Dark cloth vs. Binocular Reflex

[Walter Glover]

Chin,

For a long time I used the Sinar system and had the option of the bino-reflex and a wide-angle bellows with bino-viewer. The Reflex only ever got used when shooting higher or lower angle shots. The bag bellows arrangement worked commendably, allowing the GG to be inspected in many directions.

Now I am totally Linhof and have teir reflex monocular and their focussing bellows ... but all day, every day I use either the flip-out hood or a dark-cloth.

Why?? Focussing accuracy with a 4x or 6x loupe is far greater than with the 1.5x to 2x magnifiers in the other viewfinders, I can move around the bright-spot with short lenses quite readily, and I don't have to carry and assemble components that turn my camera into a leviathan.

I have the reflex viewer because it is a specialist tool that make some difficult chores easier but I never consider it a necessity. The bellows eyepiece, on the other hand, is no problem to carry and is handy when excessive light behind my head renders the flip-out impractical.

The horse blanket is a multi-function device for me; rain shield, blanket, as well as viewing accessory. It is always on stand-by in the car or close-by; it is only ever occassionally employed. Shooting architecture in built up areas, cinemas, shopping plazas, etc. the horse blanket cuts me off from the world - my awareness of potential risks lurking close-by is considerably impeded and in a generally hot humid climate like Sydney in summer it is a downright uncomfortable fashion item.

Out shooting landscape exclusively, as you suggest, I would opt for the lightest and least bulky option. The BTZS hood is great as previously stated and would be my second choice to fitting/adapting some bellows viewing accessory.

Good luck ... WG

[M.]

The front of the BTZS is pleated with elastic, so that it fits over the back of the camera, but stretches to cover rangefinder, and viewfinder, and other protrusions on the camera body. It is virtually instant on/off. The thing is cut and sown in such a manner that one's head holds it open to view the entire ground glass, not with a piece of cloth hanging down in front of one eye as it always seems to happen for me. The entire bottom of the BTZS is open, but can be sealed with the attached VELCRO to keep out light, but allow you to get right by the screen for critical focusing, or to insert holders.

[chin-fan so]

Walter, thank you for your extensive opinion, and thanks Wilhelm for telling me the way that BTZS works. I may like to try to pleat elastic things on my horse blanket to try to simulate the BTZS, since the BTZS + shipping still cost me double of the horse blanket. But problem still exist is as Walter said, the awareness of potential risks lurking close-by is impeded and the hot climate problem too. I may finally have to buy this BTZS. Chin.

[Paul Schilliger]

Using the binocular viewers is by no mean making critical loupe focussing subsid iary. The Horseman viewer is well thought in this regard, for it is mounted on a hinged frame that serves bot h to set the viewer for both horizontal and vertical shots, and for easy opening of the viewer for loupe focu ssing. Some camera makers deliver the viewer without the hinged frame, for simplifying the adaptation (Ebo ny). This in my sense is a big loss and will make loupe focussing so much more difficult. If the reflex viewer is too bulky and weird with it's retaining spring (designed to catch on a special pin put into the accessory sock et on some cameras), you have also the choice for the straight viewer. It folds quite small on a bellows and is very light. The trade off is the reversed image, but you will be able to wiew comfortably from any height and this is to take into consideration. The Horseman viewers are well thought and adapt on both Toyo and Horseman, and maybe on other cameras with some machining. I have adapted one on my Technika with some m achining. You will need some rubber foam self adhesive strips to make it light tight and more comfortabl e. Having used the Horseman viewers for some years, I would never go back to something else.

[chin-fan so]

Paul,

Thank you for the comments, I 'll have to find out if a Horseman direct viewer can installed to Toyo 45Aii.

[Paul Schilliger]

Chinfan, the answer is probably yes, if the camera takes the standard accessorie s such as the Toyo folding viewing hood. The Horseman frame is exactly the same as the Toyo's and probably comes out of the same fundry.

[Bob Salomon]

"Focussing accuracy with a 4x or 6x loupe is far greater than with the 1.5x to 2x magnifiers in the other viewfinders"

The Linhof Focus/Metering Bellows was changed several years ago so that it has two 2x loupes in the eyepice that screw together.

Use both for 4x for focusing and 2x for seeing the entire ground glass or for inserting the exposure meter adapter.

The old style with only a single 2x loupe in the eyepiece has been discontinued for many years now.

[chin-fan so]

Paul, thank your for the confirmatiom. Bod, are u saying the direct viewer has not enough magnification?

Regards. Chin.

[Bob Salomon]

2x simply isn't enough magnification for proper focusing. But it is very good for viewing/composing.

[J. Hildebrand]

If You have the old Linhof focusing bellow with the 2x loupe You can exchange the loupe. I did that and I like the two piece loupe very much.

Best regards