While you can buy “The Dreamy Diana Lens” from Photojojo and spend 60 bucks, with this “mod” you can get a similar effect for no money at all!
You’ll need (obviously) a piece of scotch tape, scissors and a lens. First off all, wash your hands and clean the front and rear elements of the lens to avoid dust and grease on the lens.
Now you just need to cut a square piece of tape. The size will vary according to the lens you will “mod”. In my case, for the Nikon AF-S 18-55mm lens, the size is around 23×23 milimeters (1×1 inches).
Then simply stick the piece of tape on the frame around the lens rear element. You just need to be careful not to stick the tape on the glass. You can also cut some of the tape’s edges, so it won’t touch the inner parts of the lens while zooming in/out, but it’s nice to leave at least one edge so it will be easier to remove the tape when needed.
When you attach the lens into the camera you will instantly see the dreamy effect trough the viewfinder.
PS: According to my tests this mod will not affect the auto focus capability of the lens or your camera’s metering system nor cause any damage to your lens/camera. I don’t know if this mod will work on other lenses the exact same way, but you got the idea and it is so simple that it’s worth trying. Do it at your own risk ;)
Here is the same technique on the Nikon AF-S 55-200mm lens, as you can see I sticked the tape in a different way:
Results using the 18-55mm lens
Final tip
You can also try other types of tapes to get different results. See the comparison below. On the left is the 55-200 @ 55mm with a cleaner scotch tape. On the right, the 18-55 @ 55mm with a more opaque tape.
Tags: DIY, dreamy effect, lens, lo-fi, vintage, scotch tape
Posted in: DIY, Photography
Balde Digital 