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Hack 12 T-Mounts and Other Threaded Tricks
Digital SLR users can connect their camera bodies to a variety of bargain optical
attachments by using one of the most enduring adapters of all: the T-mount .
The best camera for photographer-hackers is certainly the digital SLR (DSLR). From outward
appearances, these cameras look just like the 35mm single lens reflex (SLR) models that
photographers have been using for decades. SLRs are distinguished by the ability to remove the
lens from the body and replace it with another type, which makes them extremely
versatile. The other advantage is that you view the picture through the same lens you use to
take the photo, so what you see is what you get. DSLRs work the same way. The only
difference is that they have an image sensor instead of film.
DSLRs are a lot of fun for hackers, because when you remove the lens, you can attach just
about any optical accessory to the camera body, including microscopes, telescopes, slide
copiers, and much more.
At first, you might hold the microscope in one hand and the camera body in the other and
wonder how the heck these two items can work with each other. Generally, this happens via
some type of adapter. For example, telescopes have an adapter that replaces the eyepiece,
and you attach your camera to the adapter. The same goes for microscopes and other
optical goodies.
But you still need a way to connect your camera to the adapter. If you don't want to shell out
the big bucks for a custom adapter made by your camera manufacturer, you can make this
connection by using a common photographic tool called a T-mount .
T-mounts are simple devices, really nothing more than a thick metal ring. On one side, there's a
bayonet-styled mount (like the one on the base of your camera lens) that attaches the ring to
your camera body. Inside the ring, you'll notice there are threads. These are a
standard size that most adapters in the universe screw into snugly.
So, all you have to do is screw the optical adapter (as for a telescope) into the T-mount,
tighten it, and then attach the unit to your camera body. You're in business! Now, your
camera will mount on whatever optical lens the adapter is designed for.
It's a good idea to find a T-mount that works with your digital camera. Once you do, just
about any optical adapter you find in the bargain bin will now mount on your state-of-the-art
camera. For example, my slide copier is over 20 years old, but it works great on my
state-of-the-art DSLR because I have a T-mount to hook the two together, as illustrated in
Figure 1-13 .
Figure 1-13. T-mount with slider copier attachment
1.13.1 Adapters Made by Scope Manufacturers
Many spotting-scope and telescope manufacturers provide camera adapters for their
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