Crappy Super Wide

Speaking of crappy camera... There is a disposable camera equipped
with a 17mm f/11 lens (2 elements in 2 groups) which comes with an 800
speed color negative film and a 1/100 sec shutter. The product is
described here:

http://cmehappy.fantastic-camera.com/waiwai/
http://homepage2.nifty.com/vasolza/17mmdeasobou.htm

The camera is called Wai Wai Wide. (The text is Japanese but just
looking at the pictures should give you the idea. This disposable
camera costs around $10 a piece.)

The camera has a mirror around the lens so that you can take picture
of yourself! But someone did the obvious thing... he excised the lens
and mounted it on a body cap for L mount rangefinder.

http://homepage2.nifty.com/vasolza/17mmLmount.htm

Here the text is in Japanese but pictures should give you the idea.
And the result is funky toyish images with the super wide angle.
Since the rear element-to-film distance is about 20mm, he added two
1.6mm printed circuit boards to the body cap to adjust the distance.

He later realized that the vignetting was actually due to the way the
lens was mounted, so he made another one:

http://homepage2.nifty.com/vasolza/17mmLmount2.htm

This one has an additional aperture to make it f/22.

Maybe with Bessa L and this enucleated optics it's possible to make a
complete wide angle toy camera for some $100? I don't know how much a
body cap costs but this lens still functions as a body cap!!
(if not body crap)

--
Ryuji Suzuki
"People seldom do what they believe in.  They do what is convenient,
then repent." (Bob Dylan, Brownsville Girl, 1986)