DIY or found viewfinder for 6x12 with 75mm

hi

 

i'm putting together a speed graphic, 6x12 rfh and a 75mm lens (last

two yet to be purchased). i would like to have a view finder for

composition purposes (not a rangefinder for focus!)

 

any idea what to do, what will fit and where to get it from?

 

thanks, tal

The easiest is to use the ground glass but if you want an external finder you can make a peep site finder easily. This is a peep hole and the rectangle of the format (horseman 56x111) seperated by in this case 75mm. An optical finder will cost a great deal unless you find one wide enough and mask it ,it will still be expensive, but less so. Cheers George

Hi Tal,

 

can't help with components, but I am launching a new camera line, FOTOMAN

(will debut at Photokina this fall). Our offerings include a 6x12, 6x17, and 4x5,

all of which have integral optical finders and helical focusing. All models are

CNC machined from solid blocks of T6061 aluminum. The Fotoman 612W

accepts either a 58 or 65mm lens from any manufacturer... Retail price

complete (body, finder, helical focus mount and lens cone matching your

lens) is US$ 1249.00... drop me a line if you would have any interest.<div></div>

That set-up looks great! REALLY nice.

yes, it really looks great.

 

but back to my question, i don't want to use a huge peep finder, i want a nice small optical one, and thought i could use one from a 35mm system for a 24mm lens and mask it. is this correct? and which cameras had these? where should i look?

 

or can i use the panoramic ones for the horizon/horizont cameras that come with a 28mm lens, but their proportions are longer?

thank you

 

 

and paul, good luck with your camera line!!!

I don't know exactly if my tip would help you...but try the different finders for the Voigtlaender lenses (those who were mounted on the Bessa's and M-Leicas).

I was just today pawing over an old 9x12 camera I pulled out of the closet. It has a little rod with a round ball on the end of it that pops up from the back of the camera. Around the lens standard is a wire frame that swivels out. You line up your eye with the little ball and look through the wire frame and, voila, there's the picture!

 

I don't know exactly how accurate it is, and there is probably a problem with parallax at close range, but you'd get that with any viewfinder anyway.

 

But this is cheap and it works. Also could be valuable to be able to readily see what's outside the frame as well, while composing.

Tal, maybe it's only certain models but my own Speed Graphic (1955, Military issue) has an eye-piece ring (scaled: 6, 8, 15, infinity) that pops up from the rear plate, and a wire frame that lifts up from within the front standard.

That looks cute. Put me on your mailing list, please.

My Voigtländer 21 and 15mm lenses both came with optical viewfinders that are excellent quality. They're sold separately if you just want the viewfinder. They look like the same finder, only the 21mm has framelines, the 15mm uses the edges of the finder. You could probably get the 15mm one and add a mask to it. Stephen Gandy sells them at www.cameraquest.com.

 

I've also used my Mamiya7 finder for 4x5 (Toyo field) and it seems accurate enough. The 6x7 format is a reasonably close match for 4x5, but I've seriously considered getting one of the C/V finders and painting a mask on it. I'd never do this to a Mamiya finder, way too expensive. (And the C/V ones are better to boot, IMO.)

Back on topic:

 

The linhof universal finder is nice, but expensive.

 

You can also get an aux finder for the mamiya press or koni omega wide angle lenses. These would make the best finder for your 6x12 since they are large and fit right into a flash shoe.

 

Some tele/wide auxillary lens sets have a shoe-mount finder that goes with them. They are very inexpensive, however these finders are quite small.

 

If you are handy, you can make a finder by using a wide-angle adapter lens. These are large and bright, much easier to see through than the press camera finders. But you will have to find a way to mount them on top of your camera.

 

-BTW I wanted to do the same thing, but the expense of the 6x12 rfh was too much for me. I settled on 4x5 with a 65mm lens set at the hyperfocal.

I shoot 6X12 with 35mm, 55mm and 75mm lenses. I bought a door peephole -the kind you install in your front door to see who's at the door before you open it.

 

I had to look around to get one with coverage comparable to my 35mm, but it wasn't that hard -obviously would be much easier for 75mm: you should be able to just get any door peephole you can find, and then make a mask for it.

"If you are handy, you can make a finder by using a wide-angle adapter lens. These are large and bright, much easier to see through than the press camera finders. But you will have to find a way to mount them on top of your camera."

 

 

what do you mean by "wide-angle adapter lens" ?

 

i also looked on the auction site, most finders in my range (for 20mm lenses from 35mm systems) are about $80-$100.

sorry, i meant Darin...

Hi Paul, The Fotoman looks great! I`d like more info, do you have a website or other means of contact? I can`t get to Photokina.

Cheers from OZ.

I took my 4x5 to Paris and "converted" it to a point and shoot by using a Schnieder 72mm XL and a veiwfinder. For a viewfinder, I used a new Voitlander 25mm rangefinder (for a 35mm camera). It's pretty close to the width of the 72mm, and gave me an idea of what the film was seeing. Also, they're fairly cheap (I got mine on ebay for $80, new). The ratio was off, but the view was close enough that I could guess what I was getting. The 72mm is pretty much in focus from 5' to infinity at f/22, so focusing isn't that crutial.

Voitlander also makes a 28mm that may better suite you.

Just buy a used Linhof Viewfinder (late model 75-360), not the "old" one (90-360), and a 6x12 format mask.