Chris S.
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kavawavaphoto wrote:
Also, custom machining the mount to match a Nikon camera seems to be a very nice option (and understandably expensive). Would you know anyone online or elsewhere that have this service available? Honestly, I got the lens for $5, I think I can splurge on the mount.
Tom, sorry that I'm late to this party, as I think a straightforward answer exists. There is indeed a very good company that specializes in this kind of thing: SKGrimes, a company that quite accurately calls itself "The photographer's machinist." http://www.skgrimes.com/
Not long ago, a friend of mine sent them an oldish 500mm Canon lens that he wanted to mount on a modern Canon DSLR. They needed to remove the old camera mount, machine a few millimeters off the barrel to account for the current flange focal distance, and attach a modern camera mount. Iirc, the work cost about $400, and the lens works like a champ. This job seems fairly similar to what you would need. I've worked with SKGrimes myself, and would definitely call them to discuss this project. As you've noted, your lens is absolutely worth this kind of investment.
If you go this route, I might as well add a few caveats. In the case of my friend's lens, he went with a mechanical connection only, not an electronic one. I don't know if SKGrimes could "chip" your lens of not, but I would not see the need. Also, with my friend's lens, he was initially disappointed with the conversion because his first images with the newly-converted lens lacked contrast. This took us about five minutes to correct. The cause was internal flare--light was bouncing around the lens barrel near the camera, and apparently hitting the sensor. So we cut a piece of Protostar flocking material (http://www.protostar.biz/flock.htm), rolled it into a tube, and stuck it inside the barrel as a lining. Presto, problem solved. If this hadn't worked, we would have added a "flare-cut stop"--simply a piece of carboard or whatever we had available, with a window cut in it about the shape and size of the sensor, placed in the lens barrel to block light from the sides of the barrel hitting the sensor. I suspect, but don't know, that the lens originally had such a stop, and that it needed to be removed during the conversion.
If you do this, I hope you'll let us know how it goes.
Cheers,
--Chris
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