Use a 12mm viewfinder with a 15mm Lens?

[Pirate]

I want to get a 15mm super wide lens but the viewfinder for it is cheap. The viewfinder for the 12mm is a much more well built piece.

I know I can use the 12mm finder but I want to know if anyone has experience with making the new lines inside? Not physically etching lines, but learning where the lines are and using them.

Any tricks, tips, thoughts? Obviously, shooting some special lined areas and comparing the photos to what you see in the finder will tell you where to frame, but is there anything else to know? Can you do anything with the math of it and come out to a reasonable judgment on where to frame? 110 degrees for the 15mm and 121 degrees for the 12mm.

Thanks for any replies.

 

[payasam]

Optical finders are not so accurate anyway, so perhaps you might just not bother about the 10-degree difference. Make sure that nothing crucial is too close to an edge.

 

[Doug]

As an option, there's a very high-quality 15mm finder from Zeiss... But both are expensive items.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I want to get a 15mm super wide lens but the viewfinder for it is cheap. The viewfinder for the 12mm is a much more well built piece.
I know I can use the 12mm finder but I want to know if anyone has experience with making the new lines inside? Not physically etching lines, but learning where the lines are and using them.
Thanks for any replies.

This is a bit "left field" but have you had a look at this - <http://www.ikodot.com/takealook.html>
Might be an option?

 

[Pirate]

Thanks guys,

I was looking at the Voigtlander 12mm because it's much better quality than their 15, but yes, it's only a 10-ish degree difference and I know that's not much. The Zeiss I've seen and it's expensive but would be worth it.

I'm still weighing the options and looking for any new ones. That ikodot is cool, just like the Sports Finder on my Hasselblad and some other older cameras I have. Not quite looking to go that simple, yet ;-)

 

[Sparrow]

with any finder that wide there’s an element of guess work and luck involved, I use the 12 with the 12 lens and every time I develop a film I’m surprised by the results

 

[Rob-F]

with any finder that wide there’s an element of guess work and luck involved, I use the 12 with the 12 lens and every time I develop a film I’m surprised by the results

That's probably a good thing: what with digital SLRs, there aren't enough surprises left in modern-day photography. Takes all the fun out, compared to waiting for the box of Kodachromes to come back from the Kodak lab!

 

[Nando]

Wait! Cosina is releasing a new 15mm and 21/25 metal finders soon.
http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt/acce/finder/index.html