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Uh-oh... SWC and questions

Dan Daniel

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Jul 4, 2009
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upstate New York
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And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with an SWC
And you may ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"

First, is it safe to put this poor little box camera in a cabinet with real camera Rolleiflexes? Will they beat it up? Make it their slave?

Second, anyone have experiencing using this without a viewfinder? I got it for a good price, partly because of no viewfinder. I've done this before, used an extreme wide angle camera with no viewfinder. Went fine. I'm already getting a feel for framing using the camera corners and the tab on the film back, etc. I tend to find viewfinders overrated as it is, but I know this is a personal thing and others use them religiously. Thinking of, say, view camera work where I pretty well know what the image will be before I even set up the camera. Reading about the viewfinders, they sound very sloppy and distorted. Thoughts?
 

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I used mine without a viewfinder for a while. You make use of the bubble level on the top and basically point it. It's maybe just a bit less accurate than using the viewfinder. What you need to be able to envision is how much of what you see in front of you will be in the photo. So, after a bit of use, you'll know what to expect.
 
I think you could get along without the finder by using the camera like a Rolleiflex as a waist-level type camera. The reason to use it waist level is to make sure your bubble level is dead center. With the finder there is a little prism that allows you to view your scene and bubble level at the same time. You'll find out just how important that level is by not paying attention to it. I have never tried to use mind without the finder. The SWC is for sure a classic among classics and fun to use.
 
Without the viewfinder It is a great point-and-shoot camera.
You can also use a piece of groundglass, place it instead of the film magazine to get a rough idea of your framing.
 
IMO, any format, used with any focal length, deserves to be properly composed. Esp. the SWC, lest you end up with lots of empty space, that you will crop out, negating the motive for using that camera.
Why not set up some kind of wireframe viewfinder? Headache-free option is a 56x56mm frame and a keyhole on boresight, 38mm from the frame. Or, scale to slightly larger dimensions so the keyhole sits behind the magazine.
 
Thanks all.

Don, I am starting here, making mental notes, trying to get a sense of what it is really doing.

John, a Medalist prism on top of the level actually makes the bubble visible at eye level. Not sure if I can make something useful.

Klaus, a point and shoot is my initial use, I think. Just wing it and develop a feel. And yes, if I need precision, ground glass is the way I would go. Not certain whereI will be using this, but maybe after I see some images I'll want to make more structured use of the lens.

Bernard, thanks for the wire frame suggestion. I'm going to think about making something. A pop-up frame system would be useful rather than a hard bump on top almost as big as the camera itself.
 
Dan,
The Medalist prism is the same principle as the original SWC finder. Making sure the SWC is level is one of, if not, the most important steps when shooting the SWC. On a side note: Dan, did you ever try out your replacement viewfinder glass for the Medalist? PM me!
 
Dan

I found the viewfinder inaccurate and took it off (it’s in a box) and purchased the ground glass back and the hasselblad magnifying chimney focus viewfinder.

I’m a view camera person, so precise framing and focus is of importance (to me obviously) so a feeling for framing, focus point, etc. . .doesn’t cut it.

Above all, have fun with the camera, enjoy.
 
The Gemini missions used the Super Wide C, they had a simple "sports finder" that attached in place of the standard finder. I still occasionally get lovely pictures of tips of my tennis shoes, even with the finder. The bubble level is essential. Hasselblad made a focusing screen that attaches in place of the magazine,

90° field of view awesome camera.

Sweden’s first satellite was… a lost Hasselblad

On 18 July 1966, Nasa’s Gemini 10 mission blasted off from Cape Kennedy in Florida, with two astronauts on board. It was John Young’s second spaceflight and Michael Collins’ first. They miss…
kosmofoto.com
 
I have just tried to find the SWC viewfinder on KEH, Ebay etc. Seems to be rare as hence tease.
 
Another thing you can do with wide angle cameras without viewfinders is put a triangle on the top plate (made from tape or something) to represent the angle of view. If you were to fix 3 small rods at each point of this triangle, you could use them like a gun sight to find the frame edges.

Beware the unexpectedly common tooth of the goose:

 
This is about what I did on the first roll. The front corners and just behind the back's release tab form a 90 degree triangle.

I did see that the actual horizontal view is 72 degrees, not 90. 90 is the diagonal. Well, it will make sense eventually. Too cold to be doing much shooting anyway.

Is that real, the goose teeth? Scary.
 
I find the SWC is easy to use as a point-and-shoot w/o the finder. Just keep your subjects close, avoid empty foregrounds and crop as needed. Yes, it can be used with architectural precision, with ground glass etc, but there are better cameras for that.
 

Having been the recipient of a few nibbles from those not so friendly teeth I can attest that they are not rare.
 
Pioneer said:
Having been the recipient of a few nibbles from those not so friendly teeth I can attest that they are not rare.
Click to expand...

My workplace is a nesting ground so they've charged me a few times over the years. A stern eye usually makes them think twice
 
When I had my SWC/M, I found the finder to be essential to good composition. You can figure out the width of the field of view without the finder, but the height? good luck with that. I had the ground glass for it as an accessory with the chimney finder, but unless you had a geared column on your tripod, it wasn't a whole lot of use.
 
The original finder does leave a lot to be desired - it’s small and full of distortion. I always thought a wire-frame type finder would work well, but never have found one. Too lazy to make my own.
Lee Friedlander stuck one of the big Mamiya finders on his, I believe.
The best one is the Voigtlander Angle Finder they made for 6x6. Very clear, very low distortion, and a familiar set of muscles can be used, as you peer down into it. Expensive, though.
 
Dang, those viewfinders are not cheap. No wonder the guy I bought the SWC from made a point that it had no finder and be prepared!

I do have a Hassleblad sports finder assembly coming in. It is for 80mm, but looks like I could modify the viewport closer. Well, it will take some work but could be a good starting point for a wireframe type of finder.

thanks again for everyone's assorted experiences.
 
Regarding finders - found at least 3 on ebay now - ex. under.
The one with the small «box» on the left side is the one you want. The box contains a mirror/prism making it possible to see the bouble level through the finder…


[Exc+5] Hasselblad SWC SWC/M View Finder For Super Wide 903 905 From JAPAN | eBay UK

Above condition is based on my own opinion. No problem in the view. There are no large dusts. tiny scuffs from normal use. By weight and shape of each product, I use 13 kind of cushioning materials and pursue safety and weight reduction.
www.ebay.co.uk
 
I use the SWC with a view finder and find the level bubble in the view finder well worth having. The only problem with the view finder is the the bottom of the field of view is obscured. If the coverage of the bottom of the field of view is needed, hold the camera upside down as a solution.
 
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