getting some close-up filters for a new 50mm lens. Do you think they're worth buying?
I often receive film gear I don't really wanna use, or I get bored of. I sell it on and make some money and buy what I do want. I recently fancied one lens out of a big bag of cameras and lenses, I bought it all, shot with the cameras, had some fun, then sold it all off and kept the one lens. And by selling it all separately I made more money selling 90% of the stuff than what it all cost me, and it left me with a good camera bag, Tamron lens, and some filters and a lens hood for my DSLR. I use old flash guns with my DSLR but only off camera with a transmitter and receivers.