Snod35 V1 - Main Body
For the main body of the adapter, I used 2, 72mm X 1.5" extension tubes (below at left). These can be found on eBay for around $12 a piece. For the lens mount I used a general Brand 72mm metal lens cap (purchased from B&H#GBLCM72). I cut the correct size circle out of the lens cap and used stainless steel, 1-72 x 3/16" machine screws and 1-72 nuts to secure the actual lens mount to the metal lens cap (screws and nuts from microfasteners.com) . The image below at center shows a canon FD mount secured to the lens cap. The image at right shows the back of the mount assembly and the nuts that are used to keep the lens mount secured to the metal lens cap. The metal lens cap with the mount is simply screwed onto the end of the 72mm extension tube.
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There are a few things to note about the Nikon F and Canon FD lens mounts. The Nikon F mount requires a little extra effort to work into a DIY adapter. The image below at left shows the circular spring that is part of the F mount and that must be used for the lens to fit tightly into the mount. Though this will keep the lens tight when it is fitted into the mount, there is no way for the lens to actually lock into place. Nikon Cameras with the F mount have a lock/unlock button on the camera body. Since the adapter does not have this, the lens will turn into the mount tightly, but will not "snap" into place. It may be possible to use a K-3 female bayonet lens mount (or similar device) to allow the lens to snap into place, but I have yet to try this. The image below at center shows the back of the lens mount assembly for the adapter (with the F mount). In the image you can see the extra area that had to be cut out of the metal lens cap to accommodate the circular spring of the F mount.
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The Canon FD mount does not use a circular spring as with the F mount and is much easier to work with. The catch with many Canon FD lenses is that there is a lever on the back of the lens that must be engaged for the aperture to function. Normally, when the lens is secured to a camera there is a piece inside of the camera that engages this part of the lens. Since the adapter does not do this, you will need to slide the lever over and place something in the slot to keep the lever in the engaged position. The image above at right shows the lever and a small piece of brass placed in the slot to keep it in place.
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