Viewfinder ideas

Joined
Jan 17, 2005
Messages
146
Location
Pennines
Format
4x5 Format
I've just started to cobble together a few bits to make (touch wood) a working camera. The lens is a 47 f8 super angulon, the body is an Ensign ranger (6x9) and helical focus via a stripped down and heavily messed with zuico 50mm f1.8. I sort of know all this works because last year I did more or less the same only using a 65mm angulon. For the 65mm camera making a decent viewfinder was quite easy, a few lens elements stuck in to an alloy tube about an inch diameter and inch and a half long that fitted neatly on top of the camera. Problem is I dont know if I can do the same, to give a much wider angle of view for the 47 lens. I suppose one of those Leica viewfinders would be just the job, but what a price! I'm inclined to try to make a simple frame finder that hinges up for viewing somewhere over the lens, with a much smaller eye hole at the back of the camera.
I get a bit over picky with viewfinders and semi-obsessed with the accuracy of the edges (coming from years of ground glass) so I would really welcome any ideas as to how I might get an easy to use, accurate, non bulky and non expensive view of what the lens sees - I dont mind fiddling with lens elements, but what would give that wide a view? something from a broke video cam - I dont know. Any ideas?
 

John Koehrer

Subscriber
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
8,276
Location
Aurora, Il
Format
Multi Format
The frame & peephole is the quickest in your bag o' tricks. What about the Voigtlander viewers for the WA's?
 

3Dfan

Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
221
Format
35mm RF
I've heard of people using the security peepholes made for a door for a viewfinder.
 

fotoman

Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2006
Messages
55
Location
Houston, Tex
Format
Med. Format Pan
A 47mm lens on 6x9 format is almost identical to a 20mm lens on 35mm format. You could use a Voigtlander 21mm Viewfinder... it would show a tiny bit more than your actual image area. Cameraquest sells them for $128... http://cameraquest.com/voigtacc.htm
 
OP
OP
Joined
Jan 17, 2005
Messages
146
Location
Pennines
Format
4x5 Format
Voigtlander finders - brilliant idea, and I really had no idea they existed! I decided to look into the 21mm finder and found that it cropped the image top and bottom, and I know this may sound a little odd but the view through the finder was too 'big' for my liking. So I've bought a 15mm Voigtlander finder that no doubt I'll mask down so it will see exactly what will be shot on film. Also the image will be a bit smaller and no bright lines in it either.
The camera body is finished, and I'm really chuffed with it, all it needs is the finder and a roll of film. I'll post a pic of it when it is totally done.
 
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