I like using UV cure optics cement for applications like this! It never fogs, won't discolor over time, cures to be optically clear, and it's formulated specifically for adhering to glass. Your working time is also essentially unlimited since it won't set until you blast it for a good long while with UV light.
I never thought of buying just components off Amazon, rather than fully assembled things, so that's opened my eyes a bit! (Just a minor thing, clearly you've come across the word "fresnel" by reading it - it's pronounced "fre-nel". The etched side is effectively a sliced-up replica of the surface of a convex lens, they've just taken out the "inside" material of the lens and flattened it all down. I've seen them used in phone torch/flashes, to give the point source (LED) a bit more of a broad throw.)
Well, nearly all mirrorless camera models these days have either a screen which flips out, or tilts up. Aaaand you can see the picture from waist-level. You're welcome.
@@CarlosBenjaminequal stress is the French way to do it. That "nel" is approaching silent. But, hey, 40 years of French and degrees in the evolution of the language might have me at a disadvantage.
This acts a bit more like a brilliant finder rather than the usual TLR/waist-level finder, because it doesn't include a focusing screen or ground glass. The Fresnel lens is a bit matte, so it still gives a nice result. Very nice project!
I have been toying with the idea of something similar but I was going to use a camera and a small screen, this is a way more elegant solution. Great job! Good luck on the camera building too
Very cool. Recreating tech from 100 years ago with modern materials is the way to go. Ariel finders like this are really nice and very underappreciated
This is awesome. I picked up an old Yashica TLR. Never shot any medium format film through it, but just looking through the waist level viewfinder is so cool. I want to try this for my Ricoh GR's.
Dude! This is genius! It solves my greatest pain point of analogue photography! I can't get down on the ground each time I want to take a low shot; this viewfinder would be a great solution!
That's very cool. It's reminiscent of the "brilliant viewfinders" on the early bellows cameras, particularly those made by Kodak. Also for those that don't have a 3D printer, there are several 3D printing services online that could print this in almost any material you want including different metals.
I can see a lot of applications for this, pretty cool that you figured it out. A side note, Dorothea Lang used a camera with waist level finder and she was not tall. Some have suggested that this was a benefit to her photography.
This is on par with a little project I have been thinking about. I would like to demonstrate different lens throws by creating a kind of open box with an EF mount at the front and a ground glass screen at the film plane. This way finally we could see the differences in throw and scale lenses and sensors have.
My parents advice on my first day of high school was to "seek out a sophomore with a car and make friends... That person will be your best friend for the next 4 years" Sounds like your 3d printer advice.
Very original, enjoyed this. I can appreciate all the time and energy that went into this, which is condensed into a mere 7 minutes! Perhaps you could sell them.
The image in the viewfinder looked great, and the bridge or overpass in 28mm really brought me back to my early days of shooting, though, those days were with Praktica TL SLRs. Never really played much with waist-level finders. But now I kind of want to.
I'm surprised that no manufacturer has experimented with the top display on a camera being a small OLED screen with this capability. I love shooting with a waist-level finder and it's honestly one of the things I miss most when using modern cameras (as tiltable rear screens really aren't the same experience).
Wow, that's an awesome idea! Most DIY camera stuff seems rather elaborate, but this project is accessible with easy to follow steps! Also, I thought you were going to use a ground glass, though. I wonder how it'd compare? I've seen some designs of DIY view cameras or just for focusing screens be composed of different layers of Fresnel lenses and ground glass which result in different properties depending on the order and amount of each. One thing I want to add is if anyone wants to try this, check your local library as they may have a 3D printer you could use!
Check out your local library; there might be one in your area with a 3D printer. If you haven't been in a while, you might be surprised that they have so much more than just books. One in my area has a full makerspace with 3D printers, a laser cutter, a large format printer, an electronics lab, assorted power tools, sewing machines, and so much more. Plus, they offer lessons on how to use everything
I've done some lens doublet re-cementing before, and I would be curious to see how well it would work in this application. I'm invested now. Thanks for the free STL files, that's awesome of you. Off to the library this week to print them.
Not that it matters, and sorry if this sound a bit trollish, but the "s" in "Fresnel" is silent: It is pronounced "FREN-el", or "FRAY-nel". I would also use sheet of frosted glass or plastic to project the image on, rather than the Fresnel, or the Fresnel alone. This is found in many such finders. Yes it is usually used as a focusing plane, not needed for a viewfinder along, but I think it gives a nice effect.
I had an Exacta (anybody remember those?) that had an available waist level finder. Pull the unit with pentaprism and viewfinder up and out, drop the waist level in. Perfect for candid shots as I didn't look like I was making a photo, no camera up to my eye. Also pretty nice for anything where you want to shoot low (e.g. macro, or just showing off your tilt lens's ability to look like infinite depth of field). Now I'm using a DSLR with tilt screen, but this looks interesting for a compact. Good on you,
Actually most camera viewfinders use a ground glass AND condenser lens, or a ground glass AND Fresnel lens, sometimes physically combined, sometimes separate. The ground glass allows you to see focus, something a standalone viewfinder does not need to do, so they don't have them.
Trivia for future reference: the 's' in "Fresnel" is silent (it's a French name). Fresnel lenses absolutely revolutionized lighthouses by allowing them to focus the signal light without requiring incredibly massive lenses.
It would be great if cameras manufacturers would make the hot shoe become compatible with small screens, so that there would not be added bulk apart from a small optional monitor. BTW, nice video.
I was also thinking about a digital waist-level camera. All manufacturers have gone to mirrorless systems - so no space for mirror. And I wondered, what about Pentax? They still use a DSLR mount and could make a waist-level camera... Maybe even with a square sensor, so that it is slightly larger than a full frame.
Waist level finders are so much fun. It’s a real shame that no one is making a small, basic plastic 35mm camera with a WLF. There are some effectively non-functional kits (a Chinese no-name TLR kit and the Lomo Konstructor SLR), but the mechanisms are so dodgy that while they might be fun build projects, they aren’t really usable cameras. The Konstructor would be really sweet, actually, if it had a winding mechanism and shutter assembled in the factory and actually reliable. There used to be a cheap plastic 35mm TLR from BlackBirdFly, but no longer manufactured and the eBay prices have gone through the roof. A dream would be for someone like Reto to just make one. Call it a Brownie Starflex after the vintage model. Fixed focus, fixed shutter like most plastic not-disposable cameras, but just with a built in WLF. Maybe it could be a full-rebate camera, exposing the sprocket holes for square images, with viewfinder markings for standard 3:2.
Could this also double as a regular optical view finder if you used a beam splitting mirror and another lens? I guess you would need to correct for the image being upside down. That would be cool on a GR.
there are mirrors where the coating is on the back so you aren't looking through the glass. it's much more fragile but might look better. I would love have a diy camera that only has SS, ISO and aperture with one control for each, and no auto anything.
I get the concept, and it's cool to make stuff, but I can tilt the screen up on my camera. If i really wanted to be fancy, I suppose I could make a Fresnel lens box for my screen.
If you don't have access to a 3D printer, you should check your local library to see if they have one! Supporting libraries is huge but they'll probably also let you use it for free for such a small piece too.
Great experiment !! lovely results
Aye, you're also here 😆
I like using UV cure optics cement for applications like this! It never fogs, won't discolor over time, cures to be optically clear, and it's formulated specifically for adhering to glass. Your working time is also essentially unlimited since it won't set until you blast it for a good long while with UV light.
Great tip! I knew someone would know more about this and could chime in
Recommended this as well.
You should use a “first surface” mirror. They are reflective on their surface, instead of through a layer of glass. This improves image clarity.
I'll look into that, thanks!
I never thought of buying just components off Amazon, rather than fully assembled things, so that's opened my eyes a bit! (Just a minor thing, clearly you've come across the word "fresnel" by reading it - it's pronounced "fre-nel". The etched side is effectively a sliced-up replica of the surface of a convex lens, they've just taken out the "inside" material of the lens and flattened it all down. I've seen them used in phone torch/flashes, to give the point source (LED) a bit more of a broad throw.)
I actually spent hours and hours looking for a solution like this a few years ago.
Great job!
YES YES YES. Thank you!!! Waist-level view-finding is sorely needed in the digital age. Thank you!!!
Well, nearly all mirrorless camera models these days have either a screen which flips out, or tilts up. Aaaand you can see the picture from waist-level. You're welcome.
@ Flip screens are better than nothing. A tiny bit better.
Cool gadget to look through! I think people typically pronounce Fresnel close to the French pronunciation, so "Frei-'nel"
I mostly hear 'freh-nell',
@@bobkoure this is correct
@@bobkoureWith emphasis on the second syllable.
@@CarlosBenjaminequal stress is the French way to do it. That "nel" is approaching silent. But, hey, 40 years of French and degrees in the evolution of the language might have me at a disadvantage.
@CarlosBenjamin Exactly.
This is why you're my #1 photog channel.
Ive watched many many hours of camera and photography youtube content, and this simply takes the cake. Very well done.
Brilliant video Snaps! Looks fantastic! Can't wait to see the Snaps Camera! Thanks for inspiring and sharing!
This acts a bit more like a brilliant finder rather than the usual TLR/waist-level finder, because it doesn't include a focusing screen or ground glass. The Fresnel lens is a bit matte, so it still gives a nice result. Very nice project!
I have been toying with the idea of something similar but I was going to use a camera and a small screen, this is a way more elegant solution. Great job! Good luck on the camera building too
This is actually amazing, might give it a go myself, always wanted a dead viewfinder to get a framing idea without turning on the camera each time.
Very cool. Recreating tech from 100 years ago with modern materials is the way to go. Ariel finders like this are really nice and very underappreciated
This is awesome. I picked up an old Yashica TLR. Never shot any medium format film through it, but just looking through the waist level viewfinder is so cool. I want to try this for my Ricoh GR's.
The tones is here
Dude! This is genius! It solves my greatest pain point of analogue photography! I can't get down on the ground each time I want to take a low shot; this viewfinder would be a great solution!
If you shoot an SLR system, there might be an "angle finder" available for it that attaches to the eyepiece and lets you see exact framing and focus.
@ I wasn't aware such a thing existed! I can't find one for any of my cameras though :(
That's very cool. It's reminiscent of the "brilliant viewfinders" on the early bellows cameras, particularly those made by Kodak.
Also for those that don't have a 3D printer, there are several 3D printing services online that could print this in almost any material you want including different metals.
Really nice build! I was just looking at those viewfinders the other day. Way more fun to build your own!
I can see a lot of applications for this, pretty cool that you figured it out. A side note, Dorothea Lang used a camera with waist level finder and she was not tall. Some have suggested that this was a benefit to her photography.
This is on par with a little project I have been thinking about. I would like to demonstrate different lens throws by creating a kind of open box with an EF mount at the front and a ground glass screen at the film plane. This way finally we could see the differences in throw and scale lenses and sensors have.
Awesome project! This is why I love your channel.
Always cool to see another Seagull user! I have mine since the 90's but recently CLA and put it back into service!
My parents advice on my first day of high school was to "seek out a sophomore with a car and make friends... That person will be your best friend for the next 4 years" Sounds like your 3d printer advice.
It's pretty sad how car-centric the American society is.
I'm blown away! Super excited to see where this goes!
from what I understand, what you are actually looking for instead of fresnel lenses is ground glass, then it'll really look like a 'screen'
Thanks for this! Been excited for this vid for a while!
Very original, enjoyed this. I can appreciate all the time and energy that went into this, which is condensed into a mere 7 minutes! Perhaps you could sell them.
Great video, very fun project! Although slight pronunciation correction - the "s" in "fresnel" is silent :D
haha, I had no idea. Guess I coulda looked that up..
And it's always capitalized Fresnel. After Augustin-Jean Fresnel.
This was one of your most best !
So cool! I’ve always wondered how those viewfinders were put together.
Thank you for sharing, I’m happy I found your channel today
heck yes. very exited for the next one!
This is awesome. Looking forward to see your home-made camera!
pronounce freNEL.
Depends
Jif gif 😂
(For the record: it’s freh-nell, like the fremen in Dune)
@@POVwithRC No, @jinchoung is right. Augustin Jean Fresnel was a French Physicist, which makes his name pronunciation non-disputable.
Came here to say this lol
@@POVwithRC Depends on what? Whether its pronounced correctly or not?
Magic project. I’d guess these would be fairly popular if manufactured. Looking forward to seeing the homemade camera videos
The image in the viewfinder looked great, and the bridge or overpass in 28mm really brought me back to my early days of shooting, though, those days were with Praktica TL SLRs. Never really played much with waist-level finders. But now I kind of want to.
I'm convinced. You are a genius. 😁 this is awesome.
Love your dedications!!!
I'm surprised that no manufacturer has experimented with the top display on a camera being a small OLED screen with this capability. I love shooting with a waist-level finder and it's honestly one of the things I miss most when using modern cameras (as tiltable rear screens really aren't the same experience).
Wow, that's an awesome idea! Most DIY camera stuff seems rather elaborate, but this project is accessible with easy to follow steps! Also, I thought you were going to use a ground glass, though. I wonder how it'd compare? I've seen some designs of DIY view cameras or just for focusing screens be composed of different layers of Fresnel lenses and ground glass which result in different properties depending on the order and amount of each.
One thing I want to add is if anyone wants to try this, check your local library as they may have a 3D printer you could use!
The resolution will be limited by the Fresnel frequency.
Very cool. Also this is the first time I've gotten a simple explanation of focal length, haha.
This is very cool dude!
Amazing work dude
This is so cool!!! Love your channel! 😀
Check out your local library; there might be one in your area with a 3D printer. If you haven't been in a while, you might be surprised that they have so much more than just books. One in my area has a full makerspace with 3D printers, a laser cutter, a large format printer, an electronics lab, assorted power tools, sewing machines, and so much more. Plus, they offer lessons on how to use everything
I build a prototype kinda like this, it works but is abit borked and a tad bulky, but this has helped, defiantly got to try another one now 😊
Can't wait to see the comera you built!!
So cool, thanks for sharing 🫶
Great job! Gonna have to build one as well!
This is some great content! I'm happy this randomly popped up for me! Subscribed!
This is legendary bro! Love to see it! Subscribing to follow your journey😊
This is genius! I like the markings idea, it looks great!
I've done some lens doublet re-cementing before, and I would be curious to see how well it would work in this application. I'm invested now. Thanks for the free STL files, that's awesome of you. Off to the library this week to print them.
Not that it matters, and sorry if this sound a bit trollish, but the "s" in "Fresnel" is silent: It is pronounced "FREN-el", or "FRAY-nel".
I would also use sheet of frosted glass or plastic to project the image on, rather than the Fresnel, or the Fresnel alone. This is found in many such finders. Yes it is usually used as a focusing plane, not needed for a viewfinder along, but I think it gives a nice effect.
FRUH-nel :) Nice experiment !
I had an Exacta (anybody remember those?) that had an available waist level finder. Pull the unit with pentaprism and viewfinder up and out, drop the waist level in. Perfect for candid shots as I didn't look like I was making a photo, no camera up to my eye. Also pretty nice for anything where you want to shoot low (e.g. macro, or just showing off your tilt lens's ability to look like infinite depth of field).
Now I'm using a DSLR with tilt screen, but this looks interesting for a compact. Good on you,
I have an Exakta Varex and an Exakta Varex iia.
I use the waist level finders more than the eye level one. It's my favorite style of shooting.
I love my TLRs, this is really good project.
You are a pure genius...
Great job 👍👍👍👍
I was just wishing for this!!!
Ground glass is what's actually used in these finders. It just so happens that a Fresnel lens has the right texture.
Actually most camera viewfinders use a ground glass AND condenser lens, or a ground glass AND Fresnel lens, sometimes physically combined, sometimes separate. The ground glass allows you to see focus, something a standalone viewfinder does not need to do, so they don't have them.
Great build for a hobby on rainy/bad day....
Very innovative! 10 points out of 10!
What a great cool project.
Very cool, thanks dude!
Trivia for future reference: the 's' in "Fresnel" is silent (it's a French name). Fresnel lenses absolutely revolutionized lighthouses by allowing them to focus the signal light without requiring incredibly massive lenses.
Analog goes on top 💯👌🏽😄🥳
It would be great if cameras manufacturers would make the hot shoe become compatible with small screens, so that there would not be added bulk apart from a small optional monitor. BTW, nice video.
A trivial thing to build, but a very interesting idea in the digital era!
You basically created a Digital Twin Lens Reflex :)
What a cool idea!
On the 3d printer statement, check your local library. I found out my nearest one has one and the materials are also free to use.
That's great! Good tip!
You should definitely do a review on the Samsung galaxy camera! It’s really cool.
holy thats cool! ima need to build this on my own!!!!
Love this, you managed to make it look decent too. Next stop parallax correction?
big brain activity around these parts
I would do the box out of legos ... Excellent video, very cool idea.
Hey, there's an idea!
Very cool!!
Brilliant idea 😃
I was also thinking about a digital waist-level camera. All manufacturers have gone to mirrorless systems - so no space for mirror. And I wondered, what about Pentax? They still use a DSLR mount and could make a waist-level camera... Maybe even with a square sensor, so that it is slightly larger than a full frame.
Next level ingenuity, Ricoh, need to "snap" you up for their R&D department!
Very interesting. Thank you.
Thanks for the content.
So cool! Thanks!
That was very interesting.
Simple, do the job to frame the pictures, nice job and tips!
Looking forward to your camera project! Subscription ON
This would be very useful for that Sony QX-1.
Sir!! (Hope you don't mind me not calling you DUDE or BRO) Just wandered over to this video- right after my own heart- thank you
Waist level finders are so much fun. It’s a real shame that no one is making a small, basic plastic 35mm camera with a WLF. There are some effectively non-functional kits (a Chinese no-name TLR kit and the Lomo Konstructor SLR), but the mechanisms are so dodgy that while they might be fun build projects, they aren’t really usable cameras. The Konstructor would be really sweet, actually, if it had a winding mechanism and shutter assembled in the factory and actually reliable. There used to be a cheap plastic 35mm TLR from BlackBirdFly, but no longer manufactured and the eBay prices have gone through the roof.
A dream would be for someone like Reto to just make one. Call it a Brownie Starflex after the vintage model. Fixed focus, fixed shutter like most plastic not-disposable cameras, but just with a built in WLF. Maybe it could be a full-rebate camera, exposing the sprocket holes for square images, with viewfinder markings for standard 3:2.
I think there really could be a market for that.
You might consider using a first surface mirror, if you can find one.
Love this!
Cool AND nerdy!
Could this also double as a regular optical view finder if you used a beam splitting mirror and another lens? I guess you would need to correct for the image being upside down. That would be cool on a GR.
Very nice
How did you mount it to your camera body? What was the attachment point?
what is that camera? looks so cool
The TLR in the video is the Seagull 4B. The two compact cameras are the Ricoh GR and Leica X1
I wonder if there is a way you could change out the lens and Fresnel lens without having to glue them into place?
there are mirrors where the coating is on the back so you aren't looking through the glass. it's much more fragile but might look better. I would love have a diy camera that only has SS, ISO and aperture with one control for each, and no auto anything.
I get the concept, and it's cool to make stuff, but I can tilt the screen up on my camera. If i really wanted to be fancy, I suppose I could make a Fresnel lens box for my screen.
If you don't have access to a 3D printer, you should check your local library to see if they have one! Supporting libraries is huge but they'll probably also let you use it for free for such a small piece too.