How good are 4x5 Cambo / Horseman viewfinders?

[lambis]

How good are those 4x5 Cambo or Horseman mirror viewfinders

I have a Speed graphic and focus to groundgalls is great but i would love for faster action to use one of those but i am not sure how good they work.

I know thay sometimes not fit but there are adapters for that. So is it polsile to focus acurate and how the image looks like.
Pro & Contras?

[Lee Christopher]

If you're referring to a binocular viewer (and not one that uses only one eye like a right-angle finder), I tried a friend's one on his Technika and several lenses (all wides).

The image is bright and snappy (!) and composing is much faster as one huge factor is taken out of the equation (the up-side down thing). Some people may find that a huge plus, and others may prefer seeing everything upside down as it steers you towards form and shapes rather than focusing your mind on all the small details.

Focusing seemed fast enough, but bear in mind I was looking out from a deeply shaded veranda towards a very brightly sun-lit driveway and garden.

The thing is HUGE though. And I didn't have time to find out if I had the option to change or add magnification via lenses to help me focus. If the lenses can't be changed out or the whole system was not designed to work with higher magnification, then you're stuck with the factory magnification which didn't seem that great to me (I'm used to using a 7x loupe).

Hope this helps some and I'm sorry I can't provide more information as I know very little about these viewers.

Edit to add: Lambis, I've just had a peek at your work and it's simply stunning!

[mikeber]

Lambis, another one for your website - nice work, I loved it.
2 Questions - there are password protected parts on the website. I would like to read your posts if they are in english. Is it possible?
2) How do you get all these stunning girls :D ?

[lambis]

Hi Mike..

Thanks!! I dont think my webpage have protected parts. I will recheck.

Lee: I am most searching one for my speed graphic. They are 2 that fit

One as the cambo one eye finder
http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00O/00OiSl-42162384.jpg

the other is a Horseman / polaroid where you look with both eyes
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/3/7/5/6/9/7/webimg/308879901_tp.jpg

So i am not sure wich one is better..

[Lee Christopher]

Hi Lambis,

I just tried a Sinar binocular finder on a Sinar back fitted to my Horseman and I LOVE IT!

Even with the not so powerful magnification (lenses are changeable), I could easily focus my 65mm lens. Seeing everything on the GG with both eyes open made viewing, composing and focusing such a joy! And I was out in the bright sun today.

I haven't used the one that requires you to close one eye yet, but I suspect they may be optically better if they use precision made glass (does it have a prism inside, or just a simple mirror?). However, for extended periods of viewing and adjustment, the downside is that using just one eye may be more tiring than using two eyes, but you could use an eye patch if that's the situation.

Be sure to check carefully how the finder attaches to the camera. If you look closely, the Sinar model features the same (entire) frame that the bellows use, and can only be used with Sinar made international backs which have an additional set of ribs and a lock. The Horseman one is designed such that it attaches like the rear portion of an international back (slide and click lock), and would likely fit only Horseman backs with the same dimensions.

I'm not sure how to attach a word document here, but I saved photos of these two finders and can email it to you if you like.