What attaches to viewfinder threaded area? & More...

kovacs22

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On my Fed 3 camera's viewfinder, I can see that threading that leads up to the viewfinder. What is supposed to attach to that? I'm guessing that it's an attachment that enhances the viewfinder for specific tasks or in general (?). I have a turret-style viewfinder incoming but maybe I can still find use for whatever can attach to it?

Also, why isn't the viewfinder centered atop the lens? Is it due to ergonomics for folks who like to keep one eye on the viewfinder, and one eye on the subject (i.e. not using the camera)?

Thanks in advance!
 
Having the viewfinder on the left means that the camera does not squash your nose as much as it would if the viewfinder was central.

I suspect that the threaded part of the eyepiece is to allow rubber eye-cups or sight correcting lenses to be added.

www.johns-old-cameras.blogspot.co.uk
 
Central viewfinder would make it very difficult to install a rangefinder on the top of the camera. Camera would have to be much wider and that is less practical. In good rangefinder cameras viewfinder often has parallax compensation to some extend. I don't think FED 3 has one. In SLR cameras viewfinder is in the middle and somehow no one complains about nose pain. :acne:
 
On early Leicas and Feds, the viewfinder is to the left of the rangefinder eyepiece. When the two were combined, the viewfinder could have been moved to the position of the rangefinder but wasn't.

Again, look at Voigtlander Bessa folders - the viewfinder is right on the edge of the top plate when it could have been anywhere as there is no rangefinder to worry about. There are many other examples of non-rangefinder cameras dating from the 1930s, 40s and 50s with the viewfinder right at the edge. I shall stick with my nose explanation.

www.johns-old-cameras.blogspot.co.uk
 
Also, why isn't the viewfinder centered atop the lens? Is it due to ergonomics for folks who like to keep one eye on the viewfinder, and one eye on the subject (i.e. not using the camera)?

In addition to the other answers already posted ...
A rangefinder type viewfinder needs two windows in order to provide its split image focusing aid. The further apart those windows are, the more accurate the rangefinder can be.
 
Again, look at Voigtlander Bessa folders - the viewfinder is right on the edge of the top plate when it could have been anywhere as there is no rangefinder to worry about. There are many other examples of non-rangefinder cameras dating from the 1930s, 40s and 50s with the viewfinder right at the edge. I shall stick with my nose explanation.

www.johns-old-cameras.blogspot.co.uk
:allteeth: And there is a number of Voigtlander Bessa folders with viewfinder right in the middle. Those models were never intended to have version with rangefinder. Pictures say all:
Voigtlander Bessa folders - Google Search
 

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