Re: filmscanners: LS4000 slide removed from mount

["Peter Marquis-Kyle" <petermk@optushome.com.au>]

Arthur Entlich wrote

> As some may know, almost all viewfinders, except one Contax and a couple
> of older Nikons (F2, I think) and maybe one other camera which give 100%
> view of what ends up on the film) The vast majority of camera view
> finders show only 92-96% of the image which is recorded to the film frame.
>
> The reason viewfinders do not show the whole frame is because the
> exception that the images will either be mounted in slide mounts or
> cropped during printing by the film carrier.
>
> So, unless you are using one of a very small group of cameras, that
> extra edge of the frame wasn't supposed to be in your composition
> anyway, and was a "bonus" that didn't show in your viewfinder.

Quite right as a general observation, Art. And thanks for the information that
there is a Contax SLR with a 100% viewfinder -- I didn't know about that. I can
add the Leicaflex to your list, and the three models of the Canon F-1. And maybe
Leicas in the R series, and perhaps the Pentax LX?

Yes, a less-than-100% viewfinder can be presented as a 'benefit' because of the
expectation that the image will be cropped by slide mounts and film carriers.
But I think it has as much to do with the extra cost of building an accurately
adjusted viewing system. That cost premium, and the preference of professional
users, explain why the most accurate viewfinders are confined to the more
expensive 'professional' 35mm SLRs.

Viewfinder accuracy was one of my reasons for replacing my Pentax SPs with Canon
F-1s. I still use those F-1s and appreciate their accurate viewfinders, even
though I no longer use my Leitz enlarger (whose film carrier did not crop the
frame).

Peter Marquis-Kyle

Too obsessive?