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bob walsh · Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 105 Location: central california

My viewfinder is significantly off as compared to the ground glass for where the camera is actually pointing. I get a LOT MORE foreground on the film than the viewfinder indicates. My inclination is to put shims under the mounting screws to point the viewfinder more in the correct direction. Does anybody out there have any experience with or ideas along these lines? Thanks.

Henry · Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 2:55 am Post subject:

To my way of thinking, there are just so many critical variables that affect the view through the optical finder, even with its ostensible parallax adjustment rotating eyepiece, that I never depend on it for precision work. If you could bring your head/eye to exactly the same position every time you looked through the finder, possibly by super-gluing your forehead to the eyepiece, you might be able to achieve consistent results. I don't do much hand-held work at all, but when I do I actually find the wire-frame finder (a/k/a "sports finder") to be more reliable and, frankly, a lot more satisfying to use.

Funny, my Century didn't have an optical finder when I bought it, but I just *had* to have one! Then when I got one and installed it, I found it to be virtually useless. But it sure looks nice up there on top of the box.

[ This Message was edited by: Henry on 2006-03-17 18:58 ]

45PSS · Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 5:40 am Post subject:

Where is the main object you were looking at thru the viewfinder referenced to where it is in the negetive? Make a distinct center line for the viewfinder by making a mask of card stock that will just fit into the mask slot so that there is a horizional line (thin or fat)across the middle of the view finder so that you can get use to putting the horizion on that line or just above or below as you desire. Using the paralex correction on the rear of the view finder will help also. To verify that the paralex correction works, rotate the knob and observe the view post and verify that it moves in an arc of sorts.

Do you have the correct viewfinder on your camera? Several versions were made and are very simular. Common difference is length, for different format sizes. Less common is Pacemaker series (black) and Super series (green). Other varations may exist. Is the base for the view finder correct for the tube? Anniversary tube on a Pacemaker plate?
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[ This Message was edited by: 45PSS on 2006-03-17 21:47 ]

Henry · Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 4:02 pm Post subject:

I'm reminded of the elaborate spoof recipe for mint juleps: in a tall glass, mulch the mint leaves for five minutes, work in the bar sugar another five, crush the ice very fine and add to glass mixing well, open the bourbon, pour into another glass, discard contents of first glass, drink the bourbon.

By analogy, bourbon = ground glass.

t.r.sanford · Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:00 pm Post subject:

You ought to be able to tell, just by looking at it, whether the viewfinder is bent out of shape. I don't quite see how you'd deform any "Graphic" tubular VF enough to make it point downward.

The earlier recommendation tho check the position of the lens relative to the filmgate makes a lot of sense. If the lens is somehow lower than it ought to be, you'll get more foreground than the optical VF will lead you to expect.

I kind of like the tubular viewfinder. Most of what I've done with a "Speed Graphic" has been done with the 135mm. lens and smallish groups of people, often indoors. In a fluid situation with a semi-wide-angle lens, you don't expect tremendous framing accuracy. A great many optical viewfinders on contemporary point-and-shoot cameras (film and digital) are, in my experience, much worse!

To be sure, there are sound arguments in favor of the open-frame finder, but I've always found the reduced magnification and isolation of the subject by an optical (or reflex) finder helps in composing the picture.

t.r.sanford · Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 8:19 pm Post subject:

...and have you checked to see that the parallax compensation feature of the viewfinder is working properly?

If the little eyelens, which is mounted in a small blind that travels diagonally when the knurled eyepiece mount on the rear of the finder is turned, has gotten jammed in its upward (close) position, the viewfinder's representation of distant scened will show more foreground than the lens is seeing.

I don't quite see how this could occur, but I suppose that, if the pin that drives the blind has sheared off, it would be possible. Every time I've ever said, "that could never happen," I've been wrong!

Henry · Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 8:28 pm Post subject:

That pin, which on mine is actually a tiny set screw, can be screwed in too far, which will lock the eyepiece or impede its rotation---no good. Back out the set screw by one turn or so and see whether this helps. You'll need a jeweler's screwdriver of the right blade dimension to do this.