Viewfinder composition doesn’t match photo’s

nickTheCut · Feb 3, 2018

Hi. I’ve been shooting with a Hasselblad 500cm and have a 45° prism finder. Im trying to figure out why I have mismatched compositions. My viewfinder is a larger, more magnified.
I am shooting with a 120mm lens, the standard is the 80mm lens. Does the viewfinder have too much magnification? Does my telephoto lens make a difference in what my view? I just want my negatives to be the intended image without cropping them. Please help me understand this. Thanks in advance

- Nick

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480sparky · Feb 3, 2018

It's typical that viewfinders don't match exactly to what is registered on the film. You usually have a slightly narrower ciew in the VF than what is recorded. You should be able to find a spec for this on the manufacturer's website with a percentage such as 95% or 97%. This means the VF will display only 95 or 97% of the actual film image.

In reality, you shouldn't generally try to crop your images THAT critically in the camera as different print sizes have difference aspect ratios. By intentionally leaving a generous 'border' surrounding your intended subject, you'll be far better able to make an acceptable print of any aspect ratio without having to chop something off you don't want to.

nickTheCut · Feb 3, 2018

480sparky said:
It's typical that viewfinders don't match exactly to what is registered on the film. You usually have a slightly narrower ciew in the VF than what is recorded. You should be able to find a spec for this on the manufacturer's website with a percentage such as 95% or 97%. This means the VF will display only 95 or 97% of the actual film image.

In reality, you shouldn't generally try to crop your images THAT critically in the camera as different print sizes have difference aspect ratios. By intentionally leaving a generous 'border' surrounding your intended subject, you'll be far better able to make an acceptable print of any aspect ratio without having to chop something off you don't want to.

I doubt with my vintage gear there is such a viewfinder that has 100% coverage. I just want my negatives so be a beautiful as possible. Sometimes I scan the images and enjoy viewing them with the film border. Maybe I’ll learn to get over that. Just trying to challenge myself to have the most intentional composition as possible

480sparky · Feb 3, 2018

I'm not sure how having a perfectly accurate viewfinder can affect having 'beautiful' negatives. If you've recorded 5 or 6% more than what you saw, how can that detract from the image?

nickTheCut · Feb 3, 2018

It’s 6x6 format and I’m shooting portrait close ups. I want my negatives to look like the dramatic cropping I envision when taking the picture. I guess I shouldn’t be so picky about it. Bummer

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john.margetts · Feb 3, 2018

The negative shouldn't look like anything in particular. It is just a intermediate step in producing a print.

nickTheCut · Feb 3, 2018

john.margetts said:
The negative shouldn't look like anything in particular. It is just a intermediate step in producing a print.

I’m using a flatbed scanner and leaving the border in as part of the image. I’m posting on Instagram and to me it tells a story of the format I’m using in this iPhone and digital era.
It’s a personal challenge to not want to crop my images.