About handheld viewfinders

[hnaa]

Hello all,
so, I am considering getting some kind of hand held viewfinder, for exploring possible shots, angles, focal lengths a.s.o. I know the Linhof Universal finders are pretty popular, hence the pretty steep prices on Ebay, I guess. I was wondering what, if any, you guys use? I know I could make a cut-out thingy for no money at all, and I might (probably) do that. Some people, I'm told, use compact digital cameras, but I don't think any compact cameras have the 4:5 ratio, maybe I am mistaken, compact digitals are a complete mystery to me. Maybe I've even heard about a smartphone app, but can't remember where... The Chinese viewfinders (Gaoersi, Dayi etc) I've never heard anything good about. So, just curious....

[Frank Petronio]

Personally I think a digital camera is the best, although you have to estimate the proportions in your imagination or perhaps put tape on the LCD screen to see a cropped preview. FWIW the 4:3 ratio with most small compact digitals is closer to 4x5 than a DSLR's 3:2 ratio.

The Linhof viewfinders are great, but note that the older models do not zoom, only crop. The later models, first with ribbed chrome and currently with rubber rings, zoom so you see a full-frame image. Thus the price difference of ~$150 to $500 for older versus newer designs.

The cinematic director's viewfinders, like a stereotypical movie director might use, could also work. I haven't checked them out lately but some are more expensive than the Linhof but I think there are knock-offs that are bargain-priced too. Last I checked it looked like there were a dozen-plus models.

I don't know how the Chinese optical viewfinders are. I tried using viewfinders with my small format Leica-type cameras and was not impressed, they seemed to hinder me more than help. But some have a nice "object quality" and are fun to play with.

[SW Rick]

If you have an iPhone, look at Viewfinder Pro app- for $15, a good deal! I rarely carry my Linhof finder any more, since I always have my phone.

[Leigh]

I like the Linhof universal finder. I have two of them, of the "tan base" vintage.

It's quite handy for choosing focal length, with click-stops at all the common ones.

The FLs are calibrated for 4x5, but you just double them for 8x10.

- Leigh

[Ed Kelsey]

Charles Cramer says he uses a cardboard cutout.

[Brian Ellis]

I had one of the newer Linhof finders, I didn't like it very much and sold it a few months after buying it. It was awkward to use and awkward to carry around. I think the older versions, which I've played around with but never owned, are actually easier to use because of the slide thingy as opposed to the rotate thingy on the newer ones. Except for that brief foray I've always used a card.

[hnaa]

Well, I don't have an Iphone (I have an HTC Android phone), and the app seems to be only avaliable for the Iphone. I did, however, just discover that two compacts, namely Canon G12 and s95, each have the 4:5 aspect ratio as an option. The s95 could be an option, smaller and cheaper than an Iphone, and cheaper, I think, than the Linhof viewfinder as well.

[mono]

A black cardboard cutout works for me, too.
Very inexpensive ;-)

[Richard Mahoney]

A No. 8 wire frame finder -- or a US equivalent -- is your friend:

http://camera-antipodea.indica-et-buddhica.com/about/equipment/wire-frame-finder.jpg

It always surprises me just how accurate this finder is. I wander around with it. Find the view point I want. Throw it on the ground. Then set the tripod over it. Rarely do I have to adjust anything.


Best,

Richard

[rdenney]

A No. 8 wire frame finder -- or a US equivalent -- is your friend

No. 8 (aka 8 AWG) is the U.S. equivalent and has been since it was adopted 150 years ago. But you guys are welcome to borrow it.:)

On topic: I use a cardboard cutout. I have a Russian turret finder for a Fed rangefinder that is slightly better than useless, and I might use that for my upcoming point-n-shoot if I don't succumb to the temptation to buy one of those Chinese finders (either fixed or zoom). It's main issue is that it doesn't go wide enough and might be about right for a 100mm lens on 4x5. The old Leica finder is like the old Linhof finder--it masks down the view rather than optically zooming in, and my vision isn't good enough for it.

Rick "who thought New Zealand was all metric" Denney

[Dominique Cesari]

I prefer the wire style, derivated from cardboard but more rigid. Here is the one sold by Ebony :
http://www.dmin-dmax.fr/images/chambre/cadre_viseur.jpg
I haven't been happy with the Linhof finders, either the tan model or the newer one.

[Jim Jones]

If the frame or cutout is the size of the film, a section of tape measure attached to it lets the photographer determine the focal length for any view. For ULF photographers, scaling the frame or cutout down to 40% and reading a centimeter scale as though it is inches may be more convenient.

[GPS]

I prefer the wire style, derivated from cardboard but more rigid. Here is the one sold by Ebony :
http://www.dmin-dmax.fr/images/chambre/cadre_viseur.jpg
...

Why cardboard? Why a metal frame? Make it a frame from 3mm PVC sheet and it will be much more rigid than cardboard and much lighter than a metal one.

[Jim Noel]

Hello all,
so, I am considering getting some kind of hand held viewfinder, for exploring possible shots, angles, focal lengths a.s.o. I know the Linhof Universal finders are pretty popular, hence the pretty steep prices on Ebay, I guess. I was wondering what, if any, you guys use? I know I could make a cut-out thingy for no money at all, and I might (probably) do that. Some people, I'm told, use compact digital cameras, but I don't think any compact cameras have the 4:5 ratio, maybe I am mistaken, compact digitals are a complete mystery to me. Maybe I've even heard about a smartphone app, but can't remember where... The Chinese viewfinders (Gaoersi, Dayi etc) I've never heard anything good about. So, just curious....
The "cut out thingy" was good enough for Ansel, so why go with anything else. I have used them for years. I cut them out of mat board and when one is too banged up, I just make another. They don'tadd any weight to the pack or cost anything if lost.

Make the hole 1/2 the size of your film. Put a string on it with a knot for each lens. The knot should be 1/2 the focal length of the lens from the viewer. old the knot against your nose and the view will be the same as the camera sees. If you have more than one lens, it wil also help in choosing the correct lens.

[Noah A]

The problem with Viewfinder Pro for the iphone is that it only works with normal and longer lenses. My 3g iphone only goes to 150mm, though some of the newer ones might go a bit wider.

To get really wide lenses, you need an accessory wide converter for your phone which I haven't bothered with.

Other than that it's a great app for checking composition and location scouting. If you actually take a picture with it, it records the photo with the framelines for the lenses in your kit AND it records the coordinates where the photo was taken.

If you have an iphone already it's fun and handy to have the app. Otherwise I'd say just go with a frame and a piece of string...

[hnaa]

I'll definately make a cut-out thingy, the idea with maybe a compact digital (or app-thingy) with a 4:5 ratio was to use it as a kind of visual journal that I could have with me all the time, or use while exploring a larger area, that I could return to at a later date and/or time, and maybe just practice using the 4:5 ratio on a daily basis.

[SW Rick]

The problem with Viewfinder Pro for the iphone is that it only works with normal and longer lenses. My 3g iphone only goes to 150mm, though some of the newer ones might go a bit wider.

To get really wide lenses, you need an accessory wide converter for your phone which I haven't bothered with.

Other than that it's a great app for checking composition and location scouting. If you actually take a picture with it, it records the photo with the framelines for the lenses in your kit AND it records the coordinates where the photo was taken.

If you have an iphone already it's fun and handy to have the app. Otherwise I'd say just go with a frame and a piece of string...


The iphone 4 goes to 135mm, and probably shows 110-120 or wider in the border outside the widest frame.

[rdenney]

Make the hole 1/2 the size of your film.

Only if you are an 8x10 guy. I'm trying to imagine looking through this mask with a 32.5mm piece of string--my nose is longer than that!

Rick "who uses 65mm lenses often enough to considering making an 8x10 mask opening for use with 4x5" Denney

[GPS]

...
(H) old the knot against your nose and the view will be the same as the camera sees. ...

Doing it this way you would get a wrong view.
Hold the knot on the bone under your eye - your nose can be even 1 inch ahead of this correct point. What is more, you must hold the frame centred in front of you eye and not with a lateral shift (centred on your nose).

[Steve Gledhill]

I suggest my three posts on this thread page (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?p=401372#post401372)
You'll see my cheapo but very very effective variformat viewing frame. I use it for selecting every shot I make.
Cost = £0.00 or $0.00 or €0.00.

[Joseph Dickerson]

Hi All,

Does anyone know where to buy the Ebony wire frame viewer? I couldn't find them on Ebay.

I'm using a plastic viewing card but it's on the bulky side.

JD

[jp]

I just close one eye (to get the 2d look of something), take a longer look, and then decide if I want a photo or not from that location. Those frames and viewfinders just force you to close one eye.

As far as determining the angles/field of view, no such tool exists for 35mm/120/digital photography, and I've survived fine without for 25 years of photography. I just sorta know what lens would be good to pull out for a situation, or learn to move around and make best use of the one lens I'm carrying if I'm traveling light.

[Leonard Evens]

I've been using a cardboard cutout for years and I find it does what I need.

I tie a string to it with knots for the positions of the different focal lengths of my lenses. I also have marks on the sides to help me center it and I've also added marks which indicate the extent to which I can rise, fall, or shift to either side. That helps me decide in advance whether or not I can use those movements to frame the scene the way I want. That has helped me avoid finding out after I've set up the camera at a particular location that I can't get what I want within the frame.

The cardboard frame is not perfect, but it is cheap, easy to replace if I lose it, and it works well enough for all practical purposes.

I often take along a digital camera, which can help me judge whether the distribution of light and dark can be captured on the film I'm using, and it can also help me judge color balance when manipulating the scanned image in a photoeditor. My digital camera uses the standard 35 mm aspect ratio, so I can get some idea of what shifts in the long dimension might yield. Unfortunately, I don't have a wide enough angle lens for the digital camera, so I can't use it to simulate what my 75 mm lens will do.