Vistashift 612 Panoramic Shift Camera with Ultrawide Finder
Photo Thanks to Mr. Ralph Fuerbringer (Email)
Related Local Links:
Medium Format Camera Features Pages
Plaubel Veriwide 100 Panoramic (with finder)
Ultrawide Lens Adapters
Vistashift 612 Panoramic Shift Camera (see photo above)
Wide and Very Wide Angle Lens Options in Med Fmt
I find the subject of ultrawide finders to be quite interesting,
particularly after pricing some commercial examples (aargh!) ;-) The idea
of spending $450 for a finder is disconcerting, but even the russian 21mm
and leica finders cost more than some of my 35mm SLR lenses (nikkors at
that!)
Has anyone come up with any decent finder alternatives? Ralph
Fuerbringer's point (re: $450 linhof is similar to 0.42x superwide
adapter) suggests this might be one low cost way to create a suitable very
wide finder?
Unfortunately, the Ikelite flash shoe mount finders would be ideal, except
they aren't very wide (like 20mm?) and they _are_ painted dayglo orange
and they are pretty big and still circa $100 US. These finders are used in
scuba diving underwater, where you can't use a regular viewfinder (e.g. on
nikonos) for lack of wide angle coverage or ability to get close while
wearing a mask. The eye relief on these Ikelite finders is tremendous -
like five or six inches - and they support a variety of standard 35mm lens
masks and also come with custom plastic screens you can scribe your own
pattern as needed. Grids show typical barrel distortion, but they are
pretty accurate. Gizmo is size of a small lemon; price was around $100 US
last time I bought one (albeit some years ago)...
I have been experimenting with a Topcon rectilinear fisheye lens assembly
from a digital light processor - the projection TVs that use Texas
Instruments mirror chips to project big screen bright tv images. fisheye
is about 1 1/2" in diam. and very wide angle coverage, projects from flat
to flat screen (e.g., pretty rectilinear) and bright (no iris though) -
coverage is small, to match digital chip, but relatively close to the eye
pupil size (7mm etc.). Just another alternative for finder hackers to
consider? (these are local surplus examples, any others out there?)
I suppose one of the new 0.42x or similar mutars would be useful, as
ralph notes, with the right masking. I have found at least 2 types, the
old solid glass ones are heavy and big, designed for 35mm and 2 1/4"
cameras; the newer ones (often claiming to be "autofocus" and "titanium"
and "macro") are much lighter and cheaper ($20 used from Goodwin photo
for last used one I bought) and might make decent finders at that?
anybody got any good examples of finder alternatives that work for panos
and ultrawides without leaving that "empty wallet" feeling? ;-) Thanks!
regards bobm
From Panoramic Mailing List;
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000
From: Clayton Tume tume@world-net.co.nz
To: panorama-l@sci.monash.edu.au
Subject: Re: finders - hacking solutions anyone?
Bob
I've used one of Gordon Marks handheld 8x10 "Hobo" view cameras, it had a
120 Nikkor on it and he had a regular door peep sight on it for viewing!
Worked very well, he had a bubble level mounted directly in front of it so
you could keep an eye on levels as you were hand shooting....very
ingenious and cheap too!
Clayton
From Panoramic Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000
From: Michel Dusariez dusariez@skynet.be
To: panorama-l@sci.monash.edu.au
Subject: Re: finders - hacking solutions anyone?
Dear panoramist,
Optical door spyviewers (big diameter models) are easy to be transformed
in wide field finders. Just mark front glass with field. Cheap solution.
Michel DUSARIEZ
>I find the subject of ultrawide finders to be quite interesting, >particularly after pricing some commercial examples (aargh!) ;-) The idea >of spending $450 for a finder is disconcerting, but even the russian 21mm >and leica finders cost more than some of my 35mm SLR lenses (nikkors at >that!) >....
Michel DUSARIEZ UNLIMITED FIELDS RESEARCH PANOPTIC IMAGING KITE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY WORDWIDE ASSOCIATION - FOUNDATION 14, Avenue Capitaine PIRET B-1150 BRUXELLES - BELGIUM Fax 32 2 512 68 29
From Panoramic Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000
From: Edward Meyers aghalide@panix.com
To: panorama-l@sci.monash.edu.au
Subject: Re: finders - hacking solutions anyone?
M. Dusariez's suggestion is a very good one. Spiratone, in
the U.S.A. sold such a door-peep-site with a "foot" attached,
so that it'll fit a camera's top-side "shoe". I own it. Ed
Michel Dusariez wrote:
> Dear panoramist, > Optical door spyviewers (big diameter models) are easy to be transformed in > wide field finders. > Just mark front glass with field. > Cheap solution. > Michel DUSARIEZ
From Panoramic Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000
From: rod sage rsage@bouldernews.infi.net
To: panorama-l@sci.monash.edu.au
Subject: Re: finders - hacking solutions anyone?
Michel Dusariez wrote:
> Dear panoramist, > Optical door spyviewers (big diameter models) are easy to be transformed in > wide field finders. > Just mark front glass with field. > Cheap solution. > Michel DUSARIEZ > > >I find the subject of ultrawide finders to be quite interesting, > >particularly after pricing some commercial examples (aargh!) ;-) > > > >regards bobm
Two cheap cheap suggestions:
1) Homemade wire-frame non-optical viewfinder with rear sight and front
frame that may even fold down out of the way.
2) On the old Kodak Panorams and others there were simply two lines on
top of the camera which show the angle of view, and possibly a level.
R.Sage
From Panoramic Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000
From: GAPiccagli@aol.com
Subject: Re: finders - hacking solutions anyone?
rsage@bouldernews.infi.net writes:
1) Homemade wire-frame non-optical viewfinder with rear sight and front
frame that may even fold down out of the way.
An interesting idea. I'm wondering what the design parameters are:
1) front part of the finder should have the aspect ratio of the format
2) rear part should operate to center the eye,
but how is the distance between front and back related to
a) the focal length of the objective, and
b) the dimension of the front opening?
Anybody have a cache of formulas to keep us from having to think too hard?
Thanks.
Wide Giorgio
Expansively in San Francisco
From Panoramic Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000
From: simon nathan simonwide@earthlink.net
To: panorama-l@sci.monash.edu.au
Subject: Re: finders - hacking solutions anyone?
DEAR GIORGIO-
NOW HEAR THIS. BUNK@JUNK'S TORPEDO CAMERA MOD HAD WIRE FRAME
FINDER. IT WAS BEST FINDER I EVER HAD.
MY 1961 SIMON/WIDE HAD CLOTHES HANGER WIRE FORWARD FRAME VIEWFINDER. IT
WAS FABRICATED FROM A WIRE CLOTHES HANGER THE AFTERNOON I LEFT FOR PARIS
TO DO COVER FOR BOOK "LIFE'S GUIDE TO PARIS", IN 1961.
ARA TAKOURIAN WHO DOESN'T TALK ABOUT HIS CAMERA BUILDING ACCESSORIES
PERIOD, BUT HE MIGHT BE WILLING WHOMP ANOTHER ONE. HE ADHESIVE TAPED IT
ON.
PUT SNAIL ADDRESS IN BLOCK FORM AND I'LL MAIL YA SAME CAMERA BODY PHOTO,
BUT WITH GENERATION TWO FRONT FRAME. THIS WAS CUSTOM MADE FOR ME AND I
WILL SOON OFFER IT ON ABAY NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH EBAY. I CAN ALSO GIVE
YOU XEROX OF ACTUAL FINDER. HAVING SWITCHED TO LINHOF UNIVERSAL FINDER FOR
1964 CAMERA.
ARA HAS BUILT NO KNOWN OTHER HAND MADE WIRE FRAME FINDERS AND HE NO LONGER
BUILDS THIS MODEL. ARA ALSO TRAVELED TO ENGLAND WITH ME ON THE QUEEN
ELIZABETH IN 1961, THEN TO SPAIN WHERE I HAD ASSIGNMENT FOR TRUE MAGAZINE
ON LIVE BIRD TRAPSHOOTING. PANORAMICS WERE APPROPRIATE. PLEASE PUT YER
ADDRESS IN BLOCK FORM, COMPLETE, SO THAT I CAN COPY IT ONTO ENVELOPE.
1964 CAMERA PLUS 1982-1996 FUJI G617 USAGE REMINDS TO STATE ONE THING.
PRETTY SOON YOU'VE TRAINED YOURSELF TO SEE 1:3 RATIO AND THE FINDER PUTS
YOU IN THE BALLPARK, IS REFERENCE POINT.
THE WIRE HANGER MATCHES THE TRANNIE (TEE-HEE) IN RATIO. PUT TAPE ON
FRONT/TOP. NOW EYEBALL GOES AT REAR OF CAMERA. LINE A SIGHT, FOLDING, NOT
OPTICAL. TISSUE ON BACK OF CAMERA WILL PERMIT YOU TO MATCH FINDER AND
FILM.
CAN'T GET BACK OFF? OKEH, TRIPOD. SHOOT FILM, LEAVE CAMERA ON TRIPOD.
PROCESSED FILM IS SHOWING WHAT VIEW FINDER SHOULD. OH YES, THE IMAGE WILL
BE INVERTED, WRITE FOR INSTRUCTIONS FOR CORRECTING THIS.
SIMON/WIDE!
....
From Panoramic Mailing List;
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000
From: GAPiccagli@aol.com
To: simonwide@earthlink.net, panorama-l@sci.monash.edu.au
Subject: Re: finders - hacking solutions anyone?
simonwide@earthlink.net writes:
OH YES, THE IMAGE WILL BE
INVERTED, WRITE FOR INSTRUCTIONS FOR CORRECTING THIS. SIMON/WIDE!
Well, Simon, even I know how to do that. I just stand on my head while
looking at the scene after first inverting the developed film, no?
I'll send you the address off-line.
But the list might also be interested in why you switched to the Universal
Finder in 1964. Some level of precision not available with wire
finder? Circumstances?
Thanks.
Wide Giorgio
From Panoramic Mailing List:
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000
From: Les Newcomer lnphoto@ismi.net
To: panorama-l@sci.monash.edu.au
Subject: Re: finders - hacking solutions anyone?
I would think a simple protractor would suffice.
A. Locate the rear peep sight, pin, etc.
B. Drop a drugstore protractor with the vertex at the pin
C. mark the dimensions for the angle of view for your particular
camerera/lens
The marks are where the verticals should be. Since distance between the
two marks will probably not be the same as the film, the distance between
the horizontal parts of the wire will have to be adjusted in accordance
with the aspect ratio.
....
From Panoramic Mailing List:
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000
From: Willem-Jan Markerink w.j.markerink@a1.nl
To: panorama-l@sci.monash.edu.au
Subject: Re: finders - hacking solutions anyone?
Robert Monaghan wrote:
> I find the subject of ultrawide finders to be quite interesting, > particularly after pricing some commercial examples (aargh!) ;-) The idea > of spending $450 for a finder is disconcerting, but even the russian 21mm > and leica finders cost more than some of my 35mm SLR lenses (nikkors at > that!)
If you are cool blooded, you could hack a Horizon 202, and have a
viewfinder with build-in spirit level.
Silvestri sells them under their own label, no idea about price.
--
Bye,
Willem-Jan Markerink
[Ed. note: Special thanks to Mr. Ralph Fuerbringer for sharing these notes
regarding finder selection - see photo of Vistashift 612 Panoramic Shift Camera at page
top)...]
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000
From: ralph fuerbringer rof@mac.com
To: robert monaghan rmonagha@post.smu.edu
Subject: finders
I sent you a couple of sheets on my cameras some months ago. Apparently
you didn't get them as there is a pic showing an el cheapo .42x mounted
with a level visible outside the field. If you send me your current reg
mail address I'll send them again. [Ed. note: see photos and postings at
Vistashift 612 Panoramic Shift Camera Pages).
Door viewers and such are in effect fisheyes and difficult to mask
properly. Likewise frame finders. graflex used the same frame finder for a
58mm and a 47mm lens. They work best with teles where the relationship to
the peep and frame is more comfortable and a lot more accurate.
In your post you say I compared the .42 el cheapo to the linhof. No way,
the linhof is a variable finder with auto field reduction for closeups but
is useless for this real wide stuff. On 45 the widest was 75mm. You could
get away with 612 at 65 but would have to make a special mask. Anyway
only the last model even went from 90 to 75 w/o an attachment lens and its
pricewise out of your territory.
My illustrated el cheapo was compared to the horseman wide angle $450
finder which has masks for 612 for lens all the way to 35mm w/parallax
indications.
Most el cheapos have 67mm fronts and masks are easily made to fit and
interchange, covering the same formats as the horseman. Images are
slightly larger as most of these .42s are slightly larger than the
horseman. Not all though as I have run across some smaller.
You can pass this along to anyone you think it could help. Did you ever
hack the ensigns?
regards
ralph
From Panoramic Mailing List:
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2000
From: Stan Patz skp113@hotmail.com
Subject: Viewfinders and hackers
To the group,
As I wrote in a recent post, I am currently building a 6x16 camera. The
latest string on viewfinders was particularly interesting because that is
what I am working on now.
I had planned to use the usual, inexpensive wide angle solution, the
"peephole" or door viewer. But it produces an image that is small, dark
and wider angle than I need. I found that by removing the last dome shaped
lens and substituting an auxiliary WA lens for a point-and-shoot camera, I
got a bigger, brighter more suitable image. The angle of view was reduced
from about 150* to 80* or so, with less distortion.
I decided to continue experimenting and bought some glass from Edmund
Scientific. I happened to have some telescoping 1" tubing in my workshop
(from another project); the Edmund 25mm lenses fit right in. Since the
shortest negative focal length they sell is -25mm, I also bought a -50mm
and paired it to give me -12mm(?). At the other end of the viewfinder I
got a 40mm positive lens to enlarge the scene.
I have not yet mounted everything, but it works. I get a big, bright image
of approximately 90* which I will mask to my format proportions. Cool, but
not as cheap as the "peephole". The coated lenses cost about $20 apiece,
and if you get their nicely machined black mounts the system will run over
$100.
- - - - - - -
On an unrelated matter, I would like to cast a vote against the
rehabilitation of the word "hack". When someone "hacks" it sounds like he
is doing something bad or crude; I think it should stay that way.
For my own efforts to make a viewfinder without benefit of design or
manufacturer's facility, I prefer to think I am improvising or adapting
but definitely NOT hacking.
Stan Patz NYC
SKP113@hotmail.com
www.PatzImaging.com
From Hasselblad Mailing List:
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000
From: InfinityDT@aol.com
Subject: Re: PME45 and PME51 differences
simon@sclamb.com writes:
Can anyone tell me the differences between the PME45 and PME51
metering prism finders, other than the PME45 is a newer model. I cannot
find any information on the Hasselblad web site for the PME51. Are the
metering modes the same and the features near identical or are there
significant changes in the 45?
Thanks.
Simon
Whole lotta difference. The major ones:
PME51=center-weighted meter giving EV values
PME45= spot, center-weighted, choice of modes (aperture or shutter pref),
plus incident via external white dome.
PME51=interchangeable eyepieces in 1-diopter increments
PME45=stepless, locking adjustable diopter eyepiece -2 to +1
PME51=3x magnification
PME45=2.5x
To me the last point is a drawback. I could see the frame fine with
glasses on my old PM5. The extra .5x was a help to focusing, they didn't
need to lower it.
Date: Sat, 4 Nov 2000
From: DFStein@aol.com
To: rmonagha@post.cis.smu.edu
Subject: Finders
Many of the 60s and 70s rangefinders that came with accessory wide and
tele lenses included an accessory shoe VF; some of them are remarkably
good-the one for the Minolta 7s, for example.
DFS
Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2001 To: cameramakers@rosebud.opusis.com From: Sam Wang stwang@mail.clemson.edu Subject: Re: [Cameramakers] Buy or build a viewfinder I would use a one element lens, such as the ones from Edmund Scientific, as long as it is close to the same focal length, as a viewing lens. That is, put it on a lensboard and frame your image on the groundglass. Then change it to your zoneplate and shoot. Actually you might try stacking a couple of cheap reading glasses lenses to achieve the approximate focal length, and if they are a little off, the softness might resemble the zoneplate image. Reading glasses are available here for a dollar a pair. This is a good way to frame pinhole cameras shots too. Other possibilities: - masking down a cheap door-peephole viewer till it matches your ZP angle - using the viewfinder off a disposable camera, especially a slight wide-angle - the discontinued Kodak DISC cameras had very neat viewfinders - using a cardboard frame with a string to measure the correct distance - or best yet, use ZEN viewfinder by imagining the camera's point of view. Don't laugh, I do that all the time. Good luck. Sam Wang >Hi all: >Where I can buy a viewfinder (cheap if possible) for my portable 5 x >7' Zone Plate camera (under construction)? >Zone Plate Focal Length (mm) =3D 180 > >It is possible build it?. =BFHow?. > >Thanks. >Best regards, > >Manuel Estebanez >Spain
From Leica mailing list: Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2002 From: alex olstein alexolstein@comcast.net Subject: [Leica] homemade finder Here is a link that gives an idea on making a homemade finder. http://www.subclub.org/creative/reflex.htm hope it helps, Alex Olstein
Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 From Leica mailing list: From: Rob Heyman rheyman@bigpond.net.au Subject: Re: [Leica] homemade finder Hi Alex, What a great idea! I had not thought of that solution. I have a number of old cameras I could use. Since I rarely use flash I could almost leave it attached to the hot shoe indefinitely. Thank you for the message, much appreciated. Rob ...
From leica mailing list: Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 From: "Roland Smith" roland@dnai.com Subject: Re: [Leica] homemade finder I constructed one of these a couple of years ago making a metal bracket to connect the finder to the shoe. To my suprise, the finder for a folding camera lens was similar to the field of view for a 50mm lens. It works! Roland Smith Oakland, California
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