My wallet is almost to the point to allow me to shop for a used 67. I do mostly outdoor shots and get to more remote areas, sometimes backpacking for several days. Weight is a factor as is cost. A spot meter or a llama are out of the question right now. If it comes to it, I could spring for the meter prism, but many seem less than excited about it. The penta prism saves a little weight and money. Has anyone worked with the waist level finder or the right angle finder with any satifaction. I'm leaning towards the penta prism with in incident light meter. Is this a choice others find pleasing?

-- Roger Rouch (rrouch@msn.com), March 03, 1999

Answers

I have always liked the TTL Pentaprism even though it has its limitations. Yes, it is a general meter and would be better if it were a spot type. You just need to be aware of how it can be faked out in certain lighting situations and be able to recognize them and compensate for it. The TTL also only shows 90% of the frame that will be taken and can be annoying. I have gotten used to this and don't think about it when shooting. I automatically compensate for it. SR

-- Steve Rasmussen (srasmuss@flash.net), March 04, 1999.

Roger, I have both the TTL pentaprism and the rigid waist level finder. I almost never use the waist level finder. I bought it thinking it might spare my back, but I find it difficult to critically focus during portraiture (which is 90% of what I do). I use the focus magnifier with the TTL which is a very useful inexpensive accessory (~$80 US) for those of us in the bifocal club:) The rigid finder does show 100% of the image but is laterally reversed which is slightly annoying, but if used outdoors most of the time the increased light levels would probably allow for easier focusing. As Steve said the meter in the TTL is better than you might think. I use a Sekonic 308 and N70 to supplement it. Knowing when to use these is the key. Someday I'll buy a spot meter. Steve

-- Steve Crognale (sdcrog@AOL.com), March 18, 1999.

Hello Roger. Just came across this thread in the digest. My 2 cents: I have the plain prism and the folding waist-level finder. I started with the prism but could not get used to compensating for the missing 10% of the picture, so got the WL. I actually enjoy the WL a lot, mainly because I see the whole frame, but also because the reversed image slows me down a bit and forces me to think more carefully about composition (I do mostly landscapes). The magnifier helps for critical focus and easily flips out of the way. The only minor drawback so far is when stray bright light enters the finder, makes it hard to focus. Easily remedied with a makeshift hood, like a jacket.

regards,

chet

-- Chet Provoda (cprovoda@my-Deja.com), June 18, 1999.