Does Handy35 work with EX3?
 

I just saw the web site of the Handy35 adapter, and am wondering if it can be used with the EX3. I watched , and it seems to be a well thought out design, I am just not sure if the EX3 may be too big for (my EX3 is arriving in two days, so I actually do not have the exact idea of its size).

Ex3 ...
 

The EX3 has a lens diameter of 77mm ... so at this point the largest diameter this adapter will work with is 72mm.

Well, wouldn't a step-down ring, like this one, help with that? Has anyone tried it? Or would that cause optical problems?

I guess I should just email him and ask him if it would work with the EX3, though I was hoping to hear from someone other than him, since other people would probably be more objective about it.

OK, I e-mailed him. Then I noticed that while his web site says 72 mm max, his order form also offers an 82 mm adapter. So, with a step-up ring, that should work.

I'll have to see when I get my EX3 if all the other measurements are within his stated parameters.

Looks like the stars are smiling at me. :) My EX3 is coming tomorrow, and I have just received a reply to my email:

He even attached a picture.

Hi Adam,

Looks like the Handy35 is a nice, well built 35mm adapter setup. (And if it looks like it'll work with the EX3, then it'll surely work with the EX1R :)

Please keep us posted if and when you do get the Handy35.

Best,

Yes, I will keep you posted. By the way, my EX3 arrived today. :)

Hi Adam,

Congratulations on your new EX3!

Best,

Thanks, Jeff. It is a really nice piece of equipment. I also got Doug Jensen's DVDs with it, and I am glad I did because it is much more advanced than anything I have used before.

Will that work with the Canon xl1s?

I don't know anything about the Canon XL1s, sorry. I guess it depends on the ring size of its lens.

I don't know anything about the Handy35, but I have tried many adapters on the Ex-1.

Adapting to the thread size is easy, but the lens on the Ex-1 has been hard for adapter makers to mate their achromats to with decent optical results. As far as I know the only 2 adapters that have done a good job are the SGBlade and the Letus ( not the older ones). Its possible the new version of the Redrock is OK as well.

I've also found that manufacturers ( to be gentle about it) generally exaggerate when describing how well their adapters will work with an EX-1. In other words don't believe everything they say. I expect to see decent corner to corner sharpness with my EX-1 iris wide.

Judging by his video on updating the Handy35 v5 to v5+ (see below), he has replaced his achromat with a completely different one. So it is impossible to know how good the achromat is at this time. But, hopefully, the upgrade probably means the new achromat is better than the old one.


And judging by the test video below, the v5 did not seem to have corner to corner sharpness, which is the reason for the upgrade:

Hi Adam,

Yeah, it'd be interesting if the Handy35 mates well with the EX1/3. Been trying to look around for any sample videos with that combo...

I have asked the manufacturer to email me when he has the version for the EX3 available. Once I have it, I will play with it and post some samples. By then I should have learned how to use my EX3. :)

And just today I ordered a 50 mm f/1.4 Zeiss ZE lens with the EF mount (since my main photo camera is a Rebel 2000 EOS), which is a very sharp lens, and a Lens Baby, which is a very soft and dreamy lens. So, I will test the adapter with both.

Of course, an EF mount lens has the disadvantage that its iris can only be controlled electronically, so you can adjust it while mounted on the adapter. You have to use a Canon camera to set it and remove it from the camera while the iris is set properly, then mount it on the adapter. I just hope the Zeiss lens holds the iris in that situation the way Canon lenses do...

One thing I like about the Handy35 is that you can change the speed of rotation of the ground glass, which should allow for different effects.