Uh-oh... SWC and questions

Dan Daniel · 2026-01-18T10:18:44-0500

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?

Don_ih · 2026-01-18T10:28:01-0500

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.

John Wiegerink · 2026-01-18T10:35:11-0500

Dan Daniel said:
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?

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.

Klaus Mähring · 2026-01-18T10:35:42-0500

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.

bernard_L · 2026-01-18T10:39:39-0500

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.

Dan Daniel · 2026-01-18T12:21:13-0500

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.

John Wiegerink · 2026-01-18T12:29:55-0500

Dan Daniel said:
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!

Arthurwg · 2026-01-18T12:51:45-0500

Hasselblad Sports Finder?

P Sanders · 2026-01-18T12:54:03-0500

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.

Uh-oh... SWC and questions

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