Etendue Mejiro lenses on eBay now

dickb · Post by **dickb** » Sat May 23, 2020 4:53 am

RobertOToole wrote:There are two versions OTO and OTH N.

I have one of each and spec sheets for both.

Both are excellent.

Do you mean OTH and OTH N? I know of the OTH (90mm) and the newer OTH F/V (92.7mm, 93.7mm) versions, with F standing for fixed aperture and V for variable.

RobertOToole · Post by **RobertOToole** » Sat May 23, 2020 6:43 pm

dickb wrote:
RobertOToole wrote:There are two versions OTO and OTH N.

I have one of each and spec sheets for both.

Both are excellent.

Do you mean OTH and OTH N? I know of the OTH (90mm) and the newer OTH F/V (92.7mm, 93.7mm) versions, with F standing for fixed aperture and V for variable.

Barrels look different between the two, almost like different lenses. Also the early glass has a red coating. No idea of its just cosmetics and/or optics.

I have one early and one newer. Performance is excellent with both versions.

The company was bought by a Taiwanese firm in 2016

and some of the company was moved to China but there is still an office in Shinjuku Tokyo. I tried to contact the company a few times since I visit Shinjuku each year to ask about a visit or tour

but that didn't happen.

physicsmajor · Post by **physicsmajor** » Tue May 26, 2020 1:02 am

So to follow up on the adapter for this lens, anyone have ideas about sources for actually compatible V-38 to M42 adapters?

An order from Raf Camera 2 weeks ago hasn't shipped and the ETA Ebay suggests from Raf is late July if not beyond, so I assume adding another won't arrive anytime soon. I'm sure the Chinese adapters would get here, but not work.

Short of Raf, the genuine Schneider mini-extension tubes are the only other adapter Robert says fits this and the Makro-Symmar - and Ebay seems to have none of those offered without a lens attached.

Anyone have a war chest of unused Mejiro-compatible V38 adapters? Does S-K sell direct to consumers without costing hundreds? Beg Thorlabs or a friendly machinist to do a custom run?

dickb · Post by **dickb** » Tue May 26, 2020 1:35 am

One workaround may be getting another makro iris lens and using the front part, V mount to filter thread as a connector, assuming its internal space is wide enough to accomodate the Etendue's lens group. I see a us$100 componon-s 80/4 or better yet a the same lens with connectors, unifoc and random orbotech camera for 150 usd.

A far cheaper but less permanent option is a m39-m42 ring plus a bit of teflon tape. Works surprisingly well.

Bakwetu · Post by **Bakwetu** » Tue May 26, 2020 2:58 am

physicsmajor wrote:So to follow up on the adapter for this lens, anyone have ideas about sources for actually compatible V-38 to M42 adapters?

An order from Raf Camera 2 weeks ago hasn't shipped and the ETA Ebay suggests from Raf is late July if not beyond, so I assume adding another won't arrive anytime soon. I'm sure the Chinese adapters would get here, but not work.

Short of Raf, the genuine Schneider mini-extension tubes are the only other adapter Robert says fits this and the Makro-Symmar - and Ebay seems to have none of those offered without a lens attached.

Anyone have a war chest of unused Mejiro-compatible V38 adapters? Does S-K sell direct to consumers without costing hundreds? Beg Thorlabs or a friendly machinist to do a custom run?

I have a no name adapter on mine (I have it on in the picture in https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/ ... ejiro+90mm ) and it fits. I have it at my workplace and I work from home now, but as I remember, it just clears the back side but it doesn't sit as well as on the Schneider lenses.

dolmadis · Post by **dolmadis** » Tue May 26, 2020 3:50 am

Can you recall the source of that adapter please?

Thamks

John

Bakwetu · Post by **Bakwetu** » Tue May 26, 2020 4:15 am

I got mine from Taobao since I was buying the lens there at the same time.

They are available on ebay too which is easier to buy from, f.x.:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lens-Adapter-R ... Sw0yJemr1u

https://www.ebay.com/itm/V-M42-lens-ada ... Swrblb3vJ8

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lens-Adapter-R ... SwnK9ZQgZl

These 3 all are slightly different though. The one I got are like the 2 last ones that does not have that ledge or whatever you call it.

dolmadis · Post by **dolmadis** » Tue May 26, 2020 4:27 am

Thank you.........lens not arrived yet.

Bakwetu · Post by **Bakwetu** » Tue May 26, 2020 4:31 am

I checked the images again on ebay, and perhaps they all have that ledge (?). I will go to work tomorrow so I can check then how my ring looks and how it sits on the Mejiro

physicsmajor · Post by **physicsmajor** » Tue May 26, 2020 10:29 am

Bakwetu wrote:I checked the images again on ebay, and perhaps they all have that ledge (?). I will go to work tomorrow so I can check then how my ring looks and how it sits on the Mejiro

First image on the second listing really looks like it doesn't, but the other images clearly show the stepoff. The third appears to as well.

My lens was just delivered. Glass appears pristine! Couple paint chips on the front lip, within expectations given listing photos.

RobertOToole · Post by **RobertOToole** » Tue May 26, 2020 11:36 am

A little late here and this might have been mentioned but I have some V38 adapter into up on my site in a few places, these are two:

https://www.closeuphotography.com/schne ... mar-sr-120

https://www.closeuphotography.com/schne ... mm-f4-test

Some of my SK and no-name adapters don't clear the mejiro (or the MakroSymmer) but the RAF units do, probably since I asked for these to be machined with the proper ID

physicsmajor · Post by **physicsmajor** » Tue May 26, 2020 1:24 pm

Might be a business case to buy a moderate number of the cheap Chinese adapters, chuck them up and machine out the throat to 38mm, then re-anodize. Seems this is the crux of the issue. Unless they aren't aluminum and whatever metal used loses too much strength after thinning.

Edit: Until Raf is back able to ship again, anyway.

EricRed · Post by **EricRed** » Tue May 26, 2020 2:56 pm

I wasn't sure if this is what Robert was trying to say in his earlier post, but I received my Mejiro today and found the both sides of the lens has a V38 connector.

You have to remove the shroud which contains the label from the front of the lens, similar to a SK Makro-Iris. There are four set screws that take a 0.9mm allen wrench. The screws on mine came out pretty easily, although they either had some corrosion or a bit of weak thread lock.

A SK V38-42x0.75mm I have fits nicely. A cheap Chinese V38-42x1.0mm fits, but is very tight. It was hard to get off. I noticed RAF no longer has the banner on his web page saying he is not shipping because COVID. I might pick up a couple of his unless somebody can point to a better alternative at a similar price.

Eric

Bakwetu · Post by **Bakwetu** » Tue May 26, 2020 3:34 pm

oh I haven't realized that you could use the v-mount on the front, good to know.

chris_ma · Post by **chris_ma** » Wed May 27, 2020 12:49 am

I've sent a mail to Raf asking if it's possible to make an adapter V38 to SM2 since that would be more useful then to M42 for me - will report back when I hear back.
chris

Etendue Mejiro lenses on eBay now

V38 on both sides of lens