HOW TO: Construct your own "Lo-fi Fisheye" lens on the cheap

Nomad (Nomad) Using low cost parts from the hardware store, you can build your own low-fi fisheye lens. Icrontic shows you how.

July 22, 2008 1:00 AM ET in Articles,

Assembly and Quality

Putting the four pieces together is rather simple. Sand out the bushing, then use a rubber mallet to put the ¾” pipe in.

Screw the door viewer in; it will clamp together like a vice.

Then, push these parts into the coupler. You should not need to use PVC glue. Be sure to leave enough room so that the entire piece can fit on your lens without touching the glass.

Manual focus for the camera will work best. The first thing you may notice when you take photos is that the fisheye is not full format, but the ring actually can have some interesting effects. Since the PVC pipe is white, light can bounce around on the inside and change the color of the exterior. If you are averse to the border, you can use a lens with a greater zoom and it will reduce or eliminate the circle.

The fisheye tends to produce blurred corners, skewed colors, and a strong vignette in some situations, but these can often lend to the picture’s aesthetic quality. Keep in mind you’re working with $10, not $800 here. Here are some images taken with mine:

If you want to get fancy, explore making a lens cap and end cap with other parts at the store. You could also drill a hole in a PVC cap that fits over your lens and do a bit of digital pinhole photography, as opposed to wasting a perfectly good lens cap. While it may not be exactly what your photographer’s heart desires, it is certainly fun to fool around with, and for the price, it’s hard to argue.

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6 Comments:

  1. NICE.... cool effect.

  2. Very clever, you poor art student you.

  3. Whoa. I just read this article and I have to say that is some seriously cool DIY hacking action.

  4. Nice, telephoto next?

  5. Nice, telephoto next?

    Actually, that's a pretty good idea. Use PVC tube to extend the actual lens. Would take a little more ingenuity to get the threading right.

  6. Cool, I digg it.

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