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How do yo focus? Except CMOS250 maybe.

ibear88

New member
This is a little like a Sunday morning talk show with polite people. Nobody agrees, but everybody is civil (which is good).

What is a focus mask and do the lesser digital backs, Aptus for example, have it?

It sounds like only a couple people are using the viewfinder aka rangefinder technique? Why are the viewfinders so unpopular? Do they not have composition lines within them? Is it because the composition is small? (I had a Mamiya 7 and liked it.) Or is it like live view where they are over promised and under delivered (250 excepted)?

Most users seem really keen on higher f-stops and hyper focal focusing to maximize depth of field. Sometimes I want narrow depth of field, like a Leica at f2. Is that possible with these back and lens combinations? Again, like a super rangefinder.

Do any of the viewfinders automatically correct for rise/shift? (I know they don't do tilt).

If live view does not really work, then what would be the advantage of the IQ140 versus an Aptus 7 or 8?

I think I'd like use it like a rangefinder with rise/shift and a depth of field indicator much of the time, with the option of using tilt on a tripod. Dan is super talented. Is it too high an expectation for me?

For you architectural fans, do you find the rise and shift is adequate with something like the 35mm to 40mm or do you find you run out of image circle with anything over 3 stories tall and you have to go to photo merge/panoramic?

I can see I should rent an Arca and an Alpa. And it sounds like I'll need to rent the viewfinder and rent a 35mm to 45mm lens.

Thanks for your help will all my newbie questions. Jeff
 

wwc

New member
As far as the Alpa viewfinder goes, it is heavy, very expensive and is not a precise way to compose an image. It does look very cool though... I think it's main use might be for handheld.

I can't imagine using it for tripod work. Much better to view through the ground glass.
 

ibear88

New member
As far as the Alpa viewfinder goes, it is heavy, very expensive and is not a precise way to compose an image. It does look very cool though... I think it's main use might be for handheld.

I can't imagine using it for tripod work. Much better to view through the ground glass.
Wwc, is it not precise because it does not accurately align with the ccomposition? It is not sharp? The image is too small?
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Wwc, is it not precise because it does not accurately align with the composition? It is not sharp? The image is too small?
None of the above. It IS cool looking and it is useful for handheld and approximate framing so long as you aren't then applying shifts etc. That pretty much applies to all of the optical finders with the possible exception of Arca who have a moveable mask.

As mentioned by folks earlier, you will quickly find that you can quickly compose by eye and then shoot / review / adjust to refine it. Personally, I will use an iPhone with the eFinder app to do this without setting up anything and then approximate the image view by setting up the tripod/camera to match where I visualized the shot. If i expect to use tilt I now use the ground glass and get the focus right with a real LF loupe and dark cloth/GG shroud. Once that's done I will apply any rise/fall for composition and then mount the MFDB and shoot/review.

If I don't expect to tilt I will do the above but instead of using the GG I will now more often than not use fuzzy noise view (Phase calls it live view) to compose the image and adjust it to taste.

I think it actually takes more to describe this stuff than actually to do it after a few months.
 
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