The Mystery of the RZ67 PRO II Viewfinder Mask

[MarkoRepse]

I was shooting on location and I have a custom made viewfinder (much like the one MK has).

Do you mind posting some info/photos of your viewfinder?

[RyuuzakiJulio]

Sorry for the late reply, havent come to this site for a while.

I designed this based on the camera mod that Markus Klinko Has.
It was a basic concept to start with but I kept modifying it many times and adding new stuff to it.



This is the viewfinder part of it. It has a 15x magnifier on it.

[MarkoRepse]

Looks really nice Julio! I might have to make something similar for my RZ because the stock viewfinder as you know is just hard to focus. Do you ever shoot handheld with this setup? It sounds a bit difficult as you cant see the whole frame all the time. There does exist a 4x loupe however which does, its the Kaiser 4x 2338 model, cheap and light but does the job. Its too bad Mamiya/Phase doesn't make a proper viewfinder for DBs. I suggest anyone who hasn't already let them know via a support case.

[RyuuzakiJulio]

It is possible to shoot handheld yes, of course depends on what you are shooting.
But I'm working on the double grip. And re designing the top. Will have servo motors to move the viewfinder and another one to open/close the lid. Also will have a shutter counter and an axelerometer with a digital display. The PCB boards are on the way, and more custom parts.
4x would be ok, but can't compare to 15x focus.

[MaxKißler]

I have built my very own WLF with the loupe Marko suggested. I had to sacrifice an original one but it was totally worth it. That loupe covers the 48x36 area perfectly and only schows some minimal pincushion distortion at the edges. The 4x magnification is completely sufficient when combined with a beattie intenscreen or similiar screen. It is however important to shade the loupe as it is very prone to flaring. As you can see I used tape to build a simple shade.

When I'm done shooting I simply remove the loupe and throw it in the bag. The top plate of the original WLF still folds down and while shooting also locks the loupe in place so shooting handheld is not an issue. You can even turn it upside down or shake it and the loupe won't fall off.

[MarkoRepse]

Looks interesting Max, I like the fact that its still collapsible! But can you see properly with so much eye distance? I find the loupe much better with your eye very close to it; the distortion gets a lot better.
Julio that's very inventive! I'm really curious how your final version will be like, do share when its done!