{"id":519,"date":"2019-05-20T11:02:44","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T11:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lensnotes.com\/?p=519"},"modified":"2020-06-18T13:07:37","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T13:07:37","slug":"directors-viewfinder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lensnotes.com\/cine\/directors-viewfinder\/","title":{"rendered":"Director’s Viewfinder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span>What is a director’s viewfinder?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A director’s viewfinder is an optical device used by cinematographers and directors to pre-visualize the framing of a motion picture camera. The light and portable director’s viewfinder allows for faster and easier planning of camera movement and position without repositioning heavy equipment. There are a couple of fairly different versions of viewfinders for directors currently in use, but they both ultimately serve the same purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Alan Gordon Enterprises Mark Vb Director\u2019s Viewfinder<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Classic director’s viewfinder<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The traditional form of a director’s viewfinder resembles a small telescope with several rings and setting dials. Pictured above is the most popular viewfinder of this type, the Alan Gordon Enterprises Mark Vb Director\u2019s Viewfinder<\/a>. It’s optics allow for various focal lenghts and aspect ratios to be set with the twist of a ring, vastly speeding up the shot planning process. The coverage varies between different makes and models, and is also dependent on the format used. As an example the Mark Vb above covers focal lenghts from 18mm to 200mm for standard 35mm film format. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

High quality director’s viewfinders come with precise, coated optics and a hefty price. However, Alan Gordon also offer a smaller, significantly cheaper model, the Alan Gordon Enterprises Pocket Mini Directors Viewfinder<\/a>. Covering the same 18mm to 200mm focal lenght range as the Vb model, the mini version is a good choice for budget oriented filmmakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, Opteka also offers a comprehensive range of director’s viewfinders at very competitive prices. The Opteka 11x Zoom Professional Large Director’s Viewfinder<\/a> is an alternative to Alan Gordon’s Mark Vb. The smaller Opteka 11x Zoom Professional Micro Director’s Viewfinder<\/a> is an Alan Gordon Mini competitor. Cavision, ISCO, KISH and other companies have also manufactured viewfinders for directors over the years. We will be looking into those models in more detailed reviews further on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>How do you use a classic director’s viewfinder?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Using a classic director’s viewfinder is very simple. Begin by removing any lens caps the device may have at either end. The Alan Gordon models come with a screw-in front caps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, you need to select the appropriate format and aspect ratio you are going to be working with. How you do that depends on the model of the viewfinder. In the case of the Alan Gordon Pocket Mini<\/a> and the Mark Vb<\/a>, the aspect ratio is selected by twisting the ring around the front lens element. There are click marks for the most popular formats – 1.33, 16:9, 1.85 and 2.35. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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