Waist finder or prism for 500 series

[david_simonds]

Friends, with your help I am getting closer to my Hasselblad

purchase. It will be either a later 500c/m or 503cx, if the price is

right. But I would like your thoughts on the merits/disvantages of

the waist finder vs a metered prism like the pme 3. Simply, which is

more comfortable and user friendly. I do wear glasses. Would this

pose any problems using the prism. With some 35 mm cameras I have

used, glasses makes it difficult to see the entire image in the

finder. Is the waist finder more or less "glasses friendly"? I have a

Sekonic 408 so the metering itself is not an issue. Thanks as always.

[david_littleboy__tokyo__ja]

The nice thing about the WLF is that the magnifier flips out of the way. Most SLR prisms I've used (although I never used a prism on my Hassy (which I sold in '81)) don't give you a choice: you're stuck with not enough magnification for close focusing and too much for framing.

 

Real men don't use prisms on TLRs and Hasselblads.

 

More seriously, give the WLF a try, and allocate twice as much time as you think necessary to get used to it. It's an acquired taste, but it keeps the price and weight down if you can get used to it.

[cg]

I would also recommend trying the chimney finder. It is bulky but lightweight. It provides less magnification (2.5X?) but it has much better optics (no distortion and colour fringing) than the WLF and blocks all stray light. The older and or more expensive version also has built-in diopter correction. The newer cheaper version has a larger lens for easier use with eyeglasses but no built-in diopter correction.

[john_layton]

A WLF is wonderful as it allows the use of both eyes - kind of like

a small view-camera. But when you try to point the camera

straight down, or want to go vertical with a 645 back - watch out!

I'd start out with the WLF, get into the Zen of this, and then see if

you also need the prism (then get a 90 degree one). I've got

both, and use both. But if I had to choose, I'd go with the WLF.

[godfrey]

I have several finders for my 500CM, but I use the waist level finder most of all. It is

lighter and allows the camera to be more compact when carrying. If you need to, and

have one of the current series WLF, you can obtain eye pieces of different diopters to

correct your vision for perfect focusing ... I found a -1 diopter was much more

suitable for me than the standard 0 diopter.

 

Godfrey

[roland_haid]

David,

 

Most bodies come with a WLF, I would not by a body without it (or very cheap). Just make shure that it's the newer version with the big plastic knob on top of the finder. It's faster and easier to fold and you can change the loupe if its scratched or if your eyes need an adjustment.

 

You will start with the WLF anyway, so why do you ask? You can add a prism at a later date then. WLF or prism is, in my eyes, a matter of perspective. For close-up portraits the prism has some advantage as you avoid the low standpoint of a WLF if you can't direct the model.

For some macro works the prism is better as well. You might try to shoot a flower from the top handheld with a WLF. For most other jobs, the WLF is great and reason for changing into MF.

 

Neither prism or WLF are very glasses friendly. You would need a big loupe to achive this. With the WLF, you can focus with the loupe and frame without it.

 

I would consider a 501C (not 500C) as well, good model, has Acutematte and Palpas but no gliding mirror, comes cheap sometimes.

[nick_wilson2]

In my experience, the WLF is fine for glasses and most situations, especially with an Acute Matte screen. I have an old prism finder, but rarely carry it.

 

I mostly don't use the magnifier for focussing, but find that it is better than most prisms where the glasses are pressed against the viewfinder or a rubber eyecup (that needs to be removed).

 

If you don't use the magnifier, then the dioptric correction does not seem to relevant, and in fact I usually focus 'under' my glasses on the WLF. I look through them with the magnifier, so the issue of the wrong correction is not relevant.

 

As posted above, the WLF is not ideal in some situations, and I have flipped the camera on the side at rare times to get an eye level view on a tripod.

 

The chimney finder is good - lighter and eliminates glare etc. If metering is not the issue, then a non-metered prism will be lighter and cheaper than the meter prism you mention.

[david_simonds]

Gentlemen, as always, thank you for your good advise (that for once will actually save me some cash to spend on some other Hassy trinket).

[david_simonds]

By the way, is the chimney finder the same rig as the magnifier hood (52094/6) that has the integrated diopter adjustment and single eye piece?. KEH has pics of this accessory, but does not identify it as a chimney finder. If these are two different animals, could someone direct me to a pic of the chimney finder. Regards.

[lawrence_title]

I am going to go against all of the above advice and suggest that you strongly

consider the 45 degrees prism (PM5). Sure it weighs more and makes the camera

bulkier, but if you, like me, are coming from a 35mm background this will feel much

more friendly. I find it much better to compose my frame while looking into the

prism at eyelevel, while holding the camera more like a 35mm body. As well, I prefer

to have the image right side up. With the prism and Acute Matte D screen focusing

should be a breeze. If you are happy with your handheld meter, I would avoid the

metered prism. Unlike the 200 series cameras, with the lack of coupling with the lens

and back having the meter on the prism is not much of a benefit. So I would stick

with your Sekonic.

 

I guess I am not a real man, as my WLF sits unused from day one. By the way, your

local Hasselblad dealer may be able to get a good deal on a "demo PM5" from

Hasselblad USA (complete with full warranty). I got mine from Photovillage New York

for significantly less than the cost of a new one. So, try one out ! Of note, all of the

modern 645AF have prisms, perhaps realizing many of us are ex-35mm SLR users.

[h._p.]

If you want to try a 45 without breaking the bank, get the latest model Ukrainian 'TTL Spot' prism as sold for the Kiev 88. I bought mine for $100 from the US and it works just fine with my 500C. I've found that it's great when I want to get things just right but too bulky to use if I'm just looking for pictures. It doesn't say 'Hasselblad' on the front but then, it doesn't cost £1300, either. :-)