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View Full Version : DIY waist level finder for technical field camera



Dirk Rösler
14-Aug-2006, 21:47
Hello, I have a new Wista field camera which I want to use for some handheld work.

To aid framing, I would like to have something to attach to the accessory shoe. I realised that I prefer pics shot from chest level, so instead of adapting something to look through, I thought an L-shaped, angled viewer would be great (plus lifting 3kg to the eye is a little unrealistic in the long run).

If it is L-shaped, I suppose it needs a mirror in it, which means the image will be upside down, but I can live with that (I hope). No parallax correction required, of course. The only thing I want is to be able to change the "mask" between horizontal and vertical orientation.

Has anyone ideas on how to build something like that, esp. how to calculate lengths and openings to get the right angle of view (one lens only, 120mm).

Dirk

Ron Marshall
14-Aug-2006, 21:56
You could use a periscope design, to re-erect the image.

Dirk Rösler
14-Aug-2006, 22:19
Thanks - could you elaborate please? What is a periscope design and how would it re-erect the image?

Paul-Owen
15-Aug-2006, 01:27
You might try using a Cambo T20 reflex viewer. This viewer allows viewing from above (via a magnifier eyepiece) and is very lightweight. It will probably need some minor adapting to fit your ground glass. Hope this helps.

David A. Goldfarb
15-Aug-2006, 01:37
Or you could just get a Graflex reflex camera and be done with it.

Dirk Rösler
15-Aug-2006, 03:23
Thanks. As I said, I want a viewfinder for framing, not view the ground glass through a reflex viewer.

Ron Marshall
15-Aug-2006, 06:41
Thanks - could you elaborate please? What is a periscope design and how would it re-erect the image?

A vertical tube with two mirrors at 45 degrees to the horizontal, one at the top, one at the bottom.

Dirk Rösler
16-Aug-2006, 19:23
A vertical tube with two mirrors at 45 degrees to the horizontal, one at the top, one at the bottom.

Thanks. But since I want an L-shaped device to look into from the top, it seems impossible to have two mirrors.

Jim Jones
16-Aug-2006, 19:46
The waist-level viewfinder from an old folding camera might be masked to cover the appropriate field and mounted on the Wista.