Panasonic AG-LA7200 Rehousing Project

[Matthew Marshall]

Ok so there was a previous forum thread regarding a rehousing project for the LA7200.

Based off the video there, I have had this design in my mind for my own rehousing project and improvements as well for close focus and/or marrying the LA7200 with a manual focus lens and making an all in one lens solution for the Canon 5d Mark III.

 

Progress is starting off well. Getting the hang of AutoCAD and designing as such.

 

I am planning on first prototyping with a 3d printer I have access to then going to a further manufacturing step from there. Not trying to get too ahead of myself however you can keep track of the progress and id appreciate comments or suggestions regardless as I try to work this out.

 

Steps:

 

• Design model in AutoCad --- 15%
• Port model into Google Sketchup
• 3D print prototype
• Test Prototype
• Test again....
• Make changes...
• Probably test again....
• Use AutoCad model for CNC machining
• Produce final model.

 

Planned features...

 

• Close Focus and far focus at a twist of the ring.
• Easy to handle enclosure
• Focus ring easy lens adjustment
• Standard housing to fit Cokin P or other diopters much easier

 

Possible features

 

• 15mm rail mount auto adjusting focus solution
• Housing combined with Aperture adjustor on a Canon FD manual Lens
• Direct connection to the 5d Mark III basically making it a hack lens using a custom EF mount or 72mm thread
• AF confirm chip? (not a bad idea)
• All the lens flares! (ALL THE LENS FLARES!) Er multicoating removal. Something like that.

 

Close to exact Measurements via caliper - (short of cutting the existing enclosure in half. I could not get the measurements exactly for how close the back and front lens elements are in terms of distance)

 

Front Element - Concave

Width: 84.90mm

Height: 72.96mm

Depth: 16.25mm

 

Rear Element - Convex

Width: 52.96mm

Height: 40.99mm

Depth: 4.13mm

 

Front Element Holder depth - 17.82mm

Outer Hood Depth - 13.14mm

 

Approx 23.8mm distance between the two lenses. (not entirely sure on this. Like I said, cant figure it out unless i cut the thing in half and really I want to be able to use it until the enclosure is finished at least)

 

All in all, working pretty well so far. Got the elements into AutoCad, and its time to start designing the enclosure for it.

 

[Matthew Marshall]

First snag, wanted to make the entirety of the front optic enclosed in the housing. So it would be easy to attach a filter.

 

Well that was the wrong choice. The diameter of the front enclosure would have to be 115mm diameter. Huge, in any case.

 

Should I make this floating inside the enclosure? Or should i have it stick out where it can move more freely since the odds of finding a 115mm filter is not really that high?

 

In which case i would conform it to a square front, again.

 

[Gábor Ember]

I don't see a reasont for the 15mm rods (other than follow focus) if you have both the taking lens and the anamorphic in the same body. Instead I would build a tripod mount on it. The camera body can support its own weight. Possible the best way would be a lower part that has 15mm holes plus a standard tripod socket at the bottom.

 

It would be so great to have access to a 3D printer. It would be so awesome to test out what I designed on my PC without having it made from aluminium. I will clean up my drawings and post my rehousing thread too :)

[Matthew Marshall]

Oh that's just if I wanted a special dual focus. I had a secondary idea I was banging around on a double focus rig using 15mm rods to allow any anamorphic to focus when the taking lens focuses.

Also someone pointed out that 115mm is just around the right size for a 4.5" filter. Even though its quite large. Hmm

[Matthew Marshall]

Getting some help on this. Never used AutoCAD, have the general idea down just gotta work with the program a bit to get it working right.

Friend of mine brings over his 3d printer today. Going to do a few mockups maybe put it together in pieces instead of one giant model. Wish me luck.

[macdonaldz]

I don't see a reasont for the 15mm rods (other than follow focus) if you have both the taking lens and the anamorphic in the same body. Instead I would build a tripod mount on it. The camera body can support its own weight. Possible the best way would be a lower part that has 15mm holes plus a standard tripod socket at the bottom.

 

It would be so great to have access to a 3D printer. It would be so awesome to test out what I designed on my PC without having it made from aluminium. I will clean up my drawings and post my rehousing thread too :)

 

a friend of mine used this website to have some models 3d printed. i intend to use them for printing a system to make dual focus single focus (similar to what you're doing i think.) 

 

http://www.shapeways.com/

[Tito Ferradans]

Today I was able to test a Century adapter that's harder to find, the WS-13, which has focus adjustments like the ones we're thinking here. I got perfect focus, wide open at f/2.8 on a Mir (37mm), using a 5D3. No vignetting, just some heavy distortion around the edges.

[Cfreak]

Any updates on this?

[Tito Ferradans]

I'm currently selling the Century WS-13, if anyone's interested! :)

[Davide Bonaldo]

Hey, I own a 3D printer, would you like to share your progress so far? I would be happy to send you a printed copy of your work if I can finish it.

Thanks!