645 portrait orientation using a waist level finder

Krzys · Aug 5, 2009

So I haven't come across a prism for my Mamiya 645 and will have to live with the waist level finder until I have some more money to buy from America. I quite like shooting portrait orientation in the field, so it was a bad idea to stick with 645 and a waist level finder but I have managed to cope so far. It is easy on a tripod though I tend to loose my place in space and time when I try it hand held.

Does anyone else shoot portrait with a waist level finder when needed and eventually learned to do it naturally? Or will I forever be struggling until I find a prism.

Yes I should have gone 6x6 to eliminate this problem bla bla bla

Curt · Aug 5, 2009

I think you need a revolving tripod adapter.
Dead Link Removed

I have one, when mounted the camera revolves around the center of the lens. You can go from landscape to portrait revolving around the center of the scene. You can also lock it anywhere along the way.

Curt

Krzys · Aug 5, 2009

The problem with KEH for me is the postage cost. If I were to buy from them I may as well get the prism

Curt · Aug 5, 2009

This is true, look for one locally if you can. I have both the prism, wlf and the revolving adapter. When all I had was the waist level finder I would use the tripod head to turn the camera for portrait and had no problem using that way.

Krzys · Aug 5, 2009

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for going portrait handheld with a WLF, without falling over.

2F/2F · Aug 5, 2009

It is a P.I.T.A....for me at least. I can't keep track of which way is which.

The best solution I have come up with is to get the rough focus using the screen, and the composition using the sports finder.

Hand held, I just have to futz around until I get it right, often missing the "decisive moment".

A monopod helps.

I am waiting for a good deal on a meterless prism finder to come up.

Curt · Aug 5, 2009

I was afraid you would say handheld, it's very difficult to do, I can't do it. It looks like a prism finder is in your future.

keithwms · Aug 5, 2009

Get a level and focus by scale

Note that the fuji 645s do have vertical orientation. I have always wondered how landscape was settled upon for almost all the other 645 cameras, I guess the idea was that they'd be used most often for weddings and similar events involving horizontal groupings of people. Anyway I do use 645 in portrait orientation quite often. The most comfortable to use vertically, for me, is the 645 afd, which has the built in prism and big viewfinder. But I do wish it had a rotating back and/or at least something resembling a vertical grip, that rotacam thing is a joke! I do not use the 645 pro in vertical orientation except on a tripod.

Krzys · Aug 6, 2009

Its like using a view camera in space while surfing, ugh.

2F/2F · Aug 6, 2009

Now you realize one of the advantages of square format.

Krzys · Aug 6, 2009

Oh I would love square format. Just being unemployed for two months and all....

2F/2F · Aug 6, 2009

I'm not sayin' you need to go buy a square format camera. Not at all. Just pointing out this one advantage.

What I would do is look for a kit. One that has a backup body, a prism, and hopefully a lens that you don't already have. You can save a lot by getting a kit instead of individual pieces. Then you get a backup body and an extra insert as well.

MattKing · Aug 6, 2009

I consider this my entry into the View Camera world

The most effective technique involves viewing and focussing from the side, rather than the top.

Ideally, you'll have the camera on a tripod that raises the camera up to near eye-level. Alternatively, nearby trees, posts or walls can help.

The lens points toward the subject, the base of the camera and the finder each point sideways, and you stand to the finder's side and look horizontally into the finder.

The image is, of course, upside down.

Any time I've tried to do this without a tripod or suitable vertical surface:

1) the results have usually been poorly framed, improperly focussed or blurred by camera movement (or all 3); and
2) I've felt a compulsion to start quoting from Shakespeare (Hamlet: "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy").

Matt

eddym · Aug 6, 2009

Back when I had a 645 (it was the first camera I actually purchased, rather than borrowed), I always thought the waist level finder would be cool, because I had learned photography with a Rolleiflex that I borrowed from my brother. Finally I bought the WL finder for the 645, and discovered that all the pictures I wanted to take with the camera were vertical.
I also discovered how much I missed the TLR!

c.w. · Aug 6, 2009

I shoot vertical with my bronica 645 occasionally. It's not easy to get used to, you've just got to practice. It helps if you are willing to crop a bit if your shot isn't perfectly straight. For me, the trick is to focus on the viewfinder, and not anything else. I only shoot maybe one or two verticals per roll of 120 though - if you're shooting them more than that it might be a bigger pain. For me, the ability to get shots that I couldn't get easily with a prisim outweighs the funkyness of shooting vertical - I get more annoyed that I can't shoot horizontal at eye level than at verticals. There are lots of times when shooting really low, high, or even holding it above my head and shooting backwards that i have been really thankful to have the waistlevel.

Alan W · Aug 6, 2009

Here we go!The pentax 645, king of 'em all...
Sorry,had to do it!

Q.G. · Aug 7, 2009

King of them all, with a fixed viewing tube?
Never!

WRSchmalfuss · Aug 7, 2009

Waist level finder with 645

I am shooting with my Contax 645 AF with waist-level finder portraits horizontal without any problem, and I have also a spot- and flash meter available for it.

Why must be a portrait shot always in an vertical format?

I like to take portraits horizontal, and it works fine!

Cheers

Sirius Glass · Aug 7, 2009

Alan W said:
Here we go!The pentax 645, king of 'em all...
Sorry,had to do it!

I don't think so. Sorry, had to do it!

Steve

Phillip P. Dimor · Aug 7, 2009

Not to veer this too off topic and apologies to the OP first off but in regards to the p645.. I love mine but after having been spoiled with a hassy and the very comfortable prism finder.. I can't focus through the p645. It's too squinty. It hurts. I can adjust the diopter all I want, it hurts me. The hassy gives me zero eye strain.

I was (and am still, I suppose) a very vocal lover of the p645 but it gets used less and less by me as I can't focus anything with it.

daleeman · Aug 13, 2009

I have a 1000s with WL and what I do is to focus on the subject and then my WL has wire fold ups for sports photography I believe. I fold them up and use then to frame the subject. Alone they are aligned for an 80mm lens. I actually have the plastic slip on grid for the front bail or wire frame that defins the other lenses like the 150mm and such.

Using the focus and then close the WL and fold up the wire bails is not fast, but if I want fast then its time to pull out the D300 Nikon, but comes not even close to the info on a good Ilford Delta 100 neg from the MF.

I have seen WL finders without the bail wires, does yours have one?

Lee

Krzys · Aug 13, 2009

Haha I have actually become pretty good at doing vertical shots with the WLF+magnifier hand held. The only problem is that I am tall so I have to get extra low and this makes things a little stressful to operate.

claudermilk · Aug 14, 2009

I love using the WLF for landscape shots, but have never gotten comfortable with portrait. Because of that I'm glad the camera came with a p--I just switch out to it when rotating.

645 portrait orientation using a waist level finder

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