focusing help and tilt question

[j_buck]

hello!

I really love my pentax, but i find it superhard to focus indoors.

I'm doing mostly portraits.

 

is it worth buying this:

www.ebay.de/itm/Pentax-Sucherlupe-fur-6x7-67-/400897474320?

pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item5d5759ff10

 

for almost half of the price i payed for my pentax?

 

would it really help me focusing on eyes?

how does it affect the crop and the composition?

 

2nd question:

is there anynway to make pentax lenses tilt?

or (mamiya rb67 tilt?)

[jose_angel]

<p>I`d say the part you linked is a simple 2X loupe to enlarge the central portion of the viewfinder. Once the subject is in focus, just remove it (tilt it) and compose in the usual way. It doesn`t affect the crop and composition.<br /> I`m not a Pentax user, I have the Mamiya counterpart (2.4X, I think) and certainly it works when focus get a bit difficult. I have it permanently attached to the prism finder.<br /> But if indoors there is not enough light to focus, the best solution is to increase illumination (magnifier aside)... switch it off for the shot.</p>

[joseph_dickerson]

<p>To my knowledge there aren't any tilt/shift lenses for medium format with the exception of medium format view and technical cameras (Horseman, Linhof, et al). There are shift lenses, both Pentax and Mamiya made them for the 6x7 systems, but these lack the ability to tilt.<br>

I had an adapter that allowed me to mount my Pentax 67 body on the rear end of a 4x5 view camera, but it was clunky at the very best, it was just easier to use a roll film back on the 4x5 when I wanted to shoot roll film.<br>

JD</p>

[jose_angel]

<p>There is a Tilt&Shift adapter for the Mamiya RZ system, designed to be used in conjunction with two specifically made short barrel lenses; 75 and 180mm. It is basically a hinge plate with a short bellows inside. There is also an extension tube to use this lenses without that adapter as well.<br /> And as said, there is also a "typical" 75mm shift lens, that cannot be tilted.</p>

[jim_momary]

<p>I too use a magnifier on a Mamiya RB and it helps me get better focus when using a prism. It magnifies the viewfinder image, it doesn't alter the camera's field of view.</p>

<p>There is at least one T/S I think ... RZ67 has a 75mm tilt/shift lens ... <br /> http://www.mamiya.co.jp/home/camera/eng/products/rz67pro2d/lenses.html</p>

<p>With the accurate comments above of course</p>

[j_buck]

thanks alot, but something doesnt make sense to me..

if we are talking focus on 2.4 tilting the focus help viewfinder on and off moves the camera for some

cm and also the subject moves in that time... so at 2.4 or 2.8 i dont see it working good or am I wrong?

thanks alot

[jose_angel]

<p>When you focus with this cameras, you do it at full aperture, automatically.<br /> You`re right. If you tilt the lens, some parts of the image will go out of the focus plane. So when tilting, you need to re-focus on your subject.<br /> If you want to apply Scheimpflug`s principle, you have to give a tilting angle to your lens, in the way the focus plane, the lens plane and the film plane will intersect at the same point. It could be a more or less difficult procedure in cameras that are not specifically designed to make it easier. It is easier e.g., on some large format, yaw free camera designs. Anyway, in most cases you have to re-focus after every tilting change.</p>

[j_buck]

<p>nono.. i was talking when you "tilt" the viewfinde helper (the loup) on and off.. u move the camera<br>

i wasnt talking about the lens tilt</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>If you're doing portraits, do you mean in a studio with studio flash? What is your light source? If you're using studio flash, you need bright modeling lights. Or if they are on a setting that matches the brightness of the modeling lights to the brightness of the flash, set them to full brightness.<br /><br />If you're not using studio flash and you don't have enough light to focus, you probably don't have enough light to shoot by either. I would recommend increasing your lighting levels whatever your light source is. If it's available light and it's not giving enough "pop" to focus by, it could be pretty flat in the final images as well.</p>

[j_buck]

<p>with pentax only window light (slow sinc speeds)<br>

and the focusing glass is super dark...<br>

with mamiya it works super easy, focusing glass super bright..<br>

i used to have a 500w lightbulb that i used in the focusing moment but the last one exploded yesterday :)<br>

so im searching for a solution that would help me focus on that 1 eye on 2.4 :)</p>

[jose_angel]

<p><em>"i was talking when you "tilt" the viewfinde helper (the loup) on and off.. u move the camera</em><br /><em>i wasnt talking about the lens tilt"</em><br /> I assumed the camera is on a tripod. <br />If you`re handholding the camera in extreme low light conditions, the loupe will be of little help... it is an aid to achieve the finest focus, but obviously, if you are shooting with a very shallow DoF, slow speeds and handheld, the "finest focus" thing is just a dream. <br>

Don`t you have a tripod?</p>

<p> </p>

[j_buck]

<p>thanks alot for the answer!:)<br>

this is what i wanted to know<br>

yes i do have a tripod, but i rarely use it.. so i guess the only help is an external light source that i use in focusing moments.<br>

and 90 e is too much for a loupe anyway!</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

[jose_angel]

<p>When light is what it is, and there is no way of adding more light, I use to place a three LED bycicle rear lamp over the subject. I then focus on the bright spots, remove the lamp to shoot, and the picture came out perfectly focused.<br /> But this is what I use to do with large format cameras, where the ground glass sometimes get really dark. Obviously, the camera is always on a tripod.<br /> I`d say you need that tripod. Don`t know about your project, but maybe it is the right time to use it.</p>

[j_buck]

<p>i feel more free without a tripod somehow... normaly when i use a tripod im really clumsy and kick everything around me :)<br>

but mby i should try to do more with a tripod....<br>

is the focusing glass of the 67 II much brighter than the old models?</p>

[david_l3]

<blockquote>

<p>with pentax only window light (slow sinc speeds)<br />and the focusing glass is super dark...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Check the tab on the side of the lens to make sure the aperture is wide open for focusing. The viewfinder will be dark if it's in stopped down M mode or preview mode.</p>

[fwstutterheim]

<p>The Rolleiflex SL66 was the only MF camera with a built-in tilt function AFAIK.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>1) If you were using a light bulb to provide enough light to focus and that worked for you, then buying another light bulb is the cheapest and easiest solution. Might not need to be 500 watts.<br />2) Since it sounds like the Mamiya focuses OK under the same conditions, maybe you need a brighter focusing screen for your Pentax. Does it take interchangeable screens? The Beattie InstenseScreen was made to fit many cameras. See the link below on those screens and focusing issues with the Pentax.<br /><br /><a href="/medium-format-photography-forum/00SnFp">http://www.photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00SnFp</a></p>

[steve_rasmussen]

<p>"is the focusing glass of the 67 II much brighter than the old models?"<br>

It is brighter but not enough of a difference to solve your problem. </p>

[kparratt]

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">

<tbody>

<tr>

<td >

<p><strong> </strong><br>

<strong>MC TS-PC HARTBLEI 45mm / f3.5 Super-Rotator Tilt Shift</strong></p>

</td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

<p>Medium Format cameras:<br>

Pentacon Six, Mamiya 645, Contax 645, Pentax 645<br>

<a href="http://www.hartblei.com/lenses/general_info.htm">http://www.hartblei.com/lenses/general_info.htm</a></p><div></div>

[j_buck]

im finding this tripod plus viewfinder loupe on a pentax 67 more and more appealing.

but the original pentax loupe goes for 100$...

are there any xbrand cheaper alternatives?

 

thanks:-)