 Jagadeesh Andrew Owens |
Spy Lenses?? Hey guys - I was going through my Photographer's Handbook (the original) by John Hedgecoe (pick it up if you don't have it, it's full of great stuff) and saw a lens that I want. It's a right angle, or 90 degree, or whatever lens that has an extra mirror that allows you to take a photo perpendicularly to the plane at which your camera is pointed. A spy lens. To an observer, it looks like you're taking a picture straight ahead of you, when actually you're seeing everything that is 90 degrees to your left or right (depending on what side the opening is on). Do any of you have one of these? Are they gimmicks, or can you get one with killer glass and optics. I'd like to have one for candid shots so people act naturally and don't know I'm framing them.
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Christopher A. Vedros |
I always wanted to get one of those, but never got around to it. Porter's has one with 58mm threads and another one with 72mm threads. They mount onto the filter threads of your zoom lens and are only about $50. There's no killer glass, it's just a mirror. Keep the mirror clean without scratching it, and you should be fine. Have fun, and if you get beat up for using this thing on a nude beach - don't come crying to me! ;-) Chris A. Vedros
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Michael H. Cothran |
I haven't seen or heard about these silly things since the 1970's. FYI - This is NOT a lens. it is a mirror mounted inside a barrel that screws onto the front of your lens. Yes they are gimmicks, but they can be fun. The image quality will obviously be degraded by the mirror, so don't expect as good of lens quality as you'd get without the mirror. If you can find one, and you might check out Porter's, go ahead and buy it. It's only money! Just don't expect it to be anything other than a fun gimmick, which, most likely, you will shelve after a couple of uses. And while you're searching for a "spy" lens, see if you can also find one of the "x-ray" filters that were also sold in the 1970's - these special filters purportedly allowed you to "see" and photograph through clothing!! Have fun. Just don't get your expectations up too high. In fact, with gimmicks like these, it's best to have no expectations at all. Michael H. Cothran
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Mark Feldstein |
I think these were initially brought out in the 1960's and mentioned (including a photo of one in use) in a book called "the Camera" published by Time-Life (maybe it was elsewhere in that series). Back then, they were sold by a NY City outfit called Spiratone and as I recall, they were selling like hot cakes at a Boy Scout fund raiser. Their optics were ok but not exactly up to Leitz, Schneider or Nikkor standards even back then. Fun stuff, especially if you were shooting for your high school yearbook because it worked well around corners in the locker area.
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Jagadeesh Andrew Owens |
You guys crack me up. Well, it makes sense that they were hot in the 70's, because I think that's when they Hedgecoe book was first published and he had one in there. I thought he was a respected authority, so I wonder why he devoted a page to a toy in the book. It could be fun, I'm going to check out the sources you guys listed. There IS something to be said for "gimmicks" though, as I'm loving the Lensbabies I bought and have terrific shots using them...
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