[Cameramakers] homebrew lenses

[Uptown Gallery]

Hello:   I have an 18" x 24" bellows and would like to try it out as pinhole and also with a homebrew lens...I'll probably go with diopter types from my optician - he'll sell me a pair of 80 mm diameter glass ones for $18-20 a pair...seems fair...no shipping and I can get exactly what I want when I want, unlike the surplus market.   I would like to hear from anyone else who has already invented this wheel...suggestions for materials to make stops out of, any homebrew shutter ideas, etc. Pinhole obviously shutter speed is not an issue, but if for some reason I wanted a short depth of field with a fast lens, and fast film, I'll have a shutter speed issue.   Thanks   Murray Leshner Holland, MI