ARRI SR-II Extension Viewfinder Issue

Bill DiPietra · November 25, 2016

Hi everyone. I recently purchased the extension viewfinder for my Arriflex SR-II. I attached it today and noticed a circular obstruction on the frame lines (enough to be a problem.) I screwed it on and off multiple times and the obstruction appeared in different areas of the frame (corner, sides) each time.

When not using the extension, the viewfinder is fine. So my only guess is that this could be due to the fact that my camera is S16?...

Tyler Purcell · November 25, 2016

I can't imagine it being anything to do with the S16 conversion as the extender only shows what the regular viewfinder does.

From my recollection, the extension only goes on ONE WAY. There should be a mark of some kind that lets you know which direction it goes on.

Bill DiPietra · November 25, 2016

Yes, it does go on only one way. Really can't understand it but that's what's happening...

Dom Jaeger · November 25, 2016

Hi Bill,

What do you mean by circular obstruction? You mean part of the frame line is cut off by a sort of porthole?

If it keeps changing position then odds are it's simply how your eye is positioned on the eyepiece, sometimes if you're not looking right through the middle the image can get cut off. Can't think why else you would get a shifting obstruction.

Bill DiPietra · November 26, 2016

Hi Dom. Yes, I thought of and tried everything you mentioned, but the frame line is still obstructed. I contacted the seller (another camera owner I've purchased from before) and he said to loosen the screws on the extension a bit "to adjust it to my camera."

Make any sense?...

Giray Izcan · November 26, 2016

Bill, I would take it to a professional to get it looked at instead of trying to fix it yourself as you could cause problems and more expense down the road. Maybe you could try a rental house technician who could work on it as a side project. Hope all goes well.

Dom Jaeger · November 26, 2016

Have you tried rotating the viewfinder elbow completely around, sometimes that can shift the image slightly, The Super Wide Angle eyepiece can also make viewing the whole frame easier, especially with the extension finder attached. Otherwise it can feel like you need to move your eye around to see into the edges.

Bill DiPietra · November 29, 2016

So, after a more throughout check, I’ve determined that the issue lays solely with the viewfinder extension. Since the prongs on all of the ARRI viewfinders only allow for two different positions (180 degrees in one direction and 180 degrees in the other,) I tried both positions with the extension and both positions with only the standard viewfinder.

When I used the extension, the circular obstruction appeared on the RIGHT part of the frame, but the left side of the frame was clear (see “A” below.) When I removed the extension, turned it 180 degrees, and attached it again, the obstruction appeared on the LEFT side of the frame and the right side of the frame was clear (see “B” below.)

A.

B.

When I used the exact same process with the standard viewfinder, I had no issues. It’s almost as if the barrel of the extension is partially closed or something.

Here is a picture of the viewfinder extension:

And here is a closer view of what looks like two small levers.

I’m not sure if those do anything and I don’t want to start unscrewing things. So if anyone can offer any advice, I’m all ears. The seller is very fair, so the worst-case scenario is a refund. But I’d rather solve the problem.

Thanks for any help.

Phil Rhodes · November 29, 2016

I've seen exactly this sort of thing on a really terrible old SR1 conversion, unfortunately I can't be much help beyond that. I just ended up shuffling my eye around to look "behind" it, while simultaneously attempting not to let any light in.

Film viewfinding. Bleh. Oh well, at least it's not laggy.

P

Tyler Purcell · November 29, 2016

Hey Bill, good diagnosis there. I don't recall (it's been years) but does the extension have a shutter on it like the normal viewfinder that opens and closes when you put your face against it?

Kenny N Suleimanagich · November 29, 2016

Bill, I would take it to Duall Camera and see what they tell you.

Giray Izcan · November 29, 2016

Or you could just buy another vf extension as they cost next to nothing nowadays.

Dom Jaeger · November 29, 2016

Is that the type with a removeable filter holder?

From memory the two screws are adjustments for optical spacing, they shouldn't affect the centring.

I suppose you've had a look for anything loose inside, and there's no obvious distortion at the mounting flange that would make the extension attach at a slight angle.

If you're turning the extension v/f 180 degrees but in both cases it's cutting off at the bottom, (even though switching from right to left) then the image from the elbow is also off-centre. So it's a compound problem. I'd try rotating the elbow a few times to see if the image shifts at all, other than that I don't know if there's much you can do. Take it to Duall or return it and try another I guess.

Bill DiPietra · January 11, 2017

In conclusion, I wound up sending the viewfinder-extension back to the seller for a full refund. I asked him to tell me what he found when he received it and my initial thought wound up being correct: the extension is not formatted for Super-16.

So there we have it...