stephen_mcateer Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 I'm looking at right-angle viewers for my Linhof Technika V 4x5. I saw a comment somewhere saying that these viewers are 'Useless' without a fresnel. Can anyone verify that? If I do need a fresnel, does it have to be a genuine Linhof item, or will a cheap one suffice? Thanks for any info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_mcateer Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 On 1/15/2024 at 10:47 AM, stephen_mcateer said: I'm looking at right-angle viewers for my Linhof Technika V 4x5. I saw a comment somewhere saying that these viewers are 'Useless' without a fresnel. Can anyone verify that? If I do need a fresnel, does it have to be a genuine Linhof item, or will a cheap one suffice? Thanks for any info. @bob_salomon Would you know anything about this, Bob? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_fromm2 Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Apparently not directly relevant but apropos: I have monocular and binocular right angle viewers for my 4x5 Cambo and a Horseman monocular viewer for any 2x3/6x9 camera with a Graflok/Internatonal back. I've used the Horseman viewer on a Cambo SC-1 and several 2x3 Graphics. The Cambo viewers are fine, just fine. The Horseman viewer is dim so I stopped trying to use it years ago. If a fresnel is needed it would be needed with short focal length lenses to reduce the central hot spot that they produce on the GG. This is true whether the GG is viewed under a dark cloth, with an in-line viewer (I didn't mention that I have a Cambo in-line viewer), or with a right angle viewer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_mcateer Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 @dan_fromm2 Thanks Dan. I went ahead and ordered the Linhof Right-Angle Viewer [From Roberts Camera in Illinois]. It was the cheapest one I could find, in case it doesn't work out. The lens I have for my Linhof is 135mm. I'm encouraged that you say a fresnel would only be required for short focal lengths — I know nothing about fresnels and have never used one. The 'Hotspot' problem is what I was thinking about when I posted this question. I see some Chinese right-angle viewers for 4x5 but they're not exactly cheap — I could get a used, recent model Linhof one for not much more. I'll see how this Linhof one I've ordered works out & report back here. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajkocu Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Drat! I just saw this post. I do have one although it might have my lens prescription on the eyepiece. I'd have to dig the camera case out of a closet to confirm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_mcateer Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 @ajkocu It's okay AJ — no need to dig the camera out. I went ahead & purchased the finder. If it's no good I can just recyle it on eBay. Cheers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajkocu Posted January 16 Share Posted January 16 Good luck with that. I'll leave the camera case in the closet for now! I don't think I had a fresnel on the ground glass and I didn't have any problems with the image not being bright enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_mcateer Posted January 16 Author Share Posted January 16 @ajkocu Thanks AJ. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jose_angel Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 (edited) On 1/15/2024 at 11:47 AM, stephen_mcateer said: I'm looking at right-angle viewers for my Linhof Technika V 4x5. I saw a comment somewhere saying that these viewers are 'Useless' without a fresnel. Can anyone verify that? If I do need a fresnel, does it have to be a genuine Linhof item, or will a cheap one suffice? Thanks for any info. The fresnel lens just help to avoid the hot spot at the center of the image. You can use a right angle viewer with or without fresnel... obviously for better image viewing (that`s the purpose of the viewer, isn`t it?) a fresnel will be more confortable for framing, composing the image, checking corners, etc. In the same way you see the hot spot without the fresnel the right angle viewer will show the image. Is it useless? The only difference is that the image is not upside down. Cheap or good fresnel? It all depend on how tricky with the gear you are. I try to remember Tecknika Vs use over-the-GG fresnels (my IV use the fresnel shimmed between the lens and the GG). You can put a plastic cheap toy fresnel, cutted to size, to simply gather more light over the GG. Or buy the right fresnel and have it permanently attached to the camera... it depends on how much you use the camera. I personally use the right fresnels, or simply won`t use them. What I never use is the right angle viewer! 😄 (Disclaimer: I don`t have a Linhof right angle viewer but a Sinar one that I rarely use with my Sinar monorail. BTW, Sinars use an easy to remove fresnel that I keep permanently attached). Edited January 17 by jose_angel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_mcateer Posted January 17 Author Share Posted January 17 @jose_angel Thanks for that information Jose. I really don't want to buy a fresnel unless it's absolutely necessary. This is just a little project to photograph some flowers and I've spent enough on it already. I think you're correct to say that the Technica uses an over-the -ground-glass fresnel. The reason for wanting a right-angle viewer is that the camera is quite high off the floor in this set-up I have. (I suppose maybe a simpler answer would be to lower the camera but I can't see how to do that with the light source being my bedroom window.) The lens I have for the Linhof is 135mm — it does tend to have a bit of a hotspot with the ground glass, so I expect it'll be much the same with the angle viewer. Anyway, this right-angle viewer is in the post — I should have it next week, so I'll report back here with information on hotspot or not. Cheers. P.S. You mention Sinar — the F1 looks like a useful 4x5 for my purposes and it's only about a quarter of the price of my Technika V... I can see me listing the Linhof on eBay soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jose_angel Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 (edited) Personally, I love Technikas. It is my favourite camera for field work, compact, practical and faster to setup. The F1 is also a good one, but as a monorail, more bulky and awkward to carry, although maybe easier to work with once on the tripod and with many affordable accessories. For the kind of work you mention, indoor, low paced work, focusing on composition, the F1 could be maybe more suited. But folding field/press/technical cameras are (IMHO) way more practical and versatile cameras, being the Technika a piece of art by itself. Whatever the camera you use, a fresnel add a lot of comfort, and the right angle viewer will make it luxurious... 😉 Edited January 17 by jose_angel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_mcateer Posted January 17 Author Share Posted January 17 Yes, the Technika is a nice piece of engineering. The only downside is that Linhof stuff is expensive, which is something to think about for me personally. I don't really go out in the field with the 4x5, just take pictures in the garden here and at my table-top studio, so maybe an F1 would work. I will look at fresnel prices and decide if I want to splash out, but first I'll see how the view is through this right-angle viewer without one. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_mcateer Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 UPDATE: I received the 90-degree viewer today. It's perfectly usable without the fresnel. The corners are a little dim, but not terrible. (I might try and take a photo through the finder to illustrate how it looks.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_mcateer Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 The falloff from centre to the edges looks to me to be about 2 stops. I think, on balance, you will need bright light to really see what you're doing / for composition. (I have daylight at my tabletop studio, also fairly bright LED bulbs as an alternative, so this setup is workable for me personally.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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