Angle Finder - DPChallenge Forums

01/19/2008 10:38:22 AM · #1

Anyone know where I can find a good third party (or used canon)angle finder for Canon Eos?

01/19/2008 10:39:26 AM · #2

Seagull makes one that is less than half the price of the Canon where I live. I like it a lot.

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

01/19/2008 11:06:11 AM · #3

eschelar thanks for the info. I have a couple of questions. Do you use your angle finder alot? Does it seem stable when attached to your camera? do you know of a reputable dealer who sells these online?

Thanks,

Greg

Man_Called_Horse

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

01/19/2008 11:54:50 AM · #4

Hoodman

trevytrev

Canon EOS-5D

01/19/2008 12:17:29 PM · #5

I bought this Pro Optic version from Adorama about a year ago and it works great for me. It came with a couple of attachment pieces for various cameras. It cost me all of $90 and I can say that it has worked fine for me, and I'm usually a name brand snob. Trevor~

01/22/2008 11:37:37 AM · #6

bump

01/31/2008 07:56:31 AM · #7

I use my angle finder moderately.

When doing macro shots on a low tripod.
When doing ground up shots.
When doing macro shots in my apartment on a chair and with tripods and stands and such... (haven't for a while).
When shooting kids.
When shooting candids outdoors.
When shooting candids at weddings.

One of the neat things about the angle finder - much the same as the old top-view medium format cameras - is that there is a tremendous difference in the way people act when someone is staring directly through a lens at them. It allows people to act in a much more normal way and even allows a bit of 'shooting from the hip' if you are careful and use the old 'noggin'.

There is also a slight difference in the way a picture looks if you shoot from waist level.

For one wedding, I set myself up at the front of an aisle walk with a tripod and I was seated, with the camera at waist level. The angle finder helped. I had to watch out for composition since the indoor lighting required a wide aperture which puts a bit of softness on the edges for most lenses, but I got some nice full-length shots which were nicely balanced for perspective. If I had shot from higher up, it would have given a different feel to the pics. The angle-finder helped prevent awkward neck angles.

I usually have it in my shirt pocket if shooting something where I don't have immediate access to my bag.

I buy 95% of my camera gear from brick and mortar stores.

As for stability, they do have 360 degree rotation, but they also have detents at the top and I think 30 degrees off, to the left and right. There are 'centers' at each 90 degree position, so the thing feels pretty much the same in portrait or landscape, or even upside-down if you care.

The only real difference between the off-brand ones and the Canon ones is that the Canon has 1.25x or 2.5x magnification and the off-brand ones only have 1x or 2x I usually leave mine in 2x all the time and if I need to see the info on the sides, I just move around a tiny bit.

You can also use the angle-finder to raise the camera up and look through it that way to give a bit of extra height or the illusion of such. I find that it can be a bit disorienting like this, so practice first if you think you might need it. I personally suspect that the internal parts for all the off-brand ones are pretty much the same. They all feature extremely high quality mirrors.

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

02/08/2008 12:50:59 PM · #8

I got my Seagull angle finder in the mail yesterday. I have not had a chance to work with it yet. eschelar gave some good examples of situations to use an angle finder. Does anyone else have any other suggestions?

levyj413

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

02/08/2008 01:38:13 PM · #9

I had no idea what you folks were talking about, and was about ask what an angle finder was and how you'd use one, when I saw the link to the Hoodman one. Now I know you're talking about a viewfinder attachment that lets you look at a right angle to the direction the camera's pointing (like looking down when it's at waist level instead of getting your eye down there).

njsabs

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

02/08/2008 01:54:23 PM · #10

levyj413

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

02/08/2008 02:14:28 PM · #11

Basically, it's an expensive addition to an expensive camera that'd give me limited functionality that my point-and-shoot's flip-out LCD does much better and much more flexibly. :)

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

02/08/2008 04:09:06 PM · #12

hope you like it.

You could say it's expensive, but it's not that bad.

If you want something immediate you can do, try shooting down on an angle and looking almost straight up through the viewfinder. Gives a nice slimming point of view for close pics of friends... I find that it helps a lot to force me out of that eye-level shot feeling.

I use my flip-out screen on my S2 IS still a fair bit for some things, but image quality on my DSLR is a fair bit superior, so I think of it as a way to get some of the flexibility of the compact camera with less compromise on image quality.

faidoi

Pentax K10D

02/08/2008 04:34:44 PM · #13

Zigview

levyj413

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) for Nikon

02/08/2008 06:37:05 PM · #14

Originally posted by eschelar:

I use my flip-out screen on my S2 IS still a fair bit for some things, but image quality on my DSLR is a fair bit superior, so I think of it as a way to get some of the flexibility of the compact camera with less compromise on image quality.

Oh, I agree, in most circumstances. :) I mean, I still use my D200 most of the time. I was just kidding around.

Originally posted by faidoi:

Zigview

Oh, man, that S2 looks fantastic. Hmmm. New lens or neck/back-saving device ...

Message edited by author 2008-02-08 18:43:01.

02/10/2008 08:51:40 AM · #15

agreed. that zigview looks amazing! I like the R with the advanced shutter control too. Sweet!