Lens-back parallelism-Angle-finder OK?

[Paul Schilliger]

Does anyone use the Horseman Angle-Finder II? I wish I could use it to help mak e the settings with super wide-angles such as the 65 and 47mm. With these lenses the slightest slope traduces in converging verticals. It is also difficult to w ork on film - lens parallelism, especially in low light conditions. Do you think this oil damped device can help? Is it more precise than a spirit level?

[Larry Huppert]

My opinion - the original Horseman Angle finder was an expensive, but very fine tool (I wish I could find one used). The Horseman angle finder II I've seen is an expensive, not particularly precise and fairly worthless tool. I think I'd prefer a $10 angle finder from a hardware store.

I also work with ultra wide angle lenses, and can appreciate the challenges they present. My favorite alignment tool is a $20 6" level I picked up at Woodworkers Warehouse made by Stabila. Horseman also makes a small spirit level. The sample I had wasn't all that accurate. Maybe I just had a bad one. I've checked the levels built into my camera against this external level, and have found the camera levels to be highly accurate.

I believe companies such as Zig Align make very precise tools to insure lens to film plane parallelism. Don't know much about them - I believe they do it with mirrors.