Manual Focus Nikon Glass
p.2678 #2Manual Focus Nikon Glass
James Markus wrote:
Been screwing things together again
Wollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645Z
I tried reading up on these, but did not find much on aperture blades. Some mentioned a difference between the enlarger and large format lenses though, so that might be it.
Personally I do love my bellows-Nikkor 13,5cm f4,5 Nikon lens with it's 15 Aperture blades (https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/RF-Nikkor/RF135mm/index3.htm). Used it today, completely stopped down to get some DoF for the photo's below:
I made this mammoth ivory ring out of some scrap ivory I had left over from a commission. Material is very unique and I really like the color and texture it shows. The backdrop used was a piece of calcified wood that I obtained from a museum we visited a little while ago.
Kristina, the now proud owner of this ring, and (very) occasional poster in this group says hi to all who still remember her
Been screwing things together again
Wollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645Z
I tried reading up on these, but did not find much on aperture blades. Some mentioned a difference between the enlarger and large format lenses though, so that might be it.
Personally I do love my bellows-Nikkor 13,5cm f4,5 Nikon lens with it's 15 Aperture blades (https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/RF-Nikkor/RF135mm/index3.htm). Used it today, completely stopped down to get some DoF for the photo's below:
I made this mammoth ivory ring out of some scrap ivory I had left over from a commission. Material is very unique and I really like the color and texture it shows. The backdrop used was a piece of calcified wood that I obtained from a museum we visited a little while ago.
Kristina, the now proud owner of this ring, and (very) occasional poster in this group says hi to all who still remember her
Aug 18, 2026 at 04:06 AM
p.2678 #3Manual Focus Nikon Glass
the solitaire wrote:
I made this mammoth ivory ring out of some scrap ivory I had left over from a commission. Material is very unique and I really like the color and texture it shows. The backdrop used was a piece of calcified wood that I obtained from a museum we visited a little while ago.
Kristina, the now proud owner of this ring, and (very) occasional poster in this group says hi to all who still remember her
You do great work, Buddy. Considering how small a ring is, that is great detail you have exposed there. Happy for Kristina.
I made this mammoth ivory ring out of some scrap ivory I had left over from a commission. Material is very unique and I really like the color and texture it shows. The backdrop used was a piece of calcified wood that I obtained from a museum we visited a little while ago.
Kristina, the now proud owner of this ring, and (very) occasional poster in this group says hi to all who still remember her
You do great work, Buddy. Considering how small a ring is, that is great detail you have exposed there. Happy for Kristina.
Aug 18, 2026 at 05:16 AM
p.2678 #4Manual Focus Nikon Glass
Another shot taken at sunrise from home (SOOC)
Sony A7M3 & Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 HC
Sans titre by LT. Z, sur Flickr
Sony A7M3 & Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 HC
Sans titre by LT. Z, sur FlickrAug 18, 2026 at 05:19 AM
p.2678 #5Manual Focus Nikon Glass
James Markus wrote:
Been screwing things together again
Wollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645Z
I have a Wollensak 138/4.5 Graphic Raptar that was the first lens I adapted (T2 mount) to my PB-4 tilt/shift bellows to play with movements. Some say it is a re-badged Enlarging Raptar, but I was never super-impressed by its performance, and haven't counted the aperture-blades. It is _vastly_ outperformed by my Bellows-Nikkor 105/4 and 120/5.6 AM-ED, so it is not even a shelf-queen anymore, and I will likely gift it (and my original Bellows II) to someone who wants to get into bellows photography.
Been screwing things together again
Wollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645Z
I have a Wollensak 138/4.5 Graphic Raptar that was the first lens I adapted (T2 mount) to my PB-4 tilt/shift bellows to play with movements. Some say it is a re-badged Enlarging Raptar, but I was never super-impressed by its performance, and haven't counted the aperture-blades. It is _vastly_ outperformed by my Bellows-Nikkor 105/4 and 120/5.6 AM-ED, so it is not even a shelf-queen anymore, and I will likely gift it (and my original Bellows II) to someone who wants to get into bellows photography.
Aug 18, 2026 at 06:01 AM
p.2678 #6Manual Focus Nikon Glass
grantgoodes wrote:
Wollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645ZI have a Wollensak 138/4.5 Graphic Raptar that was the first lens I adapted (T2 mount) to my PB-4 tilt/shift bellows to play with movements. Some say it is a re-badged Enlarging Raptar, but I was never super-impressed by its performance, and haven't counted the aperture-blades. It is _vastly_ outperformed by my Bellows-Nikkor 105/4 and 120/5.6 AM-ED, so it is not even a shelf-queen anymore, and I will likely gift it (and my original Bellows II) to someone who wants to get into bellows photography.
I still have 4 El-Nikkors, but I wouldn't say any of them are "vastly" superior to the odd menagerie of lenses I'm currently playing with. The 63mm f2.8 is still my favorite El-Nikkor, but that is because it renders in some way that I can't put a finger on why or how it does it. My theory is it has barrel distortion that is attractive. I paid between $12-$35 a lens for this recent rabbit hole, and they all have incredible flatness of field (being enlarger lenses) and most are for 4x5 format - so I'm only getting the central (best part) they offer. Using a focusing helicoid makes them operate just like a normal camera lens, and are less bulky than using bellows.
The one thing I noticed that is true of all these lenses (regardless of manufacturer) is the more gradual transition from in focus to out of focus - compared to traditional fast prime lenses. I like it.
Examples of this Wollensak
James Markus wrote
Been screwing things together againWollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645Z
I still have 4 El-Nikkors, but I wouldn't say any of them are "vastly" superior to the odd menagerie of lenses I'm currently playing with. The 63mm f2.8 is still my favorite El-Nikkor, but that is because it renders in some way that I can't put a finger on why or how it does it. My theory is it has barrel distortion that is attractive. I paid between $12-$35 a lens for this recent rabbit hole, and they all have incredible flatness of field (being enlarger lenses) and most are for 4x5 format - so I'm only getting the central (best part) they offer. Using a focusing helicoid makes them operate just like a normal camera lens, and are less bulky than using bellows.
The one thing I noticed that is true of all these lenses (regardless of manufacturer) is the more gradual transition from in focus to out of focus - compared to traditional fast prime lenses. I like it.
Examples of this Wollensak
Aug 18, 2026 at 07:43 AM
p.2678 #7Manual Focus Nikon Glass
the solitaire wrote:
Wollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645ZI tried reading up on these, but did not find much on aperture blades. Some mentioned a difference between the enlarger and large format lenses though, so that might be it.
Personally I do love my bellows-Nikkor 13,5cm f4,5 Nikon lens with it's 15 Aperture blades (https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/RF-Nikkor/RF135mm/index3.htm). Used it today, completely stopped down to get some DoF for the photo's below:
Buddy, There is little info on the American Wollensak and another German manufacturer that I got two lenses - Novoflex-Noflexar R. However, they are extremely well made. The Wollensak's, I think, are very old (1910-1940), and the Novoflex-Noflexar R's are from the 1950-1970's era.
I've made rings out of silver, copper, brass, wood, and stone, but never ivory. Do you have to seal it (being freshly cut) so it doesn't dry out? Is that spiral pattern internal rings showing through the translucent material?
James Markus wrote
Been screwing things together againWollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645Z
Personally I do love my bellows-Nikkor 13,5cm f4,5 Nikon lens with it's 15 Aperture blades (https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/RF-Nikkor/RF135mm/index3.htm). Used it today, completely stopped down to get some DoF for the photo's below:
Buddy, There is little info on the American Wollensak and another German manufacturer that I got two lenses - Novoflex-Noflexar R. However, they are extremely well made. The Wollensak's, I think, are very old (1910-1940), and the Novoflex-Noflexar R's are from the 1950-1970's era.
I've made rings out of silver, copper, brass, wood, and stone, but never ivory. Do you have to seal it (being freshly cut) so it doesn't dry out? Is that spiral pattern internal rings showing through the translucent material?
Aug 18, 2026 at 08:30 AM
p.2678 #8Manual Focus Nikon Glass
James Markus wrote:
Wollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645ZI tried reading up on these, but did not find much on aperture blades. Some mentioned a difference between the enlarger and large format lenses though, so that might be it.
Personally I do love my bellows-Nikkor 13,5cm f4,5 Nikon lens with it's 15 Aperture blades (https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/RF-Nikkor/RF135mm/index3.htm). Used it today, completely stopped down to get some DoF for the photo's below:Buddy, There is little info on the American Wollensak and another German manufacturer that I got two lenses - Novoflex-Noflexar R. However, they are extremely well made. The Wollensak's, I think, are very old (1910-1940), and the Novoflex-Noflexar R's are from the 1950-1970's era.
I've made rings out of silver, copper, brass, wood, and stone, but never ivory. Do you have to seal it (being freshly cut) so it doesn't dry out? Is that spiral pattern internal rings showing through the translucent material?
The ivory used is from Mammoths. Most of those have been dead and stored in Syberian permafrost for 10 000 years or more. That does indeed mean the material is delicate in regards to moisture and heat. I use a very low viscosity Cyanacrylate glue to seal the material, then process it. The spiral patterns are the growth rings of the ivory. Color of those varies slightly, and mammoth tusks, same as elephant tusks show these in a crosshatch pattern. The difference in this cross hatched pattern (steep or less steep) are a good indicator to distinguish between mammoth ivory (legal to buy, sell and ship) and elephant ivory (highly illegal to buy or sell, and especially ship).
In this dice set the crosshatch pattern is clearly visible
the solitaire wrote
James Markus wrote
Been screwing things together againWollensak 162mm f4.5 enlarging lens (so pretty, and so many iris blades) adapted to the 645Z
Personally I do love my bellows-Nikkor 13,5cm f4,5 Nikon lens with it's 15 Aperture blades (https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/RF-Nikkor/RF135mm/index3.htm). Used it today, completely stopped down to get some DoF for the photo's below:
I've made rings out of silver, copper, brass, wood, and stone, but never ivory. Do you have to seal it (being freshly cut) so it doesn't dry out? Is that spiral pattern internal rings showing through the translucent material?
The ivory used is from Mammoths. Most of those have been dead and stored in Syberian permafrost for 10 000 years or more. That does indeed mean the material is delicate in regards to moisture and heat. I use a very low viscosity Cyanacrylate glue to seal the material, then process it. The spiral patterns are the growth rings of the ivory. Color of those varies slightly, and mammoth tusks, same as elephant tusks show these in a crosshatch pattern. The difference in this cross hatched pattern (steep or less steep) are a good indicator to distinguish between mammoth ivory (legal to buy, sell and ship) and elephant ivory (highly illegal to buy or sell, and especially ship).
In this dice set the crosshatch pattern is clearly visible
Aug 18, 2026 at 09:20 AM
p.2678 #9Manual Focus Nikon Glass
the solitaire wrote:
In this dice set the crosshatch pattern is clearly visible
I'm afraid my eyes are not good enough to appreciate the crosshatch. Is that gold inlay?
In this dice set the crosshatch pattern is clearly visible
I'm afraid my eyes are not good enough to appreciate the crosshatch. Is that gold inlay?
Aug 18, 2026 at 09:54 AM
p.2678 #10Manual Focus Nikon Glass
inside Valencia Cathedral:
NIKON Z5II w/AI 50/1.4 @ f/2.8, 1/25 s, 7200 ISO
 |
||
 |
||
|
Aug 18, 2026 at 10:34 AM
|
p.2678 #11Manual Focus Nikon Glass
James Markus wrote:
I'm afraid my eyes are not good enough to appreciate the crosshatch. Is that gold inlay?
Copper. For the price this set sold, one could expect it should be gold, but the customer wanted a bit more contrast so we decided to go with copper instead
Crop of the texture
Edited on Aug 18, 2026 at 12:14 PM · View previous versions
the solitaire wrote
In this dice set the crosshatch pattern is clearly visibleCopper. For the price this set sold, one could expect it should be gold, but the customer wanted a bit more contrast so we decided to go with copper instead
Crop of the texture
Edited on Aug 18, 2026 at 12:14 PM · View previous versions
Aug 18, 2026 at 10:54 AM
p.2678 #12Manual Focus Nikon Glass
Ripolini wrote:
inside Valencia Cathedral:
https://s1.directupload.eu/images/user/260815/e2l99nxl.jpg
NIKON Z5II w/AI 50/1.4 @ f/2.8, 1/25 s, 7200 ISO
Wow, the wood carver that fashioned those Acanthus leaves did amazing work!
inside Valencia Cathedral:
https://s1.directupload.eu/images/user/260815/e2l99nxl.jpg
Wow, the wood carver that fashioned those Acanthus leaves did amazing work!
Aug 18, 2026 at 11:13 AM
p.2678 #13Manual Focus Nikon Glass
the solitaire wrote:
I'm afraid my eyes are not good enough to appreciate the crosshatch. Is that gold inlay?Copper. For the price this set sold, one could expect it should be gold, but the customer wanted a bit more contrast so we decided to go with copper instead
Crop of the texture
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55472645436_31c223de64_b.jpg
Thanks for the closer view - now I see it
James Markus wrote
the solitaire wrote
In this dice set the crosshatch pattern is clearly visibleCrop of the texture
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55472645436_31c223de64_b.jpg
Thanks for the closer view - now I see it
Aug 18, 2026 at 12:26 PM
p.2678 #14Manual Focus Nikon Glass
James Markus wrote:
I still have 4 El-Nikkors, but I wouldn't say any of them are "vastly" superior to the odd menagerie of lenses I'm currently playing with. The 63mm f2.8 is still my favorite El-Nikkor, but that is because it renders in some way that I can't put a finger on why or how it does it. My theory is it has barrel distortion that is attractive. I paid between $12-$35 a lens for this recent rabbit hole, and they all have incredible flatness of field (being enlarger lenses) and most are for 4x5 format - so I'm only getting the...Show more →
Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said "vastly". I never tried any of the EL-Nikkors (mostly because I got hung up on looking for an inexpensive copy of the APO EL-Nikkor 105/5.6N, which of course is a fool's errand). I've also never really analyzed OOF details (bokeh, etc) or focus-transition, and honestly for Macro just wanted sharpness and adequate depth-of-field. My Wollensak Graphic Raptar was especially unappealing, and even worse with movements, so it was a revelation when I finally got my hands on the AM-ED 120/5.6 (apparently Nikon dumped them for $299 when they discontinued it in 2006 -- wish I'd known!)
I can see the allure of the various high-quality enlarging lenses: Aside from obvious collector's bait like the APO EL-Nikkors, they are quite often at commodity prices these days, and the only issue is adapting them to your mount of choice.
I still have 4 El-Nikkors, but I wouldn't say any of them are "vastly" superior to the odd menagerie of lenses I'm currently playing with. The 63mm f2.8 is still my favorite El-Nikkor, but that is because it renders in some way that I can't put a finger on why or how it does it. My theory is it has barrel distortion that is attractive. I paid between $12-$35 a lens for this recent rabbit hole, and they all have incredible flatness of field (being enlarger lenses) and most are for 4x5 format - so I'm only getting the...Show more →
Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said "vastly". I never tried any of the EL-Nikkors (mostly because I got hung up on looking for an inexpensive copy of the APO EL-Nikkor 105/5.6N, which of course is a fool's errand). I've also never really analyzed OOF details (bokeh, etc) or focus-transition, and honestly for Macro just wanted sharpness and adequate depth-of-field. My Wollensak Graphic Raptar was especially unappealing, and even worse with movements, so it was a revelation when I finally got my hands on the AM-ED 120/5.6 (apparently Nikon dumped them for $299 when they discontinued it in 2006 -- wish I'd known!)
I can see the allure of the various high-quality enlarging lenses: Aside from obvious collector's bait like the APO EL-Nikkors, they are quite often at commodity prices these days, and the only issue is adapting them to your mount of choice.
Aug 18, 2026 at 02:33 PM
p.2678 #15Manual Focus Nikon Glass
A few 55/2.8 ai-s shot with Df
DF_20260803_BLX_8061.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
DF_20260803_BLX_8065.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
DF_20260803_BLX_8088.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
DF_20260803_BLX_8061.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
DF_20260803_BLX_8065.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
DF_20260803_BLX_8088.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
Aug 18, 2026 at 11:40 PM
p.2678 #16Manual Focus Nikon Glass
One of my younger coworkers was bitten by the film bug and bought a Canon AE-1 and a 50mm lens that needed some CLA to bring focusing back to adjustment.
I let him borrow my FE2, 28/2, 50/1.2, and 105/2.5 for 2 weeks and needless to say he was blown away. He's ordered an FM2n and 50/1.4 AI-S. Suffice to say I expect him to be hooked as a MFNG shooter now. He enjoys lots of outdoor adventure/camping/mountaineering trips, on a similar to scale of one our longer ago posters @jhinkey and I expect I'll see some photos from parks, camping trips, and snow capped mountains over the next couple of years from him. Who knows, maybe one day he'll drop in here, I've mentioned the group to him in passing.
I let him borrow my FE2, 28/2, 50/1.2, and 105/2.5 for 2 weeks and needless to say he was blown away. He's ordered an FM2n and 50/1.4 AI-S. Suffice to say I expect him to be hooked as a MFNG shooter now. He enjoys lots of outdoor adventure/camping/mountaineering trips, on a similar to scale of one our longer ago posters @jhinkey and I expect I'll see some photos from parks, camping trips, and snow capped mountains over the next couple of years from him. Who knows, maybe one day he'll drop in here, I've mentioned the group to him in passing.
Aug 19, 2026 at 08:37 AM
p.2678 #17Manual Focus Nikon Glass
The FM2n is a great camera. I always liked the compact and lightweight design combined with a very good shutter and excellent controls.
Aug 19, 2026 at 09:23 AM
p.2678 #18Manual Focus Nikon Glass
A couple with the Ai 24/2
DF_20260809_BLX_8108.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
DF_20260809_BLX_8104.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
DF_20260809_BLX_8108.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
DF_20260809_BLX_8104.jpg by -Morten-, on Flickr
Aug 19, 2026 at 11:39 PM
p.2678 #19Manual Focus Nikon Glass
the solitaire wrote:
The FM2n is a great camera. I always liked the compact and lightweight design combined with a very good shutter and excellent controls.
While I agree that the FM2(n) is a great camera (and the fact that it can operate without batteries at all shutter-speeds is truly amazing), I prefer the match-needle metering display of the FE2 over the FM2's LEDs. The match-needle is really great for seeing _how far_ off of the suggested exposure you are, not just the direction of the error. I also appreciate the FE2's aperture-priority automatic exposure mode for certain situations, and the fact that it can auto-expose into minutes long exposures is a feature I've often taken advantage of (applying a healthy dose of reciprocity-failure correction of course!) Both are great cameras, but let's not forget the (alas expensive) FM3a which is the amazing love-child of both cameras: If I was still shooting 35mm film, I would be upgrading to an FM3a for sure!
The FM2n is a great camera. I always liked the compact and lightweight design combined with a very good shutter and excellent controls.
While I agree that the FM2(n) is a great camera (and the fact that it can operate without batteries at all shutter-speeds is truly amazing), I prefer the match-needle metering display of the FE2 over the FM2's LEDs. The match-needle is really great for seeing _how far_ off of the suggested exposure you are, not just the direction of the error. I also appreciate the FE2's aperture-priority automatic exposure mode for certain situations, and the fact that it can auto-expose into minutes long exposures is a feature I've often taken advantage of (applying a healthy dose of reciprocity-failure correction of course!) Both are great cameras, but let's not forget the (alas expensive) FM3a which is the amazing love-child of both cameras: If I was still shooting 35mm film, I would be upgrading to an FM3a for sure!
Aug 20, 2026 at 06:11 AM
p.2678 #20Manual Focus Nikon Glass
grantgoodes wrote:
While I agree that the FM2(n) is a great camera (and the fact that it can operate without batteries at all shutter-speeds is truly amazing), I prefer the match-needle metering display of the FE2 over the FM2's LEDs. The match-needle is really great for seeing _how far_ off of the suggested exposure you are, not just the direction of the error. I also appreciate the FE2's aperture-priority automatic exposure mode for certain situations, and the fact that it can auto-expose into minutes long exposures is a feature I've often taken advantage of (applying a healthy dose of reciprocity-failure correction of...Show more →
I really loved my F3 HP's, but the F4 is the steampunk daddy of the F3-N90s mechanical *AND* electronic - built like a tank 35mm film king. IMO, bias? of course.
the solitaire wrote
The FM2n is a great camera. I always liked the compact and lightweight design combined with a very good shutter and excellent controls.I really loved my F3 HP's, but the F4 is the steampunk daddy of the F3-N90s mechanical *AND* electronic - built like a tank 35mm film king. IMO, bias? of course.
Aug 20, 2026 at 11:50 AM