I've got a metal viewfinder by Gowland--not the aerial frame one--this one is a lens in a silver metal casing. Never seen one before but you can see it on his web page. I got it when I bought by Toyo and have never used it. If this is the sort of thing you are interested in let me know offline--I was just about to e-bay it.
darin@darinboville.com
--Darin
I use a Linhof Tech III with the Linhof sports finder. It has 2 wire frames, one for 150mm and one for 240mm. I've found that the 150mm works great with my 180mm lens: it seems that most wire finders are sized a little bit big so it makes a pretty tight composition with a slightly longer lens.
Thanks for all the ideas folks! I just might go hunting for a low-value camera with a removable viewfinder.
For waist level shooting I think a small 45-degree mirror with a rectangular opening above the mirror and one in front should work, if the size of the openings and the distance between them match the lens in use. Something like that wouldn't be hard to make from wood, brass and shop scraps and would look right at home on an old folder!
Geez! I get some of my best ideas from this group! ;-)
I've been considering checking a hardward store for the "peep sites" that are installed into doors; it seems to me that with proper masking they should make a reasonable (and very inexpensive!) viewfinder. I'll let you know if I have any luck.
The mirror idea, or a prism, is very common on the old rollfilm folders from the 'bicycle' era at the start of the twentieth century. They tend to have a lens either side of the mirror to give enough eye relief for waistish level holding. The one on my 1920s 6x9 folder is simple and easy to use, but is of course for a fixed focal length.
I have a Busch Pressman. It drove me crazy the fact that I had to put a cloth over to see what I was doing.
Anyway, I bought a used Cambo viewfinder, then I modified it to fit the opening where the folding was.
I tried to do it with lenses ... and mirrors but the issued is
You need front coated mirrors, not easy to find (surplus store, etc) and the mirrors a too thick.
You also need lenses to (probably 300mm focal length) to view the ground glass.
You have to mount them so it gets a bit committed. Not impossible, but it you never done it before it could be quiet a task.
Hand held ... with out some how a view finder that will triangulate your distances ...
It could be done by hyperphocal distance so if you shoot at f22 you know that every thing infinity and the focal length will be in focus. Just like a point and shoot.
Good luck!
Dave - I've got one of those door viewers here. They're very wide angle, but they will work. Also, you can swap the elements around inside to get a small change in the angle of view. The front of mine just unscrews.
David-
Thanks for the information. During a web search last night I noted that there is particular style of door viewer that has a very large rear element, but the front doesn't look like the standard lens. Rather, it looks like two rectangular openings. The back of the site looks like it'd be great for using as a viewfinder, but the front looks like it might be tough to mask. I'm wondering if you have any experience with this type.
I'm going to head to the hardware store tomorrow to pick up an assortment of cheap viewers to start with; I'll keep the idea of swapping elements in mind as it'll probably make it easier to get a set that gets close to the angle of view I'm looking for.
Again, thanks for the information.
Be well.
Dave
Dave - The one I've got is about an inch across the front, 5/16 across the rear, and fits into a half-inch hole. The center tube has a long threaded section to adapt to different door thicknesses. It's brass, and was $3 or $4 at a big discount store. I'm using it for a 65mm on 4x5. You could definitely mask one of these, but the field of view might feel too small for a normal lens.
I'm not familiar with any others.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks