Whether it's 120-year-old, 3D printed, or cheap and plastic, photographer Mathieu Stern can pair any lens with his DSLR to create stunning imagery. For his most recent Weird Lens Challenge, Stern takes a random old lens he found in a box of garbage at a flea market and turns it into a working 135mm full-frame lens with manual focus using only three supplies. See how he did it in the video below:

Stern never ceases to amaze.

Other than the lens he found at the flea market, he uses the following three materials to turn his garbage lens into the almighty "Crapinon."

  • M42 tubes
  • Focusing helicoid 
  • Rubber bands

And the results are pretty amazing. 

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Though these images are impressive, especially considering where the lens originally came from, Stern does note that it's not all that sharp. Even the bokeh is, I don't know how to describe it, kind of smudged/smeared—which I actually find kind of pleasing. For those who don't might a slightly soft lens (like me), all of this isn't that big of a deal. In fact, it adds an interesting vintage aesthetic to the images.

If you want to learn more about the "Crapinon," head on over to Mathieu Stern's blog post.

Source: Mathieu Stern

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