Zorki 4 - Viewfinder question (50mm)

[TimM]

Hello,

there's just the first roll of film in the new-to-me-zorki 4 and i wonder, if i have to pay attention to something concerning the framing with a 50mm lens.

parallax compensation is (obviously) non-existing, that's what i know but what about the field of view? I've read somewhere on the web, that the 50mm vf is rather 60mm - your opinion?

Or would you subscribe to "what you see is what you get"? 🙂

Thank you!

 

[ronnies]

I think the view on my Zorki 4 is a little narrower than you get on the film. The difference will obviously vary depending on the distance focused but it is there. I've not done any scientific testing though that's just my impression.

Ronnie

 

[stevebrot]

I think the view on my Zorki 4 is a little narrower than you get on the film. The difference will obviously vary depending on the distance focused but it is there. I've not done any scientific testing though that's just my impression.

Ronnie

One would hope this would be the case, though it is hard to tell. The actual VF frame margins on my Zorki 4K are fiendishly hard to see. Mine features a sort of "infinite" viewfinder. I would suggest that the general rule of thumb with almost any rangefinder is to take the viewfinder framing as a general indication of what you can expect to see on the negative. This is true regardless of whether there is parallax correction and/or projected frame lines. Even the best rangefinder finders are fairly inexact, sorry to say. As was stated on another thread, if you need critical framing an SLR or view camera is your better solution.


Steve

 

[klapka]

Zorki-4 is the camera with no definite framing through the finder - it mostly depends on your eye's porition, so.. you can see whatever you want. For better framing we (Russians) use Zorki-6, so pay another 20$ and get it.