npr viewfinder

rob spence · November 10, 2005

Hello everyone,

I've managed to get an angenieux orientable viewfinder ( no. 1383 ) for my NPR.

The NPR has been super sixteened.

This is going to be difficult to explain without you seeing the camera...the framing through the viewfinder is way over to the right ie hopelessly uncentered( and is so in any oriented position ...the image stays upright, so the orienteering works ).

I've tried putting it on 'upside down' , that is there are two cutouts in the mounting to the camera...this only puts the image upside down and still uncentered.

However if I rotate the viewfinder to the front of the camera and look through ( i.e. the camera is pointing over my shoulder ) the image is upright and properly centered.

Does anyone have any experience of this...or am I going to have to walk around shooting over my shoulder from now on !!

Yours in hope

Rob Spence

andrewbuchanan · November 10, 2005

Rob,

While the NPR makes a great camera to convert to S16 but the finders are a weak spot. Even the Angenieux has a slight crop on the lower edges of the S16 frame, no matter what you do to it. This being said, one can make an adjustment where the finder attaches to the camera body to recenter for S16. Some times this isn't needed, when Les Bosher did my upgrade he managed to fix the finder without making this adjustment. At one point, I was going to make the conversion myself and I seem to remember that this was one way to fix the finder. But first, make absolutely sure that you need the conversion (shoot charts, what is the difference between you finder and what you gate is getting?) and have the proper S16 marks on your ground glass (so you will have a proer frame when you get done).

My camera isn't in front of me, so I'm working from memory here (and there may be some residual damage from college), but I think there is a small plate that attaches to the side of the camera body with two screws. This has something like a c-mount on it that the finder screws on to. The adjustment works like this: First remove your finder. Then remove the screws. Then slide the little mount UP 1mm on the body then mark the new screw holes. At this moment you may want to re-attch the finder and look through it to make sure you are in the right place (i.e. is the view better and more centered?). If it looks right, then have your TRUSTED machinist put some new threaded holes into the body of your camera. Then reattach everything and cover the old holes so you don't get any light inside the body through them. I think this recenters the finder to S16.

I would definitely consult someone more expert than myself, but this might be an option. Also, you can try it without any lasting alteration to the camera and see if it works. Good luck.