Prism finder for my "new" 500 CM

[paul_neuthaler]

I'm thinkking of getting the old NC-2 45 degree, non-metered,

finder. Any thoughts? I really don't like the look of the PM, PME,

PME3, PM5, PM51, etc. & the PM 45 and PME 45 are priced out of sight!

The old 90 degree HC-1 looks good, but I think the 90 degree angle is

kind of clumsy. Kievs -- ugh! Any thoughts on NC-2? Thanks.

[Sandeha Lynch]

Paul, when I first saw a piece of Kiev, I thought the same. But ... I needed a prism, I needed it to fit with a Polaroid back, and I sure needed to save money. Solution was the Kiev Spot/TTL (latest or last version). It looks OK, machining is smooth, and once I had dropped a diopter lens into the eyepiece I was away. At 1/10 of the price.

 

Btw, if you ever want to use a Pola back you'd need the NC-2 100, which is apparently not very easy to find.

[steve_barrett]

I use the NC-2 with my 500C/M. It works fine. It shows a little less than what appears on film. They're so cheap, just buy one to try and see how you like it. I got mine for around $50.00 at KEH in Bargain condition.

[mike_barger]

I use a nc2 on a 500c and and kiev nc2 clone on a 500cm. There is no difference once you put your eye to the finder.

 

Mike

[tito sobrinho]

I still enjoy photographing with the Hasselblad as well as the Rollei TLR camera at waist level.

 

I bought a prism finder for my Rolleiflex but, after some exposures, it was relegated to a shelf.

 

I bought a Kiev prism and a pistol grip for the Hasselblad . Again, both are relegated to a shelf. I'm just glad I din't spend more money on a NC-2.

 

The cameras, became overburdened with the prisms and with my type of photography, i.e. contemplative, I figured I din't need them.

 

However, for studio and people photography...yes, a prism would definitely be valuable, and the Kiev fits this purpose very well.

[john_amiet2]

Paul,

 

I used a NC-2 on my first Blad, a squillion years ago. If you are handholding, shooting moving subjects, etc. the 45Deg prism concept is fantastic. NOT the 90Deg, because it inhibits vertical composing. I have had many Blads since, still have four, and all are used with a 45, out of habit. The poptop as original supply is fine for contemplative studio work etc. but requires extra discipline for 'active' work.

 

The NC2 as I recall, crops minimal image area, but so do many finders in many cameras. Use a good bright screen, that is just as important. I used mine with the very old ground glass, but my eyes were much better then. :-))

[calvin_lee]

Go for the Hassy version if you can find a good clean copy. I have had both the Kiev NC-2 "clone" Prism as well as the Hasselblad NC-2 100. The Kiev copy is quite nicely done, but the prism optics are nowhere as clear as the Hasselblad version. The image looks almost a bit distorted through the Kiev prism. It's kind of like putting on a pair of dime store reading glasses versus a quality pair from a good optician. When I last needed to buy a pair of eyeglasses, I had my optician send my new frames to Oberkochen, Germany to have real Carl Zeiss glass lenses made for them. Sometimes, there is no substitute for quality.

[howard_berman]

I use a 500CM for portraits. I never got the prism finder. Especially for children it is an advantage because you can get down to eye level and not have to get on your belly.

 

Following action took a while to master. But one day, presto! It was automatic.

 

It reminded me of my Chinese roommate in college. One day he said, "Hey! I'm thinking in English!" , and from that day on his fluency increased dramatically.

 

So with following action, I was like "Hey, I'm thinking in waist level finder!" and it was automatic.

 

One of the big advantages of the 500CM is that it is so light and compact. The pentaprism works against that.

 

The down side is shooting eye level portraits of adults. I have to stand on a step stool to see the finder.

[nemeng]

I have both a Kiev NC-2 clone and Hasselblad PM-5. (I bought the Kiev first, then got the PM-5 a few months later.)

 

What I'd really like is take the optics of the PM-5 and insert them into the Kiev NC-2 clone!

 

The external size of the NC-2 is nice and compact, but as another poster has reported, the viewing experience is pretty rough. Pin-cushion distortion and plenty of red/blue fringing at the frame edges. I also have an air bubble in mine which resolves as a permanent black spot at the top of the viewing frame.

 

OTOH looking through the PM-5 is a delight. It is however butt-ugly and seriously bulky (almost twice the size of the NC-2!)

 

Now if only someone made something which combined the best of both worlds... (sigh)

[tito sobrinho]

Interesting... as my Kiev prism does not show the anomalies encountered by the previous posters.

 

I purchased mine 9 years ago at a camera show. The Ukranian "guy" was selling Kiev lenses, backs, cameras, and prisms. My prism came in a sealed box.

[berg_na]

The Hasselblad NC-2, combined with the Accu-Mate screen, works very well for me. The image is bright and uniform, even at the very corners, which is a big improvement over the standard waist level finder, at least with the standard focusing screen. I definitely recommend this combination.

[q.g._de_bakker]

So do i. The NC2s are very nice little prisms.<br>The only thing that might cause some bother is the (already mentioned) slight 'cropping' of the viewfinder image.<br>But as long as everything i see also is recorded on film, i usually do not care about there being a bit extra too (you (and i) have to switch to the folding hood or chimney finder to get to see all of the focussing screen).<br><br>The old HC1 finder is, i find, not a very nice finder. The exit pupil is very small, and you will have to position your eye just right, exactly behind the eyepiece. A bit too far away, a bit off to any side, and the thing blacks out.<br>And you're right, Paul, the 90 degree finder makes you hold the camera in a very unsteady and uncomfortable way, compared to how you do things using a 45 degree prism. So unless you absolutely need one (vertical 6x4.5 shots), i think you'd better stay away from 90 degree prisms.

[q.g._de_bakker]

A big "Oops!" for you, and ten days ' hard time'/bread and water for me: i was thinking HC-4 when i thought i was describing the HC-1.<br>The HC-1 is a quite decent finder. Though it too has a rather 'low eyepoint'. Even without my glasses i have trouble seeing the entire viewfinder image at once. I do like the mottled finish on the early ones though.<br>Anyway...