Jump to content

Question about Nizo 801 macro viewfinder fogging.


Kitae Lee

Recommended Posts

Hello. This is a question about Nizo 801 macro viewfinder fogging.
If you look at the red mark on the user manual of the Nizo 801 macro in the picture, you will see a sentence saying that

"However, no light can in any circumstances reach the film after penetrating the viewfinder."

So I turned on the flashlight towards the viewfinder and checked the film gate (with the shutter open) to see if it actually did. The light was shining brightly as shown in the following picture. I think this means tremendous fogging in the bright outdoors. Of course, this was the same with or without a lens cap.

Why does the instruction manual say that no light comes in through the viewfinder? The German version of this camera's instruction manual says

'Es ist auf jeden Fall ausgeschlossen, daß Licht durch das Okular auf den Film gelangen kann.'  

is this a translation mistake? Or am I misunderstanding the English instruction manual?

manualpart.jpg

nizoflash.jpg

nizogateflash.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The statement seems misleading. What it means is that when the shutter is not running, closed, that no light can affect the film via the viewfinder.  It at first seems to mean that no light can affect the film while filming, but that is not what it means.  Virtually all Super 8mm cameras that use a prism beam splitter viewing system have a high probability of stray light from an unshielded viewfinder to affect the film via fogging.  Many Super 8mm cameras have a viewfinder shutter, but many do not.  If filming by not looking thru the viewfinder, it is always best to shield it. I have even just placed a baseball type cap over it if nothing else was available.  It's usually more of an issue if the bright sun is behind the camera since that amount of light over powers anything you're filming.  Even the German wording is somewhat misleading, and many camera instruction manuals often have wording making it difficult to comprehend some operations.   Sometimes it's a translation issue, other times it's just poorly written text.   Anyhow, now that you know, you're better prepared for your next filming venture with your NIZO!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you very much.
I fully agree with your comments.
I was personally translating the Nizo 801 macro manual into Korean. I found that the English version of the Nizo 801 macro manuals on the Internet are incomplete version, so I was referring to both the English version and the German version of the manual. And translation and spelling mistakes were occasionally seen between the two manuals. That sentence mentioned above was the biggest mystery of my translation work.
Thanks to your answers, the problem solving became clear, and I think I can share the final revision of the Korean version of the Nizo 801 macro manual with my friends.
Thank you again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Bolex K2 I use to use for regular 8mm filming, has a clever little lever you can push down to close the viewfinder. I tried this one time while filming and it worked perfectly. My Elmo Super 110 that I use often has a plastic cap to place on the viewfinder. It's simple but works like a charm!

Edited by Shane C Collins
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for sharing your experience.
As you said, I think the beam splitter viewfinder must have a fully functional closing device. And oh! I have an Elmo super 110R (it works, but half broken)too. But no viewfinder cap. Maybe I should find a suitable cap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...