Best way to take a picture through a viewfinder?

An older digital Ricoh GR could probably do the job.

Phone is alright, ain't it though?

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It seems to be the majority opinion that it doesn’t get much better than a phone camera, post processed.

Thank you all for your replies.
 
ColSebastianMoran said:
Looking into the viewfinder, you need a lens with an opening about the same size as the human eye, and one that focuses at a distance. (Infinity? I don't know, but it's not way up close, so the macro lens won't do it.)

I agree with the other comments; correct the distortion.
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Correct, but...

... one must keep in mind that "what the eye sees" is a euphemism for "the result of your brain's computer processing". To replicate this in the OPs situation you need:

1. small lens similar in size to the human eye or somewhat smaller
2. rather wide FoV
3. camera or camera app that shoot RAW (to allow better post processing to remove distortion)
4. camera or camera app that allows manual focus.

You need multiple shoots at different focus settings and then need to use focus stacking methods. Without #4 you will have issues. Few cameras do a particularly good job of having all things (edge of window, frame lines, RF patch, and other indicators) imaged at the same apparent distance. Your brain does focus stacking so you rarely realize this except when the errors are large.

You also need to avoid phones that use any second "window" to aid the camera's auto systems. You need one that gets all info from a single lens.
 
zuikologist said:
Is that pincushion distortion or the projection of the frame lines onto a curved lens surface.
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Indeed everything except the framelines seems barrel distorted - that's interesting. OP, does the phone usually show pincushion distortion? What about the viewfinder?
I've just tried shots with a rather old phone through three different viewfinders and had no problems, they look similar to what my eye sees.
No problem getting everything reasonably in focus. The frame lines in most cameras appear at a distance similar to the whole viewfinder image, although I've read about some cameras where that's not the case.
 
retinax said:
Indeed everything except the framelines seems barrel distorted - that's interesting. OP, does the phone usually show pincushion distortion? What about the viewfinder?
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The picture through the viewfinder was taken with an iPhone 6. At normal distances, that camera does not show any noticeable pincushion or barrel distortion. When looking through the viewfinder of the Leica IIIg by eye, and superimposing its frame lines on known straight lines (such as a corner in a wall, or a door frame), the lines are perfectly straight (no curve at all). The lines on subjects in the field of view are also straight.
 
I have been experimenting with a full frame DSLR wide angle lenses, and there's just no way to get a good picture through the viewfinder of the IIIg. None of the lenses I have can get close enough.

So, I took the case off of the iPhone 6, placed the lens right up to the viewfinder and was able to get this picture. I cropped the picture to eliminate all but the essentials.

In this picture, the left- and right-side frame lines are pincushion bowed - and they are bowed in real life, too! The pictures accurately shows what I see through the viewfinder. (Obviously I just hadn't really inspected them for straightness as closely before as I did today.)

So, I think this question is answered: use a cell phone without a case on it, put its camera right up to the viewfinder of the other camera, and you can get an accurate picture of what the viewfinder shows.


Leica IIIg viewfinder revisited. by sreed2006, on Flickr
 
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