45 Degree Prism Darker

[Rtcjr]

Good Morning all ( from the EST anyway),

I have a hassy 500 cm with both the WLF and the Ukraine 45 degree finder. The Ukraine finder is darker when looking through (sometimes harder to focus) and wanted to ask those of you with a Hassy 45 degree if it is as bright as the WLF; or is this just a concession to be had because of the extra glass/mirrors in a 45 degree?

Thank you

 

[Dave Swinnard]

I held off on a 45 degree finder until I found a used PM45 finder and I love it. It's a bit heavy, but it's bright and has good eyepiece relief (I wear glassses). Expensive, but I eventually found a used one at a price I could manage.

I shoot with the camera on a tripod and many times the WLF was just not convenient. I sometimes had to resort to putting the camera on it's side just so I could see through it - when the camera position needed that extra height. The PM45 finder has made that (very awkward) position much less frequent.

Perhaps the best investment for my Hasselblad I've made.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The prism might need an Accumat screen, which is brighter.

 

[bdial]

I would say that the Hasselblad prism is brighter than the WLF, as it doesn't have to contend with ambient light.
Certainly on a purely technical basis, there is some light loss with the light bouncing around in the prism, but the shielding from extraneous light makes up for it IMO. The old round top prisms are very cheap and do a good job, the PM 45's and their variants are a little nicer because they are more compact and perhaps slightly lighter, but either work well. I don't use an Acute-matte and generally find the brightness adequate for most situations. I've never tried one of the third-party prisms though, so I can't make a direct comparison.

 

[itsdoable]

I have both the Ukranian ("Russian" Hasselblad compatible) metered 45deg prism finder, and the Hasselblad 45 deg finders (NC2 and PME51)

The Hasselblad finders (MC2 & PME51) are much better, in clarity, magnification, FOV, and eye relief. With the Ukranian finder I cannot see the whole field with eye glasses, even though the image is smaller. And the stock diopter is such that I cannot focus on the screen (with an added -0.5 to 01 diopter, it is easy to focus). It also appears dimmer, but that may be an optical illusion due to the magnification, and the fact that you see less of the screen.

The WLF is the easiest to focus (porbably because it has the higest magnification). The prisms are better for hand held moving subects. And metering.

 

[Rtcjr]

Thanks for the replies everyone. As soon as I find one in good shape - maybe the NC for compactness - I'll have to compare.

I do like prisms as it adds spontaneity to my photography as I can shoot quicker if need be. The reversed image still causes me some pain at times.

One thing that is frustrating though - and this goes for the Ukrainian prism as well as the magnifier in the hassy WLF - is that focus is tricky when looking through them. That is, when trying to focus, if you move your eye / head a little off center, the image focus is inconsistent. Are diopters MFR'd in a way to compensate for varying sight differences in people so that you can move your head a bit to get the magnification you need?

Thank you