The glass insert covering the 35mm still camera film aperture
(click to view enlarged image)
Technical Info
By scribing the focusing screen of a 35mm still camera with the markings of the various 35mm motion picture formats, we have converted the still camera into an accurate motion picture viewfinder. (The following formats may be included: Academy, TV, 1:1.85, HDTV, and Super 35 [1:2.40]). Each lens will function as it would if used on a motion picture camera. For example, a 28mm lens will show exactly the same angle of view as a 28mm lens fitted on a 35mm motion picture camera. And, as important, it will reveal the optical characteristics of that lens, in this case, wide angle perspective. It will also accurately represent depth of field according to the f-stop set on the lens. Any lens, including zoom lenses, can be used and no physical or mathematical conversion is required.
35mm Motion Picture View finding System
This view finding system has been developed for 35mm motion picture film production. It is intended for use in various stages of pre-production -- on a location scout, during set design and construction, throughout rehearsal, etc. -- when it is valuable for members of the production team to view the proposed scenes as the camera will see them. During production, the photographs created can serve as a guide, a photo-board, for the shoot. This reference allows for more complete understanding and accurate communication between all involved.
Adapting 35mm Still Cameras
We've taken advantage of the similar scale of 35mm motion picture and still photographic formats. Film for 35mm motion picture photography and film for 35mm still photography is nearly identical in its physical dimensions. The image area on the negative, however, is not. The film is oriented horizontally in 35mm still cameras and vertically in motion picture cameras. Yet, both image areas are wider than they are high. Therefore, the 35mm still negative image area is larger, its width unbound by the limit of the film's width. Since the motion picture image can be entirely contained within the still image we are free to represent within the still image exactly the area of a motion picture image in its various formats.
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The glass insert covering the 35mm still camera film aperture (click to view enlarged image) |
An advantage to using a camera as a viewfinder is that we may to take pictures while lining up shots. We have created a removable transparency with markings identical to those of the focusing screen. It is designed to be positioned in the back of the camera just ahead of the film plane. As the image is exposed, the format markings are transferred to the film. Additional information can be added to the photograph through the use of a data back.
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 This is a drawing of the Combo version of the glass insert. Tape can be applied to the areas left and right of the still frame to secure it to the aperture plate. The focusing screen is etched with exactly the same markings. |
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The focusing screen
should be removed and installed according to instructions in the camera's instruction
manual.
For Example, Nikon FE2 instruction manual
Click on the photos below to see the enlarged images. They make the installation
procedure clearer.
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Installation can be accomplished and reversed easily and quickly by the user in the field. We have had reliable results securing the glass insert with ordinary transparent (Scotch) tape. It is thin and easy to work with. When cut with scissors and not with the serrated edge of the dispenser it maintains a low profile. A tab, tape folded back on itself, facilitates easy removal. The tab may be left in the film canister well where it can not scratch the film. If the camera body is capable of automatic film I.D. the tape must be kept away from the electrical contacts in the well. The glass should be oriented so that the format labels appear upside down and backwards in the upper left corner of the camera aperture.
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Installation in
a camera body with automatic film I.D. |