Photographer Mathieu Stern is the undisputed champion of weird lenses—in fact, the different lenses he puts together for his Weird Lens Challenge have been featured on this site a bunch of times. This time, Stern reworks an old projector lens to create a $20 DIY 50mm f1.2 lens that produces some razor sharp, extremely beautiful, and, duh, weird effects, like full frame vignetting and a unique creamy, swirly bokeh. The video below shows you how he did it:

A 50mm f1.2 lens can be quite expensive—between $1,000 to $1,500—but Stern's DIY lens only cost him $20. He uses a Belle and Howell 51mm f1.2 projector lens and inserts it into an inexpensive macro extension tube in order to give the DIY lens manual focus. The result are aesthetically and technically impressive, with dreamy images with outstanding bokeh and vignetting, as well as super sharp focus and great performance under low-light.

There are a few drawbacks to the lens, though. The first one is, of course, procuring a projector lens that will work well with a macro extension tube. If you come by one at a garage sale or you've got one in your attic, great! You're halfway there! If not, you'll have to comb through eBay as well as cough up a little bit more cash. (I found this one going for about $60.) The second is that it's a weird lens with weird demands and challenges, so if you're a beginner, Stern says it might be a little difficult for you to operate—especially since the lens doesn't have a diaphragm.

But, if you like weird lenses and DIY projects, this might be a fun project for you. And be sure to check out Stern's site for more from his Weird Lens Challenge.

Source: Mathieu Stern

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Cinematography & Cameras