Desperately seeking optics to augment a camera viewfinder.

"Wilba" wrote
in message
...
Peter Jason wrote:

I have a digital SLR and the viewfinder
with the manual focusing is pretty poor;
especially in dim light.

I need some form of optical system to hang
off the viewfinder to enlarge the
viewfinder field and so make the manual
focusing easier.

I already have one of the propriety
right-angle magnifiers which improve the
situation, but this is not enough.

I need more magnification, and so can
someone help me with some advice about
adapting a small monocular or microscope
or small telescope to do the job.

I don't have to see the whole field, just
the part I want to focus.

Please help.

Shine a torch on the subject while you're
focussing?

Hey, that's a good idea. I'll get one of
those laser pointers the academic
medieval-history professors use when
lecturing to their students. I should of
thought of it before. Many thanks.

You might need something with a wider beam. I was using flash for these
three photos
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=wombat&w=97009354%40N00
but the camera was hunting for focus until the person near me waved the
flash light around.

"Peter Jason" wrote in message
...


Hey, that's a good idea. I'll get one of those laser pointers the
academic medieval-history professors use when lecturing to their students.
I should of thought of it before. Many thanks.

In rec.photo.digital Peter Jason wrote:

: "Wilba" wrote
: in message
: ...
: Peter Jason wrote:
:
: I have a digital SLR and the viewfinder
: with the manual focusing is pretty poor;
: especially in dim light.
:
: I need some form of optical system to hang
: off the viewfinder to enlarge the
: viewfinder field and so make the manual
: focusing easier.
:
: I already have one of the propriety
: right-angle magnifiers which improve the
: situation, but this is not enough.
:
: I need more magnification, and so can
: someone help me with some advice about
: adapting a small monocular or microscope
: or small telescope to do the job.
:
: I don't have to see the whole field, just
: the part I want to focus.
:
: Please help.
:
: Shine a torch on the subject while you're
: focussing?

: Hey, that's a good idea. I'll get one of
: those laser pointers the academic
: medieval-history professors use when
: lecturing to their students. I should of
: thought of it before. Many thanks.

A single spot may not be enough for the camera to easily focus on. But
you might look into a good bright headband mounted light. One with a
swivel mount would allow you to aim it at your subject, and leave you
hands free for manipulating the camera. One thought, tho. You may want to
turn it off before you meter the scene so that the camera will be set for
the actual prevailing lighting conditions instead of the artificially
bright spotlighted subject. You may have to try several brand and types
of light as some are good for closeup work (within about 6') and others
are good for distance work (up to 30' or so). More than that you are
probably needing more of a big power hungry spotlight and that just isn't
real practical. IMHO

I use a head light using LEDs (great battery life and tiny batteries)
which also has a red LED switch position. Using this red light to read
the camera displays allows my eyes to remain adjusted to dark so I don't
have to wait for my eyes to readjust after reading the LCD displays on my
camera.

Randy

==========
Randy Berbaum
Champaign, IL

Peter Jason writes:

I'll get one of
those laser pointers the academic
medieval-history professors use when
lecturing to their students.

Like Sony's DSC-F828 projects a red laser holographic pattern into the dark
for autofocusing. Works great. Get a toy pointer with the beam spreader
attachments and stick it on your camera.

"Richard J Kinch" wrote
in message
.. .
Peter Jason writes:

I'll get one of
those laser pointers the academic
medieval-history professors use when
lecturing to their students.

Like Sony's DSC-F828 projects a red laser
holographic pattern into the dark
for autofocusing. Works great. Get a toy
pointer with the beam spreader
attachments and stick it on your camera.

Well, we live & learn; thanks.

On May 12, 1:46 am, Richard J Kinch wrote:
Peter Jason writes:
I'll get one of
those laser pointers the academic
medieval-history professors use when
lecturing to their students.

Like Sony's DSC-F828 projects a red laser holographic pattern into the dark
for autofocusing. Works great. Get a toy pointer with the beam spreader
attachments and stick it on your camera.

But that was one of those high end P&S cameras they don't make
anymore. Entry-level DSLRs are stripped to the bone and at most,
offer one of those cheezy LED illuminators to assist in autofocusing.
But the Olympus cameras (except the E-1) all suffer from dim
viewfinder images owing to their diminutive optical systems supporting
the small 4/3rds sensors. I think the new E-series (410 and 510) are
a bit better, but the E-300, 330 and 500 viewfinder systems are truly
awful.
IMO, the user is better off getting a Nikon D40 or 50 to replace the
E-500.

["Followup-To:" header set to rec.photo.digital.slr-systems.
Group list shortened.]
Peter Jason wrote:

I agree but there's always a lighted cigarette end, or reflection from
furniture etc to assist.

Not necessarily bright enough to let you focus by hand.

The auto-focus system is difficult because the flash has to be
actuated for it to work,

Not necessarily. You can use an external flash unit, which may
well project a grid pattern for your AF to latch on, and you are
fine for quite a few meters.

and sometimes it
hunts for about 10 seconds.

Using a faster lens helps. Sometimes a lot.

-Wolfgang

["Followup-To:" header set to rec.photo.digital.slr-systems.]

Richard J Kinch wrote:

If you can take the focusing screen out of your SLR, try doing so, and see
how much brighter the viewfinder view is.

It'll also screw up the exposure metering completely, so be
prepared to go to 100% manual and a light meter (or test shots
and chimping at the histogram.

Worse, you may not have any hint if your image is in focus or
not, since the eye can compensate for a mis-focusseds (virtual)
air image[1], but not for a (real) image from a matte screen.

-Wolfgang

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical...croscope_works
See the small object image in the middle? That's the air
image. If you put a matte screen there, it will be dimmer,
but sharp, as long as it is in focus.

"RichA" wrote in
message
oups.com...
On May 12, 1:46 am, Richard J Kinch
wrote:
Peter Jason writes:
I'll get one of
those laser pointers the academic
medieval-history professors use when
lecturing to their students.

Like Sony's DSC-F828 projects a red laser
holographic pattern into the dark
for autofocusing. Works great. Get a toy
pointer with the beam spreader
attachments and stick it on your camera.

But that was one of those high end P&S
cameras they don't make
anymore. Entry-level DSLRs are stripped to
the bone and at most,
offer one of those cheezy LED illuminators
to assist in autofocusing.
But the Olympus cameras (except the E-1)
all suffer from dim
viewfinder images owing to their diminutive
optical systems supporting
the small 4/3rds sensors. I think the new
E-series (410 and 510) are
a bit better, but the E-300, 330 and 500
viewfinder systems are truly
awful.
IMO, the user is better off getting a
Nikon D40 or 50 to replace the
E-500.


I am waiting for the successor of the E1 to
come out (P1?) before I make any decision
about changing cameras.

On May 13, 2:07 am, RichA wrote:
On May 12, 1:46 am, Richard J Kinch wrote:

Peter Jason writes:
I'll get one of
those laser pointers the academic
medieval-history professors use when
lecturing to their students.

Like Sony's DSC-F828 projects a red laser holographic pattern into the dark
for autofocusing. Works great. Get a toy pointer with the beam spreader
attachments and stick it on your camera.

But that was one of those high end P&S cameras they don't make
anymore.

I thought Rich hung around camera stores? The Fuji S9100/9600 is a
fairly "high end P&S"... uses the same system (only green), and just
like the Sony 828 (which I used some years back) - it works rather
well.. Far less obtrusive than those horrid pre-flash systems..