Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

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Archive 2005 · Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

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p.2 #1 · Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

Also, it seems so strange for Canon to list the mirror removal tool in the major accessories list.

Oct 27, 2005 at 03:25 AM

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p.2 #2 · Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

Here I digged out the mirror assembly of D6000, should be similar to 5D's. Look like all one needs to do is to pull the mirror unit out of the collar (pointed by the red arrow on the right). It shouldn't be hard to do. I will try it this weekend.

Cheers!

Oct 27, 2005 at 04:39 AM

Pondria
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p.2 #3 · Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

LeSong,
Are you suggesting that the mount and mirror assembly at the top of the diagram be pulled out ?
I wouldn't do that. The distance from the mount base to the sensor plane may be changed. We just don't know what kind of calibration steps may be required after the assembly.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with pulling out the mirror or in-camera cutting. Because, the mirror position can be shifted. And that will create offsets between the sensor image and the viewfinder image - not a good situation for manual focus.
What you are touching is a critical area of the optical path. It is very probable that Precise calibrations are done at the factory.

Oct 27, 2005 at 05:23 AM

Emanuele_C
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p.2 #4 · Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

Pondria wrote:
LeSong,
Are you suggesting that the mount and mirror assembly at the top of the diagram be pulled out ?
I wouldn't do that. The distance from the mount base to the sensor plane may be changed. We just don't know what kind of calibration steps may be required after the assembly.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with pulling out the mirror or in-camera cutting. Because, the mirror position can be shifted. And that will create offsets between the sensor image and the viewfinder image - not a good situation for manual focus.
What you are touching is a critical area of the optical path. It is very probable that Precise calibrations are done at the factory.

I agree that it's a critical operation but I was wondering why there's an accessory in the list that allows the user to remove the mirror himself. IF precise calibrations are necessary, Guy's 5D should have problems also but it seems to work fine: BTW it was "dremelled"!

Ciao,

Emanuele

Oct 27, 2005 at 09:15 AM

Pondria
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p.2 #5 · Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

Emanuele_C wrote:
Pondria wrote:
LeSong,
Are you suggesting that the mount and mirror assembly at the top of the diagram be pulled out ?
I wouldn't do that. The distance from the mount base to the sensor plane may be changed. We just don't know what kind of calibration steps may be required after the assembly.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with pulling out the mirror or in-camera cutting. Because, the mirror position can be shifted. And that will create offsets between the sensor image and the viewfinder image - not a good situation for manual focus.
What you are touching is a critical area of the optical path. It is very probable that Precise calibrations are done at the factory.

I agree that it's a critical operation but I was wondering why there's an accessory in the list that allows the user to remove the mirror himself. IF precise calibrations are necessary, Guy's 5D should have problems also but it seems to work fine: BTW it was "dremelled"!

Ciao,

Emanuele

The accessory photo was a fake for joke. Are you serious ?
Guy's one was just ground carefully. I guess they did a good job of not applying any force to the hinges.

Oct 27, 2005 at 01:49 PM

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p.2 #6 · Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

Pondria wrote:

The accessory photo was a fake for joke. Are you serious ?

Infact I've used a "

" at the end of the phrase. Probably not the right place. ^___^
But, yes, I was joking...

Pondria wrote:

Guy's one was just ground carefully. I guess they did a good job of not applying any force to the hinges.

Well, it's a delicate operation but seems also "possible" (my opinion). I think that other people will mod the mirror and it will be interesting to see their results too.

Ciao,

Emanuele

Oct 27, 2005 at 02:38 PM

Pondria
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p.2 #7 · Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

Emanuele_C wrote:
Pondria wrote:

Guy's one was just ground carefully. I guess they did a good job of not applying any force to the hinges.

Well, it's a delicate operation but seems also "possible" (my opinion). I think that other people will mod the mirror and it will be interesting to see their results too.

A man has to do what he has to do.

Oct 27, 2005 at 03:17 PM

Don Clary
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p.2 #8 · Tools to Modify the 5D Mirror

Let me explain the faceting tool and concepts:

The machine is about 18" long, 10" wide, and 6" high at the base. The cutting lap is an 8" round aluminum disk coated with diamonds. I have 3 laps: 260 grit, 600, grit and 1200 grit diamonds. I can finish with either sapphire powder (Al2O3) or 50,000 grit diamond. Working with diamond means you never have to apologize about what you cut. It can cut through chrome moly steel like hot butter! I'm going to do a minor tweak on my Zeiss to EOS adapter, since it is a bit too thick.

The mirror is attached to an aluminum rod (called a dop stick) with hot wax or cold (epoxy) glue. The machine will conrol to 1/20 of a degree from 0 to 90 degrees and rotational alignment to any fractional angle. The only limit to accuracy is how well you can see, and how accurately you can measure. Most cutting is done at 10 power magnification. The largest object I can cut is 1/2 the lap width, or 4".

If there is a frame around the mirror, and you don't mind the frame being cut, you don't have to remove it. The point of attachment is the dop stick placed on the center of the mirror.

99 % of gem cutters cut hard commercial stones, which are relatively easy to cut.1% like me, specialize in soft collector stones which can cleave, or be brittle, or are heat sensitive. So we work on materials vastly more sensitive than glass. Careful application of the dop stick doesn't seem to damage optical films, since I have cut aerospace optical filters.

Oct 27, 2005 at 03:34 PM

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