Wide lenses on R2A - is a finder necessary?

[bmicklea]

Sorry if this question has been answered before (if it is I couldn't find it).

I just bought an R2A (got hooked on RF photography through my Yashica GT) and the 35 Ultron. I love the combination but have been thinking of picking up a used 28mm or even 21mm - but the R2A doesn't have the framelines for either. Looking through the viewfinder it seems like the full view might be somewhere around 25mm - has anyone figured out what the viewfinder field of view is approximately? I prefer shooting without accessory finders but am wondering how reasonable this is (especially for the 28).

Thanks in advance,
b

 

[aizan]

not necessary at all. sounds like you don't wear glasses, so it should be just fine. a lower magnification viewfinder is recommended if you do wear glasses. as for lenses wider than 28mm, it's easy enough to zone, scale, and hyperfocal focus because of great DOF, so jump right in with those accessory viewfinders. they're terrifically bright and clear.

 

[Doug]

Welcome to RFF, b!

Framing the scene through a viewfinder shows at best only a reasonable approximation of what will be captured on film. "Rangefinder" cameras are like that, and SLRs are for when you're feeling more, err, anal-retentive I guess!

The ultimate in just winging it might be viewfinderless use of the 21mm you mention interest in. Set the lens to the hyperfocal distance for the f/stop in use, or guess-focus for closer things, and just "eyeball" the scene ahead and snap it. There's a kind of exhilarating freedom in this...

I've tried using a 25mm on my Minolta CLE, whose widest frameline is 28mm, and it worked fine. Obviously no parallax compensation, but that can be estimated and sort of accounted for in aiming. Same with the 45mm on my Bronica RF645, whose widest frame is for the 65mm lens. To use the 15mm or a 21mm on my CLE, and have any better framing than wild estimation, the external viewfinder is the way to go. So, do you prefer wild or mild? 😀

And I agree that the view through a modern external viewfinder is gloriously big and bright... if not very precise.

 

[bmicklea]

Thanks for the welcome and the great advice. I actually have moved away from the SLR (my first camera) to the TLR and now RF basically because I prefer the less regimented and more open shooting experience.

From what's been posted I think I'll jump in with the 28 and 21 and not worry too much about accessory finders. Life's about taking chances and photography's about life, right?

Brad

 

[rover]

The 21 is so wide you may reconsider and go ahead and use the viewfinder. Composition with this lens is fun, because in one sense it captures everything you see, but, it is difficult to exclude things you don't want in the image. I guess I use the viewfinder to make sure what I don't want doesn't end up on the film as opposed to ensuring that what I want does.

I think it is too early in the morning to be writing a response like that. 🙁