Director's Finder / Viewfinder to Preview Pics

[iozone]

What I want is a Director's Viewfinder with adjustable aspect ratios and long-range zoom that can accept a .5x W/A adapter and costs around $300 or less. The $600-700 ones are out of the running.

What I'm really asking, I suppose, is are the little cheap ones in the $200-350 range any good? I want a nice clear, sharp, bright, big eyepiece.

Hey Mike, how about one for $99.00? Check this out -

http://opteka.com/optekamicroprofess...th11xzoom.aspx

You gotta promise to report back after you get it...

[Mike1234]

Hey Mike, how about one for $99.00? Check this out -

http://opteka.com/optekamicroprofess...th11xzoom.aspx

You gotta promise to report back after you get it...

Looks interesting... do you think it's worth the $100 risk to find out if it's any good?

[iozone]

got me, they have a 15% restocking fee and a 30 day return policy. or you can buy through amazon and possibly avoid the restock fee.

http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-Micro-P.../dp/B0021E2FII

[Mike1234]

Maybe I'll give it a try. I've heard the small Cavision is a real dog but maybe the Opteka is better.

[bvstaples]

You do know that the Linhof Mutifocus Optical Finders (current ones - made for the last 30+ years) not only show what a lens covers it also corrects for field size and parallax. Those are very difficult to do with cardboard.

I don't believe that correcting for field size, and parallax for an additional $500-600 is going to have that drastic an effect on my images. The ability to "see" a photograph doesn't necessarily lie in an expensive piece of equipment.

But then that's just me.


Brian

[Daniel_Buck]

Hey Mike, how about one for $99.00? Check this out -

http://opteka.com/optekamicroprofess...th11xzoom.aspx

You gotta promise to report back after you get it...

interesting! I'm not familier with alot of those ratios, are any of them close to 4x5?

[GPS]

You do know that the Linhof Mutifocus Optical Finders (current ones - made for the last 30+ years) not only show what a lens covers it also corrects for field size and parallax. Those are very difficult to do with cardboard.

Only if the Linhof finder is attached on a Linhof camera does it correct for the parallax. Obviously not the case Mike1234 speaks about. Held in a hand it doesn't correct for parallax any more than a cardboard frame does...

[photographs42]

This looks very enticing. I have 3 Linhof finders. A 5x7, a 4x5 and a combo 4x5/5x7. I have used them for years and wouldn’t go out without one.

But they aren’t perfect. The disadvantages are: 1) There is no easy way to carry it, unless I’m wearing a heavy coat with large pockets. Even then it is a clumsy shape and doesn’t go in or out of the pocket easily. 2) With longer lenses, it doesn’t seam to accurately foretell the correct focal length. 3) I wear glasses and there is no diopter adjustment built in. With glasses on I can’t see the entire field and with them off I see a complete but blurry field. I have a 35mm camera viewfinder diopter lens taped to the 5x7 viewfinder that almost solves the problem.

Not related to the design is the fact that whatever I see through the viewer is only pertinent if I happen to have a lens with the required focal length. In any event it is a great tool even if it only gets me close to what I want.

The aspect ratios of 1:1.37 and 1:1.3 are close enough to 5x7 & 4x5 respectively. It remains to be seen how easily the focal length scales can be converted. I think it might be worth $100 bucks to find out.
Jerome

[Mike1234]

The problem is weeding out the junk from the decent ones... and at affordable prices.

[Daniel_Buck]

The problem is weeding out the junk from the decent ones... and at affordable prices.

Indeed! ihave a linhof finder that is nice, but it's bulky and I hate carrying it around. Something light weight that I could keep around my neck, I would actually use alot more often. The linhof takes up the space that one of my lenses do, and just as heavy.