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04-27-2013, 01:45 PM   #1
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Optical Viewfinder

Hello

Today i found an optical viewfinder for my K01:



http://klgebert.piwigo.com/uploads/z/r/w/zrw8zmk9px//2013/04/27/20130427222939-b5441df8.jpg

This old Kodak Retina viefinder is designed for 35 & 80mm (= 24 & 50mm on the K01)

04-27-2013, 01:50 PM   #2
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Nice, don't think I've seen that one before. I use a Yashika Tele-Wide on my Q and K-01.
04-27-2013, 05:07 PM   #3
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Now I know why eBay prices for OVs for range finders (both Leiz and Russian copies) are going up all the time.

And the rare zooming ones seem to have completely vanished from the market.

I don't know this model, but it looks as if it would produce a parallax error?

For range finders, all the Russian viewfinders were/are produced in 2 versions, distinguished by a slight horizontal shift.
The reason is, that the hot shoe of Leica/Zorki/Fed is in line with the optical axes, but with Contax/Kiev it is not.

Last edited by RKKS08; 04-27-2013 at 05:46 PM. Reason: couple of typing errors (I hate typing errors)
04-27-2013, 08:25 PM   #4
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okay, that looks awesome....at first I thought that was a Leica Viewfinder,but Leica has never made one like that.

QuoteOriginally posted by RKKS08 Quote
it looks as if it would produce a parallax error?
all shoe mounted viewfinders should have parallax correction, some don't - but in any case I doubt that it would be suited to the K-01.

04-28-2013, 06:31 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Digitalis Quote
all shoe mounted viewfinders should have parallax correction
I haven't worked with big format cameras.

My comment relates to the OVs for the most popular range finders.
Many of these OVs offer vertical correction, but no horizontal correction.
Which is only be needed if the hot shoe is shifted sideways against the optical axes, like with Contax and Kiev bodies.
04-29-2013, 07:39 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by klaus123 Quote
Hello

Today i found an optical viewfinder for my K01:
This old Kodak Retina viefinder is designed for 35 & 80mm (= 24 & 50mm on the K01)
Looks good klaus, how is it performing ?

Any of you chaps tried the sun teleview finder ?

any good ?
04-29-2013, 08:06 PM   #7
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I've sold my K-01 and have a tele-wide finder in the items for sale area if anyone is interested. This one is the same as the Yashica and has frame lines for 60mm and 37mm equivalent so is just right with the 40XS kit lens.

04-30-2013, 03:06 PM   #8
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I used an older Olympus VF-1 optical viewfinder for a while... but, once past wide-angle on the zoom lens, it wasn't too accurate. What I really wanted was to use that huge LCD screen as my viewfinder. A 3" Hoodman loupe, some gaffer's tape to attach the loupe to the K-01, and a few rubber bands did the job. Looks funny, but it is PERFECT! And, I've found that I don't need the rubber bands.. the gaffer's tape holds it very securely. Now, photographing moving subjects is no longer a problem -- like airplanes against a bright sky. The loupe has a diopter adjustment, so I never have to take off my glasses.

04-30-2013, 05:56 PM   #9
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you have turned it in to a view camera

http://badgertronics.com/photo/pcd0694/view-camera-8.4.jpg

Now for the hack that mirrors the LCD, bring your own black drape, moustache, italian sheep dog and you are set

I mostly like this just for the gaffer. :P

But I must confess, I'm confused as to why you just didn't buy a camera with a viewfinder?
04-30-2013, 06:12 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by tromboads Quote
you have turned it in to a view camera

http://badgertronics.com/photo/pcd0694/view-camera-8.4.jpg

Now for the hack that mirrors the LCD, bring your own black drape, moustache, italian sheep dog and you are set

I mostly like this just for the gaffer. :P

But I must confess, I'm confused as to why you just didn't buy a camera with a viewfinder?
I have it for the Q because the Q eats batteries with the LCD on. With the Viewfinder instead of the constant LCD I get around 2x the life out of the batteries. Since I have it, why not use it on the K-01 too? And I do have a camera with a viewfinder, a K-5.
04-30-2013, 06:28 PM   #11
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are you talking about the optical telle wide you use? I was referring to the giant loop jon404 uses. :P
04-30-2013, 06:31 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by tromboads Quote
are you talking about the optical telle wide you use? I was referring to the giant loop jon404 uses. :P
Yes, I find it useful in battery conservation. $90 for a loupe is a bit rich for my blood. If I were doing a lot of outdoor photos with the K-01 or it were my primary camera I might consider it but as it is I just pull out the K-5 under those conditions.
04-30-2013, 06:37 PM   #13
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errr.. I don't think you are comprehending the thread very well.

No one was seeking question in your use of your optical viewfinder, but thank you for re-offering it none the less?
04-30-2013, 06:45 PM   #14
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@tromboads -- well, I have an Olympus XZ-1, an excellent shirt-pocket camera. And I've always been aware of the trade-off between physical size, sensor size, and image quality (at least until the new Ricoh GR) . So when the K-01 price went down under $400, I bought one. A quick comparison of K-01 test images on the DPReview comparison site will tell you why! Not just against my XZ-1... but against other APS-C cameras.

So. First, price. Second, image quality. But third, re the viewfinder, because the eye-level finders on DSLRs are just too small. Teeny. Now, if Pentax priced the K-5 IIs for <$500, of course I'd buy it... but not for the viewfinder. I'd want it for faster autofocus than the mirrorless K-01, mainly. And I'd still get out my gaffer's tape to attach a loupe to the back. Gaffer's tape, BTW, is the 'must-have' on any movie or TV set. Sticks, holds, comes off without leaving sticky residue. Get it at Pro Tapes Pro-Gaff Gaffers Tape: 2 in. x 55 yds. (Black): Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific. Worth every penny.

As for size, once it won't fit in my pocket, doesn't matter. And, a neo-view camera? More like an old Speed Graphic, where you composed the image upside-down on a very dim 4" x 5" ground glass -- but the camera was highly portable, for reporters, not just for the studio. And, back to viewfinders, Graphic users had a wireframe finder, for fast sports pictures. Later on, Kodak made a much smaller one for the Retinas... and it is metal, very well-made, and goes in the hotshoe of a K-01. KEH has them from time to time under 'Kodak Retina Prisms and Viewfinders'. Again, don't bother with it (or any hotshoe finders) for telephoto... but for wide-angle, it's great! Folds flat on top of the camera when you're not using it.

04-30-2013, 06:47 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by tromboads Quote
errr.. I don't think you are comprehending the thread very well.

No one was seeking question in your use of your optical viewfinder, but thank you for re-offering it none the less?
I appreciate your guidance and correction. Its good to have folks around to help newbies like me with thread etiquette.
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