Using A Director's Finder

[Greg Liscio]

I've read several threads about the benefit of using a director's finder.

Which format do I use to replicate what I will see with my 110 Schneider on my 4X5 Canham? Do I simply set the format to 35mm and select the focal length to the 35mm equivalent of the 4X5 110.

Thankee
Greg

[Mark Woods]

5x4=1.25:1 TV is 1.37:1. HD is 1.78:1 (home screen). Cinemascope is 2.35:1. Most American Movies are 1.85:1. And many European films are 1.66:1. I've seen many suggestions of cutting a 4x5 matte and holding it out and using that for a compositional tool. With practice, you can estimate the lens to use by the distance you hold the matte from your eye.

[David A. Goldfarb]

If you want one matched to 4x5", the Linhof finder is just that, and there are various versions, new and old, for different budgets. There's also a Horseman finder for the same purpose.

[Warren Clark]

Hi Greg,
I use a Horseman Zoom finder as a previewer-especially handy with the
pistol grip. I have 6x9 and 4x5 masks. The finder can be located fairly easliy
but will take time to find the grip. Also can be used on camera-shoe mount.
Call Jim at Midwest photo-he can probably locate one

[Brian Ellis]

For many years I've used something sold by B&H called The 4x5 Visualizer. It's a card made out of black plastic, about 8x10," with a 4x5 cutout and a piece of tape with focal lengths marked. You look through the hole and hold the tape to your cheek to see the field of view and the focal length to use to produce that field of view. The other side of the tape has 8x10 focal lengths. It isn't as precise as the Linhof gizmo that David mentions, which I tried for a while, but it's much more convenient to use. Costs about $10.

[Frank Petronio]

Oh save a few hundred and get a 35mm format Tewe or Leica Imarect finder -- not quite perfect but enough to figure out which lens to use....

[Merg Ross]

With a little practice, the hands work well for framing. Simple, and always available.

[Kirk Gittings]

With a little practice, the hands work well for framing. Simple, and always available.

Me too.

[Bruce Barlow]

Set up and focus your camera on a scene with the lens you want. Note what's at the side edges thru the GG. Now hold your viewer (whatever it is) the distance from your eye that matches what you see in the GG. If you're anal, hold the viewer above the plane of the GG and move your head. When they match, voila, calibration. If your viewer's on a lanyard, tie a knot where the string touches your cheek, or mark it with a Sharpie. Thenceforth, wander the world with the viewer the marked distance. Make different knots for different lenses. Total calibration time: 5 minutes.

Or wander at any distance, framing the world. When you find something of interest, "focus with your feet" until the mark meets your cheek. At that point you're standing in a righter place (but never the right place). Mark the spot, return with heavy camera and stuff.

[Steven Barall]

There is no substitute for the educational properties of trial and error. Just take your camera and lenses out for a long walk and just keep setting up the camera with the different lenses and moving on to the next scene. You don't have to expose any film. It's also good to just enjoy the image on the ground glass and take away the memory as the product of the day's work. Way too much emphasis is put of exposing film and printing etc... Good luck, Steven.

[ic-racer]

In the 70s I made a card type finder like in Fred Picker's Zone system book. Then I got so I no longer needed it. I feel a little stupid doing it, but I actually use my hands to frame the picture. Works pretty well for the lenses I am most familiar with.

I read where Virginia Beahan and Laura McPhee use a 35mm camera to check framing before getting out the Deardorff.

[timparkin]

I read where Virginia Beahan and Laura McPhee use a 35mm camera to check framing before getting out the Deardorff.

I used to use a Canon 35mm for all of my work. Since I upgraded to LF, the 5D has been downgraded to a point and shoot and viewfinder. I've added a canon 5x4 black crop viewfinder so that I get a proper 5x4 view. Using the 24-105, I can frame from 100mm to 444mm (I use an 80,110,150,240,360 and 500mm so this almost matches for 110 and 500 and if I want to frame for the 80mm I turn the camera sideways and frame for the width which gives me) .

If you want to convert 35mm lens lengths to large format lens lengths then you are best multiplying by 4.233 - This works by presuming the viewfinder adjusts the long dimension when changing aspect ratio (which I'd be very surprised if it didn't). I use this ration on my 5D which works very well with my 5x4 crop mask.

Tim

[h2oman]

If you want to use an SLR as some are suggesting, any of the four-thirds digitals give an aspect ratio close to that of 4x5. (1.33 for the SLR vs 1.25 for 4x5).

[butterflydream]

I have just bought this one at ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Linhof-Technika-Style-4x5-Universal-Zoom-View-Finder_W0QQitemZ230225141015QQihZ013QQcategoryZ15215QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

I don't expect quality.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I have just bought this one at ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Linhof-Technika-Style-4x5-Universal-Zoom-View-Finder_W0QQitemZ230225141015QQihZ013QQcategoryZ15215QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

I don't expect quality.

I have an older Gaoersi 6x17 finder that looks like this, and the distortion at the edges of the frame is pretty severe, but the 4x5" might not be as bad. Report back when it comes.

[butterflydream]

I have an older Gaoersi 6x17 finder that looks like this, and the distortion at the edges of the frame is pretty severe, but the 4x5" might not be as bad. Report back when it comes.

I have 8 flags pinhole 6x12 camera and a finder came with it. I think optical quality would be similar. Just wish it's better than nothing. :)

I'll come back when I've got and tried it.

[blevblev]

You can also find the Zone VI viewer which combines a viewer and a Wratten #90 filter on ebay frequently - there are several out there now, like:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zone-VI-Black-White-Filter_W0QQitemZ260215113440QQihZ016QQcategoryZ43479QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem