More Footage from iPhone DSLR Lens Mount

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Jeremy Salvador

Here’s more footage from the iPhone DSLR Lens Mount Prototype. This time with Nikon Lenses! 

Watch on iPhone – “iPhone 4 with Nikon SLR lens (using OWLE & EnCinema 35mm Adapter)

Camera: iPhone 4 with OWLE Bubo and EnCinema 35mm Adapter
Lens: Nikon 50mm f1.8 and 100mm f2.8

This set-up is using the Owle Bubo, EnCinema 35mm DOF Adapter, and some diopters and it comes from my friend Eddie at Vid-Atlantic, who’s got way more know how and filming talent then I’ll ever have! Great work as usual!

If you wanna get a hold of some of this equiptment and try it out for yourself you’ll need:
(1) EnCinema 35mm DOF Adapter
(1) OWLE Bubo
(2) +10 Close-up Macro filters 37mm

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Posted in iPhone DSLR Prototypes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Working iPhone DSLR Video

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Jeremy Salvador

Here’s video from an iPhone using a SLR lens.

 

It comes from the guys who I bought my depth of field adapter from at Vid-Atlantic Media Productions. When I told them I wanted a 37mm threaded DOF adapter to put on an OWLE Bubo, it wasn’t their usual request. With their expertise in all things DOF and the right diopter / macro close up filters. Here’s what they put together:

Watch on iPhone – “iPhone 4 with OWLE and EnCinema 35mm Adapter (SLR Lens)”

Camera: iPhone 4 with OWLE Bubo and EnCinema 35mm Adapter
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f1.8 lens

Additionally, they’re working with OWLE Bubo to create a prototype that I’m sure will hit the open market soon! Great job guys!

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Posted in iPhone DSLR Prototypes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Problems with the “iPhone DSLR”

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Jeremy Salvador

Thanks to everyone for their feedback although most comments were more critical than encouraging. It’s been a bit overwhelming to see how much attention my little project has gotten over night.

Like I’ve said before by no mean consider myself a professional photographer. Heck, by no means do I consider myself an amateur photographer. Before embarking on this project I knew little more about DSLRs than when you push the button it snaps a the photo. I started this project for fun and to learn a little bit in the process. I realize there really is no practical application for this, but practicality was never my primary objective. Having said that, thanks again for everyone’s insight. Here’s what I learned:

Nomenclature
It seems my post entitled “iPhone DSLR Prototype 1.0″ really infuriated DSLR enthusiasts. It appears my nomenclature was inaccurate as the camera capturing the image is and never will be a “DSLR”. It has no internal mirror system to control light hitting the iPhone’s camera. Additionally, the images is still going through the iPhone’s mediocre lens, not directly to the sensor. So a more accurate title for this project would have been “iPhone DSLR Lens Mount Prototype” or “iPhone Canon EF Lens Mount”. So to all those camera snobs I’ve enraged… I’m sorry. And to everyone else… thanks for not getting so mad. I’m just hoping that this “Apple fanboy” doesn’t get in any trouble for tarnishing the iPhone’s good nam…… Hello? Hello? Oh sorry I was holding my phone wrong and I lost reception.

Performance
This set up has enabled the iPhone camera to have optical zoom. But overall the results of the configuration are completely useless.  There are two major problems here:
1) The iPhone camera is unable to focus on the image projected by the Canon lens.
2) The image projected from the lens is not large enough to take up the whole angle of view.
Fundamentally this design is not going to work as is. I’m going to have to figure out a configuration of intermediate optics. Perhaps a combination of a reflecting screen and a macro lens. So if anyone has any suggestions, any feedback is much appreciated. Ultimately, I’m still hopeful that I’ll be able to fully utilize the 5MP iPhone sensor for everything it’s worth with some premium glass.

[UPDATED]
Macro filter and DOF adapter solved imaging problems – Working iPhone DSLR Video

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Posted in Research | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

iPhone DSLR Prototype 1.0

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Jeremy Salvador

Here are Photos/Pictures of my iPhone DSLR Prototype 1.0 This is my first attempt at putting together an iPhone DSLR. You might ask… Why pair an iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, or iPhone 4 with a DSLR lens? Why not!

Apple has updated its iPhone 4 camera and now has 5-megapixels still frames, HD video, and an LED flash. Put that together with a DSLR lens, and you’ve got a device that can shoot amazing images/video with SLR lenses, edit them on the fly, and share them on the internet all in one device.

iPhoneDSLR Prototype 1.0 Photo A

iPhoneDSLR Prototype 1.0 Photo A

iPhoneDSLR Prototype 1.0 Photo B

iPhoneDSLR Prototype 1.0 Photo B

iPhoneDSLR Prototype 1.0 Photo C

iPhoneDSLR Prototype 1.0 Photo C

Mount:
The mount currently fits only Canon EF lenses. Eventually, with the right adaptors, I should be able to fit Canon FD lenses, Nikon lenses, and M42 lenses.

Housing:
The housing is a solid piece of anodized billet aluminum. It weigths about 1.1 lbs, has two handle grips, and 4 x 1/4″-20 female threaded mounting holes so you can actually screw this thing into a standard tripod. The housing can fit any iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, or iPhone 4.

[UPDATE: Jul 17, 2010]
Working iPhone DSLR Video

[UPDATE: Jul 20, 2010]
More Footage from iPhone DSLR Lens Mount

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Posted in iPhone DSLR Prototypes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 126 Comments

iPhoneDSLR.com Getting Connected to Facebook and Twitter!

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Jeremy Salvador

iPhoneDSLR.com is getting connected to Facebook and Twitter.

You can find the iPhone DSLR Facebook fan page here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/iPhone-DSLR/132384096797265

You can find the iPhone DSLR Twitter page here:
https://twitter.com/iphonedslr

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iPhone Minimum Focus Distance

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Jeremy Salvador

Now by no means would I consider myself a professional photographer. Heck… I am by would I even consider myself an amateur photographer. The truth is I really know nothing about photography. Before starting this endeavor the most I knew about cameras was that you push the button and it takes a picture. But I have realized that if I ever want my iPhone DSLR to work properly, I’ve got to learn something about the inner workings of these things.

My iPhone DSLR Prototype 1.0 ran into some major problems. So today I took a stab at understanding the minimum focus distance of my iPhone 3GS. Hopefully, by understanding this I’ll be able to get my iPhone DSLR to focus properly.

I wasn’t exactly sure how to to accurately measure focal distance, and I don’t have any tools for precision measurement. But I guess when you can’t do the best job, you do as best as you can.

I started by printing out my “subject” in 600dpi, whipping out a standard ruler, and measuring the distance from there. Here’s what I got:

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 1cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 1cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 2cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 2cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 3cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 3cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 4cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 4cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 5cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 5cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 6cm

iPhone 3GS Focus Distance at 6cm

Judging by the progressive sharpness, this means that the minimum focal length for this device (iPhone 3GS) is somewhere between 5cm-6cm (50mm-60mm). Not very precise, I know, but I guess it’s a start.

What all that means for my iPhone DSLR rig is that, the iPhone camera needs to be somewhere between 50mm-60mm away from the SLR camera lens in order for it to focus properly on the image that the lens is projecting. Or in easier terms… If you were taking macro photos, the iPhone camera should be somewhere between 50mm-60mm away from your subject in order for it to focus properly.

Do you have any insight on the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 minimum focal length? Please let me know!

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Posted in Research, Technical Specifications | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment