PVS-14 Camera Adapter
Got an SLR Camera adapter for my PVS-14 and a step down ring to allow it to fit the threads on my DSLR lens today –
The rubber eyecup comes off the PVS-14, then the split ring clamps around the eyepeice, with the knurled ring hold it together.
That then screws into the tiffen 46-52mm step down ring which in turn goes into my DSLR to give this –
I’m still playing with the best setting’s to use but so far I’m happy with the results, tonight was cloudy with rain.
Once I get a faster memory card I’ll be able to take 780p video with it too.
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I was using a 50mm lens.
I lead you up the wrong path I think when I said your trying to focus on the small screen a few inches away, which would be macro – but I was trying to just explain that it doesnt matter how far away the actual object your looking at is.. all that matters is the phospher screen as far as focusing the camera goes.
So while the phospher screen and the camera lens are very close – there’s an eyepeice lens in between which makes the apparent distance a big longer so it isn’t like trying to focus on a regular object a couple of inches apart.
Get the best possible image you can just looking through the PVS – no camera involved.
Then when you have the PVS focused, attach it to the camera and try to find the best focus through the viewfinder. You might want to “bracket” the focus and adjust it a bit, take a shot, adjust it a bit more, take another shot etc – leave focus alone, check memory card and then you can count back through the pictures until you get the good one and move the focus back that amount.
That makes sense, the ‘best’ result was achieved by working on the pvs focus.
So, if I understand correctly, I have to focus the lens on the pvs phosphor screen and THEN fiddle with the pvs focus to take shots close to the ones you posted. The only downside is the 400d is a bit of an old dslr, so I have no Live View mode available. I can really see what the pic looks like after I’ve taken it.
I do have a couple of questions though: focusing the camera lens on something as close as the phosphor screen should only be possible using a lens with a relatively short focal length: a ‘Macro’ lens, so to speak.
I’m assuming that, since your pics were ‘framed’ by the circular silhouette of the nvg, you were using a relatively short focal length (in the 40-50 range, probably?)
So, if I may ask, what’s the focal length of the lens you have fitted on your dslr?
Thanks for the help, I’ll resume night photo experiments next week. Hopefully I’ll be able to post something acceptable.
Mr Tibbs,
A 2″ exposure is a bit long, I think I used a 1/15th as the slowest.
Generally, focusing the camera on the target of your photograph without the NV wont work. Your trying to focus on a phosphor screen a few inches away from the front lens.
The front lens on the NV takes care of focusing the light from the object to the NV. The camera only ever has to focus on the screen – no matter what your looking at with the NV thats always the same so once you find the right focus for the camera thats it (mark it with marker or something). That means you can find the camera focus and thats good for anything you look at and you just use the NV objective to focus for different ranges the same as you would if you didnt have the camera.
I use a sheet of text inside and focused my NV on it. Then I mounted it to the camera and found the best focus.
Manual mod is generally best. Turn off any anti shake, flash, use a fast (as you can) shutter speed. Aperture isnt as important but the bigger the faster the shutter speed but the smaller the deph of field so the more accurate you have to be with the (camera) focus.
Good morning,
I decided to give a shot at night vision photography when I saw this topic and, having a pvs 14 and a Canon EOS 400d to play with, I bought the correct pvs adapter and step down ring.
The camera was fitted with a 90-300 lens and mounted on a tripod. Shots were taken inside a garage with little or no light coming from the streetlights outside the building.
Before lights were turned off (for the sake of this nvg experiment), I focused the camera on the Land Rover that can be barely recognized in the following shot:
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Pic was taken with a 2″ exposure, aperture of 36f and 1600 ISO.
I’m ashamed to say this is actually the BEST shot I could take, the rest of the ones I did being so horribly out of focus that the Landy looked like a dark, blurred spot at the center of the photo. I’ve tried working on aperture values -as the focus was correct- in order to sharpen the image a bit, but I got nowhere near to Yellow Ninja’s pics.
Any suggestions?
will do ,i will let you know how it goes
Go ahead and try it, I think the afocal method recommended by the NV companies and used by news agencies to take night time footage is preferable though.
t mount replaces the lens.
The PVS 14 comes with a 42mm thread, not a t mount so that would require 2 parts to replace 1.
My setup…. which is “standard”
1/ Camera with 52mm filter ring
2/ 52 to 42mm adapter
3/ PVS14 Camera adapter with 42mm thread
4/ PVS14
Your suggestion
1/ Camera with 52mm filter ring
2/ 52mm to T Mount
3/ T Mount to 42mm adapter
4/ PVS14 Camera adapter with 42mm thread
5/ PVS14
this might work better http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=details_accessories&A=kitInfo&Q=&sku=116741&is=REG
instead of the step down ring.
just the adapter bits
The camera mount or the Night Vision?
The Camera mount will be easier as its just a threaded ring so shouldnt really be on anyone’s radar… some places just say no export’s to anything NV related so that may cause problems.
The NV on the other hand is restricted and grey import’s that were illegally shipped out of the US are generally all you’ll be able to find as far as the Gen 3 US made NV in this thead goes.
anyone 😥 😥
is there any where outside the usa to buy these.
Now that’s just plain COOL!
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YN, nice. There is also a canon or nikon adapter that goes in before the lens, like a 1.4x teleadapter, which allows you to use your entire line of lenses with it. It has the tube built into it, you can’t adapt an existing PVS unit to it unless you want to cannibalize the NV unit and swap the tube out. I thought about it, but was not serious enough about nv photography to do it. The unit is pricey, much much more than you paid for your adapters.
But, now with video capability in the new 5dmkII, I’m thinking about it again… would be nice. But somehow the thought of taking a nice new 5dmkII with a $3k nv adapter and a $1k lens out into the night and getting it bloody, muddy, and generally abused is not enticing. Much.
walt