Jun 01 2009
Huh, you want a hot shoe viewfinder?
I recently purchased a compact digital camera as a backup for my company-issued DSLR.
Truth be told, I was also inspired by how premium photo agency VII photographer, Gary Knight, turned his PowerShot G10 (see video below) into a street-photography camera using a hot shoe viewfinder and customising the lens at 35mm focal length.
I have always been impressed by the street photography work of legends like Henri Cartier Bresson and Robert Doisneau. So naturally, I thought the modification would be great for me.
Now, the problem was to find the hot shoe viewfinder. I headed to the usual photography equipment haunts like Peninsula Plaza and Funan IT Mall. Whenever I enquired about a hot shoe viewfinder, I was greeted with weird looks from the salesperson.
Half of them didn’t know what it is; the other half simply replied: “We don’t have it”, with their minds probably wondering if they were speaking to a dinosaur. One even asked: “Why do you need such a thing? Using the LCD is much easier to see.”
After an afternoon of searching, only one shop said it could order one for me from overseas but it would take time. In the end, I didn’t place the order as the shop owner I was speaking to about the viewfinder went away.
Has the photography world progressed so rapidly that a small photography accessory is so difficult to find from your local camera store?
I’m beginning to wonder that in five years’ time, will a salesperson give me a perplexed look when I ask for Kodak T-Max black-and-white film or Fujichrome Velvia slide film? Will he laugh if I ask for a film picker? Perhaps I won’t be able to find even CF cards anymore then!
I know that digitisation has changed the photography landscape. But it would be wrong to discard some of the good things of yesteryear, such as a hot shoe viewfinder that allows you to concentrate on composing the shot instead of looking at a battery-hogging LCD.
Photography will always remain an interpretation of light. The tools might change but the rules of engagement remain. It is still up to the person to make sense of the light around him in order to capture the image and convey the message.
Now, can anyone let me know where I can find a Voightlander 35mm hot shoe viewfinder?
5 responses so far
Just do a search on eBay for ‘Viewfinder’ under Cameras. You can spend a lot (Leica) or a little (Zorki) or anywhere in between. Lots of vintage rangefinder cameras came with accessory lenses and therefore accessory viewfinders. Most are 35mm and 80mm, which makes it easy for you if you want 35mm. Good luck!
Have you tried asking in the clubsnap forums? Anyway, I am also on the lookout for a good compact to complement my DSLR. There seems to be limits to how much technology can compensate for a smaller sensor and a smaller lens.
Trevor,
I have a bunch of them – Voigtlander, Leica, Canon, Nikon have all made them. HK is an easy place to find them or as someone already mentioned – EBay. Have fun.
Cheers
Gary
Thanks all for the responses!
Hi Gary, great to hear from you. Thanks for reading!
BTW, here’s the new development which might change everything: http://www.todayonline.com/Tech/EDC090619-0000042/PEN-mightier-than-the-SLR
Thanks all again!
I have a Voigtlander 28mm viewfinder which I use with the G10, but using it, for me anyway, causes a small but discernible increase in shutter lag – something to do with the foot of the viewfinder pressing down a pin on the left hand side of the hotshoe I think – it causes the built-in flash to be disabled but also seems to cause the shutter lag as well.
I can’t find anything in the camera menus to resolve the problem so am going to saw some bits of the bottom of the viewfinder base – if anyone’s had the same problem and has resolved in a more peaceful manner, please let me know!
cheers