Saturday, April 9, 2011

Diy snap on high powered glasses for digital cameras

With today's economy people are always looking for ways to stretch a buck. Generally, digital
cameras which are as common as a pair of shoes are great for catching those family moments and events. But, if you want more visual magnification for your detailed presentations and projects you'll have to pay for it. And with considerable popularity and demand the prices don't seem to be falling anytime soon.
In this article I'll show you how to convert your $130.00 digital camera into a enhanced photo taking machine. Without paying those pricey retail tags.

     For this project you'll need a digital camera, soldering iron, thin gaged paper clip, camera lens with housing from a junk camera and plastic tubing which you can find in spray bottles.You can find the lens in old cameras or discarded camcorders. A friend of mine had a camcorder that he didn't want anymore so I took it off his hands.

 The first thing you want to do is straighten out your paper clip make sure its thin gaged and not the thick stuff. You also want to make sure that the lens' fit over your digital camera lens. The lens you want are the ones that images appear blurry when you look thru them . Not the lens where everything appears to be upside down. After straightening out your paper clip make a "u" shape at both ends facing each other. As shown in the image on the left below. The image on the right is the lens that I'm using.





Next take a piece of plastic tubing and push just the hook shaped portion inside.You can find the plastic tubing in discarded spray bottles. I took this one out of a Lysol cleaner spray container. Clip the tubing with
a pair of wire cutters just enough that the hook in concealed inside. Using a lighter with a low flame roll the combined tubing and hook with your finger tips, when the plastics begins to look watery from the lighter's flame stop and pinch the plastic with the wide end of a pair of needle nose pliers. When the plastic is pinched it should form a seal around the "u" shape paper clip. This will keep the plastic from slipping off and prevents scratches on your camera that would have occurred without this protection.




While holding the insulated end of the clip bend the entire configuration into a "c" shape, now bend the opposite end (u shaped) outward away from the
"c" shape as shown in the figure below



 Next, take your u shaped hook which now looks like a "foot" and place on your camera lens with the toes pointing towards the lens. Make sure that your placing it on  the right end. The housing that attaches to your camera is the side you want to mount on with the toe pointing away from the camera but mounted somewhat close to the camera as shown below . You need the lens stabilized to do this. If you don't have high tech equipment bubble gum or clay will hold in place. While holding the hook ("foot") on the body of your discarded lens take the tip of your soldering iron and carefully touch the "foot" until it begins to sink into the plastic. Make sure you do not go through to the other side. This is tricky so light quick taps are recommended while it begins to sink. Use the Illustration below as a guide.                     
                                                                         
                                                                                          
                                                          

When its somewhat engulfed in the plastic you can stop. It should stand by itself. Using your soldering iron cut a piece of plastic from the same camera and place it on the engulfed hook ("foot"). Place the tip of your soldering iron on the plastic until it begins to melt. When this happens spread the melted plastic over the hook("foot") with your soldering iron. As if your spreading peanut butter on bread. Make sure the plastic you've melted combines a little with the Len's plastic case. This technique will assure a secure seal. Since the plastic adheres almost Instantaneously you don't have to wait to try it out.



 Installation is simple just turn on your digital camera place your lens over the digital camera lens. The plastic piece wraps around the opposite side of the camera holding it in place and prevents scratching of the display. While the flexible wire adjusts to your camera lens setting without putting strain on the camera motor
mechanics assembly.                                                                        

                                                            
                                                                  
                                                                        
         





                                                                 

This photo shot are the parts from a disposable camera. I wanted to see how effective this tool was so I took
a picture with and without the Cam glasses. I was surprised to see the difference. The pictures speak for
themselves.






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