Can anyone please tell me how an angle finder is used and which ones are compatible with my Canon AE-1 Program?

It seems to me that it attaches to the viewfinder and then you can hold the camera up to your body and look down into it to set up your shot (similar to an old Kodak Brownie?)

I'm sure there are specific uses where it comes in handiest, but it also seems to me that it might be useful when shooting kids, animals, plants, or anything lower to the ground than you? My knees aren't what they once were and if this would save me from kneeling at times, I think I'd use it.

Thanks in advance!

Teri

-- Teri V. (tessv@usinternet.com), February 06, 2002

Answers

You got it. It would. The uses you cite are the ones for which angle finders were designed, as well as when mounting the camera on copy stands or other places its hard to get your face behind it.

Note, however, angle finders have fairly short exit pupils and still require your face to be at their eyepieces. They aren't "waist level finders" by any means. If you want a waist level finder on a camera compatible with your lenses, get a Canon F-1 (old, improved, or new generation) and its corresponding "Speed Finder," meant to be viewed from a distance.

Your Canon rectangular viewfinder (a.k.a. "type S" for "square") takes the Angle Finders A, B, or the hotshot new C, as well as fitting any other S-type accessories -- for old or new autofocus Canons. Additionally, these S-type accessories are compatible with eyepiece accessories for Pentax K, Contax/Yashica, and Minolta MD viewfinders, sometimes a lot cheaper than Canon. I have a Minolta angle finder for my T90, f'rinstance. But I lust after a new Angle Finder C.

Cheers!

-- Robert Segal (robertsegal@juno.com), February 07, 2002.

To distinguish the models further. The Canon A unit is the simplest and cheapest. It is harder to use because the image is reversed left to right so panning and tracking become difficult because the eyepiece image moves the wrong way. The B unit uses a prism so the image is not reversed left to right. The C unit is the most expensive and has two magnifications 1.25x and 2.5x. Units A & B only have about 1x. It also comes with an adapter to use it with the newer EOS cameras with eye controlled focus.

One thing to be aware of with Canon A & B units is that it must have the 'S' adapter to fit the square eyepiece on the camera. This is sometimes not provided and is difficult to get.

I'll confirm that the Minolta anglefinders fit. I had an older one that I used for years before I got a Canon C unit. It did not reverse the image and was cheaper than a Canon A unit. Minolta also makes an anglefinder VN that has variable magnification.

If you can, try one of these gizmos out first. They are handy but can be difficult to see thru.

Good luck & cheers,

Duane

-- Duane K (dkucheran@creo.com), February 07, 2002.