Trip 35 viewfinder tips/explanations?

[rthakrar]

Hi all,

Just wondering if there's something I'm missing when trying to compose my shots with the Trip 35 VF.

1) Does the frame border equal the edges of the final scan or is it the whole viewfinder? The frame often disappears in certain lighting conditions!

2) Why on earth is the rear viewing hole a different aspect ratio to the front? When I wear my glasses I can't see the whole viewing window due to the extra distance from the rear window!

3) Assuming it's the whole VF that's important and not the border, the camera is so deep that if I move my had just a touch the view through the viewfinder changes quite a lot.

I know it's not a precision instrument but seems a little sloppy unless I'm missing something?

R

 

[trip-xa]

This would be worth posting in the flickr Trip 35 group. Good bunch of Trip-maniacs.

 

[rthakrar]

Thanks, Tip-XA.

I looked at my 35RC and it's the same setup but just feels less sloppy so I cleaned the viewfinder on the Trip and it's a little easier to get a feel for what might be in the final shot (although fundamentally I'm at the door of the same problems)...

R

 

[konicaman]

The frame border is the important thing - it show you (more or less) what will appear on the negative. Below app. 1.5 meter you will have a parallax error, meaning, that because of the slightly different placement of the lens and the viewfinder, the frame covers a bit more than is actually going to appear on the negative (rather simplified explanation, but it covers pretty well what is going on in the viewfinder). This is so on all rangefinders (some have automatic correction of the frame, but not the Trip). When your subject is closer than app. 1.5 meters (4-5 feet) you should use the two small lines (lower left and upper right corner) and the small angle in the upper left corner as reference - the frame in a way becomes smaller. Note that the Trip does not focus closer than app. 0.9-1 meter (3 feet).

And no, this is not a precision instrument, but it is a damn fine little camera all the same 😉

Happy shooting

 

[rthakrar]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply - I was wondering what those markers were for! I've sold the Trip 35 now and am sticking with the 35 RC (although it doesn't seem to be metering today - may be the battery...).

Thanks again.

Ricky