Newbie-Frameline & Viewfinder Question

[BOSS65]

If your camera has a frame line for a wide angle lens or tele, would you (or when would you) need an accessory viewfinder for that lens? Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[rover]

Well, you wouldn't, but......

Built in framelines for long lenses tend to be relatively small. An accessory finder with a bigger brighter field and higher magnification may be a better choice for a long lens.

Also, with a 28mm lens, or perhaps better put, the widest built in framelines in a finder are often right at the edge of what is visible in your viewfinder. Some find an accessory finder in those cases to be more comfortable to use.

 

[no_doubt_kit]

if i use 40mm lens, i should use 35mm or 50mm frameline?

 

[Huck Finn]

I believe that the frame lines on the R2 are designed to show only 87% of the actual field of view. That extra 13% that the lens will see brings you to the field of view of a 40 mm lens. So, you can shoot with the 35 mm frame lines pretty safely. Just don't frame too tightly because you have no margin for error.

A couple of cautions . . . There is a reason why the frame lines are designed with some extra space around them. If you get your pictures developed with borders, some of the extra space will be taken up by the borders. Or if you shoot slide film, some of the extra space will be taken up by the cardboard frame around the slides. So, in these cases, you will have to leave even more room around your subject. Shoot a roll for practice & you will have a better feel for it.

If you use the 50 frame lines, think of them as defining the center of your picture, so frame tightly & be aware that you will have more in the picture than what you see within the frame. Some seem to prefer using the 50 frame lines when shooting up close. Try it both ways & see what you like. I prefer using 35 all the time.

 

[rxmd]

There's been a lot of discussion about this here on RFF. I think most people tend to use the 35mm framelines and frame a bit more carefully, since most 35s are more like 37 anyway. In the end you should use what you're most comfortable with.

 

[Xmas]

The important thing to do is to shoot, and reframe for the 2nd attempt, unless you take landscapes or still life, when screwing in the cable release is more important.

Noel

 

[no_doubt_kit]

I believe that the frame lines on the R2 are designed to show only 87% of the actual field of view. That extra 13% that the lens will see brings you to the field of view of a 40 mm lens. So, you can shoot with the 35 mm frame lines pretty safely. Just don't frame too tightly because you have no margin for error.

A couple of cautions . . . There is a reason why the frame lines are designed with some extra space around them. If you get your pictures developed with borders, some of the extra space will be taken up by the borders. Or if you shoot slide film, some of the extra space will be taken up by the cardboard frame around the slides. So, in these cases, you will have to leave even more room around your subject. Shoot a roll for practice & you will have a better feel for it.

If you use the 50 frame lines, think of them as defining the center of your picture, so frame tightly & be aware that you will have more in the picture than what you see within the frame. Some seem to prefer using the 50 frame lines when shooting up close. Try it both ways & see what you like. I prefer using 35 all the time.

Thank you for your detailed reply. I like this forum very much as it is different from the forum in Hong Kong. I can't find this detailed reply in Hong Kong forum.