Contax/Kiev Parallax

[ruben]

Perhaps you have noticed it. When you look through the Universal Turret finder, set for the 50mm focal lenght, you get a much bigger area of subject than when you look directly through the Kiev viewfinder, parallax issues put aside for the moment.

And when you look through the Kiev viewfinder, the subject area you get is quite close to the 85mm setting of the Universal Turret.

Who is right and who is wrong ? One day, after I solve all other problems in the line, I will put my Kiev on a tripod, a screen behind the lens and finito la comedia.

But meanwhile I will unfold a totally fictional story out of my seek mind about what is going on there:

a) The Turret is wright, the Kiev is wrong. The Kiev viewfinder is showing a smaller area than that to appear at the negative.

b) The Kiev is not just "wrong" but purpousedly, following Contax II designers.

c) The purpose is, WITHIN CERTAIN LIMITS TO BE DISCOVERED, to "automatically" compensate for parallax errors.

d) Following this logic, when you shoot at infinity or close to it, there is no much of a difference. When you shoot very very close and do not compensate you will chop a head. But for certain limits to be discovered yet, you can shoot without parallax compensation and the image will be ok.

Fictional story ?
Best Regards,
Ruben

 

[furcafe]

I'm not familiar w/the Soviet turret finders, but I haven't noticed any great disparity in the field of view between a Contax/Kiev 50mm VF & that of any of my Zeiss Ikon turret finders set to 50mm. Perhaps the difference is due to 1 of the VFs being designed to cover the 50mm view @ infinity (larger) & the other being designed to provide the same view @ closest focus (approx. 1m, which will be smaller).