Modification #3 -- Filter Ring and Lens Shade

Step 4: Modification #3 -- Filter Ring and Lens Shade

Filters are always fun to try on a camera. You can adjust the color of a scene, add special effects, use with black and white film, or even use infrared pass filter and infrared film for classic IR photography. However, most toy cameras to include the TMC do not have this capacity (although the folks who make Holgas are doing some great things with filters recently).

1. The easy way: just buy 48mm filters and screw them onto the front of the lens housing. The housing isn't threaded for filters, but the threads of the filter will cut into the soft plastic and with some work, the filter will be firmly attached.

2. The less easy way (but still pretty easy): I had a few 46mm rubber lens hoods that didn't fit any of my cameras, so I used this as a lens hood and a way to attach 46mm filters in front of the lens. The lens is recessed so deeply into the lens housing, that it propably does not need any extra lens shading, but since the lens is uncoated and prone to flare, I figured that extras shading couldn't hurt.

3. Mix up some expoy and coat the lens shade threads with the glue.

4. Set the camera lens side down on the lens shade and ensure the epoxy is evenly distributed. Don't put the lens shade on the camera with the lens facing up. This would run the risk of epoxy flowing down the lens housing and causing you to lose the ability to adjust the aperture.

5. Once everything is cured, you now have a lens shade and the ability to use 46mm screw on filters.