Reflex viewing hood

[Gerry Harrison]

Any opinions on the reflex viewing hoods..specifically the Cambo T-20 2.5 x magnification. It seems like a good idea..are there any surprises or dissapointments. eg...is 2.5 x magnification enough for focusing ? I wear glasses any problems there....I'm over 50..the eyes aren't quite what they used to be...I'm sure many can relate to that.

Thanks Gerry

[robc]

I use a Linhof reflex viewer. I like it. The only thing I find is that you need to put your eye to it and leave it there for a few seconds to let your eye adjust to the light level before you can see the GG clearly.

Other problems can be the position of the eyepiece. If it always points up then the camera has to be low enough so that you can get your head above it to look down on the eyepiece. That brings more foreground into image which is not always desirable. The linhof reflex viewer allows the eyepiece to be put up, down, left or right so thats not so much of a problem for me except its more comfortable to view when its in the up position.

[Brian Ellis]

I used the one made by Robert White for Ebony cameras. I didn't like it much and sold it after a few months use. The two main problems were that with any lens wider than about 135mm-150mm you couldn't see the entire image at once and it wasn't real easy to see the image except in bright light.

[Capocheny]

I use to have one for the Sinar but didn't like it for exactly the same reasons Brian mentioned.

Sold mine off too!

Cheers

[Ralph Barker]

I have a reflex viewer for my Toyo camras, purchased largely because I, too, thought it was a good idea. From experience, however, I've found that it's seldom at the right height for convenient viewing, and doesn't magnify the image sufficiently for fine focusing. I keep it, though, for the few times that it's really handy in the studio or on location. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

[Mahombi]

I have had a T-20 for several years. I find it very useful and reasonably priced. As it doesn't fold down, it is slightly bulky. So, less useful if using a backpack that's short of space, as in my case. I had to modify mine to get it to fit on my Ebony. I would however, recommend using a focussing loupe for fine focussing. I don't think the magnification is enough on the T-20. At least for my eyesight. The eyepiece has a very soft and large rubber suround. So good for spectacle wearers.

Horseman makes an excellent folding binocular hood. It's top quality craftmanship, but at a price. This again can be quite bulky, even when it is collapsed down. Especially the binocular eye shade, which unclips from the main body.

[Danny Burk]

Unfortunately, Horseman discontinued their excellent bino reflex viewer some time ago. I use one with my Ebony and love it. They can occasionally be found on the used market, but they're quite scarce.

[Edwin Lachica]

Hello all,

Would anyone care to post pictures of the Horseman folding reflex viewer. My Sinar reflex is just too bulky to pack and was thinking of doing a mod or use existing parts like the mirror and magnifier to create a new one.

Many thanks.

Edwin

[darr]

Edwin, see the following thread for pixs:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-...id=005LXb&tag=

[Edwin Lachica]

Edwin, see the following thread for pixs:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-...id=005LXb&tag=

Thanks for the link dar. I've seen the pictures in the link before and have based initial sketches on them.

I haven't figured out how the mirror tilt mechanism works on the horseman folding viewer. So it would be really great if anyone is willing to post or e-mail me photos of the interiors and the tilt mechanism.

Thanks in advance.

Edwin.


P.S.
I promise to repost sketches and measurements of the mod I'll make for future reference to anyone interested.