Nikkormat viewfinder coverage

Near my home (2)

D
Near my home (2)

  • 1
  • 3
  • 36
Not Texas

H
Not Texas

  • 4
  • 0
  • 42
Floating

D
Floating

  • 4
  • 0
  • 21

Forum statistics

Threads
198,524
Messages
2,776,622
Members
99,638
Latest member
Jux9pr
Recent bookmarks
0

George Mann

Member
Joined
May 14, 2017
Messages
2,842
Location
Denver
Format
35mm
Is it true that Nikkormats have a viewfinder coverage of 80 to 85 percent? I have never really noticed it being this tight.
 

wiltw

Subscriber
Joined
Oct 4, 2008
Messages
6,433
Location
SF Bay area
Format
Multi Format
100% coverage sounds ideal, until you realize that if you shoot transparencies, the slide opening covers some of that FOV, and what you get in a viewable slide is LESS THAN 100%
 

AgX

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
29,973
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
This is one reason for designing a reduced coverage. Tolerances in manufacture/assembly may be another one.
 

guangong

Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
3,589
Format
Medium Format
Camera manufacturers often decided how they believed their cameras would be used. Nikon Fs went for full frame to provide an accurate full frame image on bw film. Others, such as Leicaflex, assumed significant use for slides as well as wiggle room for bw negatives. In fact, Leitz made their 92% viewfinder a marketing point for Leicaflexes.
Both decisions have their strong points.
 

benjiboy

Subscriber
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
11,965
Location
U.K.
Format
35mm
92% is perfect it allows enough space so you don't have to file out your enlarger negative carried to show the whole neg.and leaves enough space on transparency films to allow for the slide mount.
 

loman

Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Messages
590
Location
Denmark
Format
35mm
All Nikkormats have 92% coverage just like all the fm/fe iterations that followed it.
 

Huss

Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
9,058
Location
Hermosa Beach, CA
Format
Multi Format
My Zenit TTL has I think 65% coverage. Zenit advertised that as a plus as it gave room for error in composition. Ignoring of course the fact that using SLRs is meant to eliminate that.
I think my Zenit 212k is similar.
 

ic-racer

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
16,529
Location
USA
Format
Multi Format
Somewhere around 98 to 95% works best if one likes smooth borders around the image. Depending on the magnification, this allows 2 to 5 millimeters of overlap for the blades.
 

AgX

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
29,973
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
Viewfinder coverage is typically not stated by square but by linear coverage.

Zenit E series:
vertical 84% and for the horizontal 78%

AE-1
vertical 94% and for the horizontal 96%

R8
vertical 96% and for the horizontal 97%


The german standard for slide mount gates was 23x35mm
That makes vertical 95% and horizontal 97%.
 
Last edited:

Huss

Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
9,058
Location
Hermosa Beach, CA
Format
Multi Format
Viewfinder coverage is typically not stated by square but by linear coverage.

Zenit E series:
vertical 84% and for the horizontal 78%

So your Zenit E is also 65% of the film coverage. Just like my TTL.
 

AgX

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
29,973
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
I did not deny that, but the point is, what so far was not discussed, that there are 2 ways of defining viewfinder coverage: linear and square !"

So far I only considered the linear way. And I am not sure if editors at manufacturers, when stating area coverage still do not actually mean instead a linear coverage.
For example: stated 94% area coverage, but meant is 94% vertical and 94% horizontal.


In any case I read it this way so far.
And this is the only way useful of putting such information.



Anyway, so far I checked:
KMZ: linear
Canon: linear
Minolta: square
Olympus: square
Pentacon: linear
Pentax: linear
Mamiya: square
Ricoh: linear
Leica: linear
Fuji: linear
Cosina: linear
 
Last edited:

Huss

Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
9,058
Location
Hermosa Beach, CA
Format
Multi Format
I did not deny that, but the point is, what so far was not discussed, that there are 2 ways of defining viewfinder coverage: linear and square !"

So far I only considered the linear way. And I am not sure if editors at manufacturers, when stating area coverage still do not actually mean instead a linear coverage.
For example: stated 94% area coverage, but meant is 94% vertical and 94% horizontal.


In any case I read it this way so far.
And this is the only way useful of putting such information.



Anyway, so far I checked:
KMZ: linear
Canon: linear
Minolta: square
Olympus: square
Pentacon: linear
Pentax: linear
Mamiya: square
Ricoh: linear
Leica: linear
Fuji: linear
Cosina: linear

No, what you said was my statement that Zenits have 65% film coverage is absurd.
When it is a completely correct statement. The view in the viewfinder only covers 65% of the actual film, which is terrible.
 

AgX

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
29,973
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
I did not deny it in my second post on this (having realized on what your figure was based), on which you replied...
But you still did not get my point on the difference between linear and square coverage: 65% linear would yield much less area coverage than 65% square !


But I agree 65% true area coverage already is extreme. (Canon: 90%.)

But again, the user cannot begin anything with true area coverage, but instead needs figures for linear coverage.
(And here the deviation for the Zenit is not that extreme figure-wise, if that matters.)



Furthermore, ask yourself how precisely a average user could define the actual exposed area against his finder image given the figures from post #16.
And this still is based on the assumption that film gate and finder gate are perfectly concentric on the optical axis, the lateral deviations thus evenly parted to both sides.
But this does not necessarily apply. The deviations may be intended to gvive leeway for manufacture.


Seen all this the whole thread is.... very academic.
 
Last edited:
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here.

PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:



Ilford ADOX Freestyle Photographic Stearman Press Weldon Color Lab Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Top Bottom