Zorki ‚Multi’-Finder on RD-1

[pzillig]

Oh boy, just tried to test my Leitz Tele-Elmarit-M 1:2,8/90 on my RD-1, together with Zorki's (Universal-) finder (numbered N-285327). What a mess, the selected 13,5 cm does'nt fit. Am I wrong and made a mistake or is this combination a messaliance? Thank you for your ideas/suggestions in advance because I cut off the upper third of any picture.

 

[sebastel]

FOV should be right ... but, the finder needs to align with the optical axis of your lens/camera, and that may go quite wrong.
also, parallax needs correction, especially close distances.

cheers,
sebastian

 

[ZorkiKat]

Even amongst the Zorki and FED cameras the ,,Turret" finder often causes parallax and non-coincident framing. The finder seems to have been designed for taller cameras like the Zorki-4, FED-5, or Kiev-4. These cameras have the same heights and near-identical shoe to lens centre distances.

Jay

 

[Paul T.]

Could be wrong, but I think this might be an issue with the height of the R-D1. I've found that my Helios 90/135 finder is worse than useless, if memory serves you get only the bottom half of your intended framing, ie if you're photographing a person, you're likely to get their nostrils, their smile, and some lovely details of their chest. WHich is not ALWAYS what one would desire...ll

 

[JeffGreene]

I've been using a Nippon Kogaku variable focus viewfinder on my RD1. It has parallax settings and works beautifully with my Elmarit 90 and VT 75.

 

[RichC]

Like Jeff, I've been using Nikon finder - a Nippon Kogaku Varifocal finder - which zooms from 35 to 135 mm. Suits the R-D1 perfectly.

I've tried a Tewe zoom finder, which also works well, but the Nikon is optically much better: the Tewe finder suffers from significant distortion at the edges.

Unfortunately, you have the perennial problem of users versus collectors, so Nikon zoom finders are often pricey. 😡

 

[pzillig]

Thank you all for your infos. Just startet a ‚global’ search run for Nikon-/Tewe-/Leitz-Finder. @ Rich: let me say: ‚spicey’ instead of ‚pricey’. 😛

 

[dll927]

Like many photo things FSU, the turret finder seems to vary. I understand there were at least two versions - one for the Kievs, another for the Leica-persuasion cameras. The difference is in which side the turret is oriented to. Used on a Leica-type, the Kiev version tends to interfere with the shutter speed dial on some models. So the turret made for Leica types goes 'left' instead of 'right'.

 

[dll927]

A comment on Paul T's avatar: Isn't that photo the guy from back in the 1920's who was a newsman and used a medium-format camera with a HUGE lens? I forget his name and the name of the camera, but the camera was somewhat popular with news types. I've seen that talked about several times. And the camera, for its intended use, was supposedly pretty darned good.

 

[ZorkiKat]

A comment on Paul T's avatar: Isn't that photo the guy from back in the 1920's who was a newsman and used a medium-format camera with a HUGE lens? I forget his name and the name of the camera, but the camera was somewhat popular with news types. I've seen that talked about several times. And the camera, for its intended use, was supposedly pretty darned good.

Erich Salomon with an Ernemann ,,Ermanox" camera. f/2 Ernostar lens; used 4,5 X 6 cm plates. Salomon was reported to have perished in one of Hitler's death camps in WW2.

 

[ZorkiKat]

I tried the Soviet finder on the R-D1s today with a Jupiter-9 85mm. The horizontal coincidence (nothing chopped at the top, nothing extra gained at the bottom) was correct. However the sides were not: about 1/4 of the left field seen in the finder was lost in the picture, and extra detail was on the right side.

Like many photo things FSU, the turret finder seems to vary. I understand there were at least two versions - one for the Kievs, another for the Leica-persuasion cameras. The difference is in which side the turret is oriented to. Used on a Leica-type, the Kiev version tends to interfere with the shutter speed dial on some models. So the turret made for Leica types goes 'left' instead of 'right'.

There are variations alright, and these would be within the same type of finder. Some would view right, others simply would not.

The Soviet turret finder was adapted from the finder designed by Zeiss for their Contax. The Soviets modified this by placing the optics body to the left (referenced from the eyepiece side) to accomodate the shutter dial of the FED and Zorki.
The right-sided finders were rare.

Jay

 

[Didier]

Using a russian turret finder is anyway a hit & miss thing, at least above 50mm. The manufacturing tolerances were so large, compared to the original Zeiss turret finder, that any accuracy is purely incidentally.

I tried a Canon 135mm finder, which is vertically adjustable, on the R-D1, but the results were not much better than with the turret finder. Even the Leica M6 135mm frameline is not very accurate. Anyway 135mm viewfinders, if internal or external, ar the very outer limit of rangefinder tele-photography. Personally, 75mm is my upper limit on RF cameras.

Didier

 

[ZorkiKat]

.

I tried a Canon 135mm finder, which is vertically adjustable, on the R-D1, but the results were not much better than with the turret finder.
Didier

Would this be the tiny, tube-shaped finder? I used to have one of these too. This finder never worked right as well, even on a Canon camera it was designed to work with. There is, if I remember right, an adjustment screw which would calibrate the parallax correction scale.