Horseman SW612 ground glass back

I have a Horseman SW612 panoramic camera with both 45mm and 135mm lenses. I tend to find the viewfinder is not very accurate especially with the 135mm lens. Slight movements of your eye position against the back of the viewfinder change the view considerably. So I thought maybe I could get the ground glass back. I would be looking through the lens and get an accurate representation of what the camera is pointing at and as an added bonus I could focus more accurately.

Is this worthwhile and where the hell would I find a ground glass back for a Horseman? I cannot find any on the internet.

cheers

Are you using the same viewfinder for both lenses? If so, is there a mask for the longer one?

You could have a piece of glass or clear plastic cut to the right dimensions, rough it up on one side with sandpaper or other abrasive, and if you're handy make a frame that places it exactly where the film holder would place the film using the same attachment mechanism used for the film holder.

M. Axel Wikstrom said:

Are you using the same viewfinder for both lenses? If so, is there a mask for the longer one?

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No I have the masks for both lenses. The problem is when I move my eye position the mask shows a different view. This is especially noticeable with the 135mm mask.

There are a few regular sellers of Horseman equipment on Ebay. Have you written to them to see if they have one? Or ask for them to track one down for you?

Another possibility is to find another viewfinder that doesn't have this problem Or create a mask for the eye opening on the existing one that reduces the ability to shift your viewing angle.

adamfowler said:

No I have the masks for both lenses. The problem is when I move my eye position the mask shows a different view. This is especially noticeable with the 135mm mask.

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A simple and cheap fix would be to mask off the eyepiece side of the viewfinder, leaving a small hole in the very center to look through.

Daniel, great minds thinking alike; read your post just after I posted mine.