I tried searching but the century I just purchased does not have the optical viewfinder it has the side mounted Kalart rangefinder. My question is are all of the optical tubular viewfinder same for both the bigger and smaller cameras? And then just a mask or is there a physical difference between the two as I look for a viewfinder

AFAIK, the short and long versions of the optical finder are optically equivalent. The longer version will be more convenient to use on the Century when mounting a roll film holder; in that situation, the short version is hard to get your eye up to without scrunching your face into the holder. As for mask size, that depends on the nominal focal length of the particular lens in use, as well as film format (e.g., 2x3, 2x2, 6x7cm).

IMO, the optical finder is of minimal utility in any event. The image it gives is a very rough approximation of what the film sees. In my experience, the frame finder extended on the front standard gives a better idea of the image frame. Of course, the most accurate image is that seen on the ground glass when properly marked for the format in use, but practically requires the use of a tripod and critical focussing with a loupe (plus dark cloth and cable release; in other words, the entire view camera setup). The frame finder proves its worth for hand-held work.

I've used the Century Graphic extensively in the field, and the above observations are based on my experience. YMMV!

A couple other discussions also said that the sports finder is actually fairly accurate for handheld use. I just see them all with the viewfinder on top and wanted mine to match.... if I don't need it I don't need it

There's a couple of New Old Stock ones that are very reasonably repriced and the camera I got is very very clean and I thought it might look nice with a new viewfinder

To partially answer your questions about mask sizes, see https://graflex.org/speed-graphic/viewfinder-masks.html. Note that this table is incomplete; for example, it does not cover 6x7 format.

Whoops, that link doesn't work. Try https://graflex.org/speed-graphic/FAQ.html, click on Viewfinders, then click on Mask Sizes.

OK, those links don't work Not quite sure why. If you go to the home page at graflex.org (top of this page) and click on Soeed Graphic FAQ, then on Viewfinders, then on Various Masks, you'll see what I was trying to link to above.

the box for this finder says wide angle 9106 with #4 mask but it is long...


would any other brands work?

Markdam wrote:

There's a couple of New Old Stock ones that are very reasonably repriced and the camera I got is very very clean and I thought it might look nice with a new viewfinder

Yeah, that's just what I thought when I got my Century, only to find out what I wrote above. But about 99% of my work is with tripod, so I have no need for the optical finder. The frame ("sports") finder in conjunction with the Kalart is the way to go for hand-held, but note that resetting the Kalart for different focal length lenses is a PITA.

Markdam wrote:

the box for this finder says wide angle 9106 with #4 mask but it is long... would any other brands work?

Not sure what you mean by "other brands." The wide angle finder is a different animal altogether, and I have no experience with it.

the link worked after i deleted your extra comma after HTML

The Sports finder peephole on my graflex is very loose is this normal? I tightened the screw but remains floppy . Is there another washer I may need to add to add some tension?

The wide angle finder is a clip-on lens that is attached to the tubular viewfinder using its mask slot. I have one. It has roughly the field of view of a 65 mm lens.

I shoot my Graphics on a tripod, have several wide angle lenses for them. If you're going to shoot from tripod or have other focal lengths than 65 mm you don't really need it.

Dan Fromm wrote:

The wide angle finder is a clip-on lens that is attached to the tubular viewfinder using its mask slot. I have one. It has roughly the field of view of a 65 mm lens. I shoot my Graphics on a tripod, have several wide angle lenses for them. If you're going to shoot from tripod or have other focal lengths than 65 mm you don't really need it.

I plan on shooting both ways

Also let me clarify when I say sports finder I mean the wire pull up finder with the peep hole that flips up in the back... that peep hole is very loose

The peepsight (official Graflex name for this part) is made of springy steel. According to the company's Service Manual and Parts Catalog, there is a washer between the peepsight and the camera body, and a "cap" between the peepsight and the screw head. The cap washer appears to be plastic; the rear washer I presume to be metal and is thinner than the cap washer. Disclaimer: I haven't disassembled my peepsight assembly to ascertain the correctness of my assumptions; my remarks are based on the Manual's exploded view and my own visual observations. HTH.

it appears to be ok but i ill take it apart and see what's going on

here's a few pics of the camera and lenses to be mounted



https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BSyay4fTWFV24s4Mtxha4q7HsMTZk3R-?usp=sharing