Does anyone know where I can buy a #9 Graphic Viewfinder mask?
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I've seen these Graflex charts too. But if you look at the range of focal lengths for each recommendation, it can be quite a discrepancy in the actual field of view depicted on the negative. Being a stickler, I would be very disappointed in 35mm SLR that gave an unknown viewfinder percentage on what the film gets.
I've had very good accuracy by setting the camera up on a tripod and marking off, say a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 square on the groundglass, which is actually more like 2 3/32 x 3 1/8 or whatever. Aiming the camera at the side of my house from 15-25 feet and leveling and paralleling it, I put little masking tape markers on the side of the house. Then I put a piece of sheet acetate in the Graflex rangefinder slot and make little gouges on the acetate with a new sharp-point Exacto blade corresponding to the pieces of tape on the side of the house. From there, you can choose your method of marking the 4 gouges, whether by etching a line with your Exacto blade to make the rectangle on the acetate, or you can apply ruby cellophane tape, or whatever. It is very accurate. A lot of work, but very accurate. I can't stand a viewfinder where I have no idea where the frame edges REALLY are.
When setting up, be sure to turn the parallax knob on the viefinder to 15 feet or 30. I think its 6-15-30-inf.
Answer--the acetate itself with the lines you've etched or taped out. Cut it to fit the viewfinder slot perfectly so there's no lateral movement. The added benefit is sighting. A Speed Graphic viewfinder is a very sad little invention. By the time you've put a normal factory-made frame for a 210 lens in it, the square you see and frame through is so small as to be pitiful.
I believe Graflex also made a clear plastic mask for the wire sports finder on at least the 4x5 speed and crown graphics. The focal lengths indicated on it or by the viewfinder masks probably don't show as much as what will actually appear on the film, but the negs were generally cropped in the lab.
The speed and crown were used by news photographers, and if a photographer paid for bringing back news photos had to rely on framing on the ground glass, he was probably going to be looking for another job.
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