Re: Viewfinder for Pinhole Camera

Rita wrote:
> Does anyone know of a source that makes viewfinders for commercial
> sale, or can anyone give me very simple (but detailed) instructions?

New commercial viewfinders tend to be pretty expensive. You could
look for a used viewfinder from an old press camera like a Graflex
Speed Graphic. These came with masks so that you could match the film
format and lens focal length to the viewfinder.

Here are a few ways to make viewing devices.

Assuming your camera is basically just a box, with a T-square put
marks on the top front and left front edge of the camera that are
lined up with the location of the pinhole. Now on the side put marks
on the back left edge that are lined up with the top and bottom of the
film gate, and on the top put marks that line up with the left and
right edges of the film gate. Draw lines connecting the marks at the
back with the marks at the front. You'll wind up with Vs on the top
and side of the camera. By sighting along the lines you can get an
idea of what will be in the picture.

Go to a hardware store and buy a peephole for an entrance door. Mount
this on the top of the camera. Set the camera up on a tripod and take
a picture. This works best if your camera can use Polaroid film, or
has a ground glass back. Look through the peephole and using
electrical tape mask off the front lens so that what you see through
the peephole matches the picture (or groundglass). This is similar to
the viewfinder on the press cameras.

You can make a wire viewfinder like the sports finders on old press
cameras. At the front of the camera you want a wire rectangle (or
square if you shoot 6x6) the same size as the film frame. At the back
of the camera you want a vertical wire with a loop (I'd guess 7-10mm
in diameter) placed so that it is behind the front frame by the same
distance as the lens (or pinhole) focal length. The loop should be
lined up with the center of the front frame. You need to put your eye
right up to the loop, so if you wear glasses you might want to
position the loop a bit closer to the front frame to make up the
distance from your glasses to your eye.

-- 
Brian Reynolds                  | "But in the new approach, as you know,
reynolds@panix.com              |  the important thing is to understand 
http://www.panix.com/~reynolds/ |  what you're doing rather than to get
NAR# 54438                      |  the right answer." -- Tom Lehrer
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