Create Awesome Tilt-Shift Macro Shots With Old Car Headlights
We have covered Macro Lenses before, from optically flawless reverse mounts to the questionable-yet-so-much-fun DVD iPhone Lens adapter.
What we never did before is to convert some headlight to macro tilt-shift lens. Till we got a mail from David Koch, that is. A mail with a precise prescription.
Now, this will work only with super expensive headlight, so you may want to check your local scrap yard /old auto yard before you dive into this project.
It only takes 7 steps and the one of them actually only says wait...
1) Take Lens obtained from headlight assembly, you need one of those ultra-bright ones found on more expensive cars. Civics have those lights for example, and so do BMWs :)
2) Get an old UV filter, step up ring, or something that you can use to attach to the lens and not worry about losing the filter.
3) Measure out the distance from the edge of the lens that the filter will need to be centered in the lens, mark at least 3 points around where the filter should go. (Mark them on the flat side)
4) Take a paper cup or something to prop the lens on so you can glue the filter ring down.
5) Now to attach the filter permanently, I used some clear silicon caulk, but other adhesives might work equally well, be sure it is thick enough so that it attaches to the outside of the ring and the flat end of the lens. (See pictures)
6) Let it sit in a cool, dry place for at least 24 hours, or the caulk might not set up properly. (You're itching to try this, I know, trust me you want to wait). Once finished trim any caulk around the edges the filter threads.
7) Attach the filter to a lens and have fun with your new super close up filter.
I have found that it works best when the lens is set to manual focus at infinity, and move the whole setup to find the sweet focus, as well, It seems to work better at a wide angle.
Featured Comment by Kevin A Crider
Actually, these can be found all over eBay if you search for "projector
headlights". It's a pretty common trend among the younger generations
when trying to soup up their cars.
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Comments
Car headlight theft ring uncovered.
They said they wanted to build tilt-shift macro lenses for photography.
Not that expensive
Actually, these can be found all over eBay if you search for "projector headlights". It's a pretty common trend among the younger generations when trying to soup up their cars.
Thanks!
Nice idea! I'll have to try it some time.
But I'm wondering if it's titled correctly: the images look more like macro/fish-eye than tilt/shift and I don't see a way to do any tilting/shifting.
Pricing and Tilting
@Kevin. I wanna hit myself on the head. Of course, eBay would be a perfect place to look for those. How I did I miss it...
@Harley - thanks for pointing this out. The tilt-shift effect come in pace if you miss the center when you dont glue the lens dead center
thanks
thanks for this great info
T/S??
This is somewhat better than those idiotic tutorials that have people cutting up plungers, and using an old lens to make elephant-nose "tilt-shift" lenses. What those tutorials are doing, is teaching you how to make something like a giant lensbaby or "selective focus" lens, NOT a "perspective control" lens. They lack the ability to shift. So [lensbaby effect notwithstanding] they're only a giving you tilting.
A suggestion I have for possibly improving this DIY is in addition to gluing the headlight lens off dead center, is to maybe glue it to a CPL, rather than a regular filter. That way you can control the effect imposed by the curvature by rotating the lens. Of course, that would add in an extra step - figuring out the best rotation of the CPL.
Quite honestly though... I don't think this is tilt-shift mimicry. It might be an entirely new effect altogether.
bmw lenses
Lens harvesting: BMW E30 lenses, older TSX lenses, S2000 lenses, and Toyota Celica H7 stock projector lenses are usually pretty clear (many that you will find have rings, fuzzy texture, etc.)
Ya know, FYI.
Make this even cheaper
OK, im gonna clairify on something that has been said here, but was left unclear, the lights in the link are NOT stock honda civic lights. I do not believe any stock honda civic lights are projectors (although i may be wrong because im not too familiar with the newer models). When you are searching for a light, it does not have to be a halo/angle eye (has a light ring around the actual light), it only has to be a projector, these types of lamps are becoming more common particularly among higher performance cars (my 04 mazdaspeed mx5 has projectors in it). Mazda appears to have projecters in most of thier newer models, and im farily certain that all C6 Corvettes (05 and newer) have projectors. In many of the cars made the last 2-3 years there are projectors. keep your eyes pealed for them, since you only need the lens you may be able to get a damaged light assembly for very cheap. if ur not sure what a projector headlight is, ask around. chances are that since there are many vehicles with damage to the front of the vehicle you can get a good lens from a damaged assembly from your local junk yard.
+10 macro filter
the guy at the upity camera shop laughed at me when I asked for a +10 macro filter. he laughed at me again when I said that quantaray made one. so what if it isnt opticaly perfect, most of us that own macro anything are artists not journalists. So would this be a +40 or what.
An further DIY Tilt lens approach
I made me a tilt lens out of an moevable halogen spot.
Replaced the halogen lamp with the heliocid of an old Canon FD 50/1.8 (or 50/1.4 or 28/2.8) and get so a tilt lens which could be used from triopd for long exposure times, for Scheimpflug.
The Canon FD lenses good f-stops and a very high quality - and they are cheap.
With the mentioned lenses only crop cameras (factor ~ 1.6) are usable.
http://4photos.de/camera-diy/tilt_and_shift.html
re: moevable halogen spot
I must say that this is a genius idea, no less. it probably provides smooth movement and stays in place after you set it.
I think that making the lens hold is one of the toughest challenges of DIY tilt-shifting - well done
Tilt-Lens
Yes, I need a long time till I get this idea with the halogen spot lamp housing.
For my current Tilt-Lens experiments I need a new mechanical housing idea :-/
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