Frame Line Questions

[JimGoshorn]

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Have a few questions regarding working with frame lines:

 

1. Since they are an approximation of the FOV, how often do you find yourself either cropping in post or retaking an image to get it the way you envisioned?

 

2. When you do have to crop, is it significant enough to affect your ability to get good 16x20 or 20x24 prints?

 

3. Is there a difference in frame lines between focal lengths? In other words, if you learn how they work with a 50, does the same positioning of the subject apply to other focal lengths as well or will you have to position differently for each focal length's frame lines?

 

4. When dealing with external finders, is the Universal Finder easier to deal with since it compensates to some degree for parallax or is it just as easy to deal with a dedicated finder when considering frame lines?

 

5. For those of you that have seen the LED frame lines, are they any more accurate than the current frame lines or is it just a cosmetic change?

 

Thanks!

 

Jim

[01af]

1. Since they are an approximation of the FOV, how often do you find yourself either cropping in post or retaking an image to get it the way you envisioned?

Fairly often, actually—which however is no problem with a digital camera. And with some practice, it's getting better. With an analog camera, of course you wouldn't notice the discrepancy in the first place ... at least not in time to re-shoot.

 

 

2. When you do have to crop, is it significant enough to affect your ability to get good 16 × 20" or 20 × 24" prints?

No.

 

 

3. Is there a difference in frame lines between focal lengths?

Yes. Longer focal lengths are affected more than shorter ones.

 

 

4. When dealing with external finders, is the Universal Finder easier to deal with since it compensates to some degree for parallax or is it just as easy to deal with a dedicated finder when considering frame lines?

The Universal-Weitwinkelsucher M is ugly and bulky, but it's the best accessory finder you can get. It is the only one that actually has accurate parallax correction, and also the integrated spirit level is very useful. And you don't need to carry several accessory finders (and switch between them) when using more than one super-wide lens. Highly recommended.

 

 

5. For those of you that have seen the LED frame lines, are they any more accurate than the current frame lines ...?

No, they're not. They are just as inaccurate as the usual framelines; only the way to make them light up in the viewfinder is different. And the colour is different, too—red rather than white, which I find distracting. I don't like the LED frame lines.

[lct]

...1. Since they are an approximation of the FOV, how often do you find yourself either cropping in post or retaking an image to get it the way you envisioned?...

Depends on lenses and cameras. With film Ms, i've always cropped more or less except with the Summicron-C 40/2 which fits pretty well the 35mm framelines of those bodies. Same with Epson R-D1 & RD1s. I crop significantly less out of the M8.2, except with the same 40/2 (on 50mm framelines).

[jaapv]

Have a few questions regarding working with frame lines:

 

1. Since they are an approximation of the FOV, how often do you find yourself either cropping in post or retaking an image to get it the way you envisioned?

 

2. When you do have to crop, is it significant enough to affect your ability to get good 16x20 or 20x24 prints?

 

3. Is there a difference in frame lines between focal lengths? In other words, if you learn how they work with a 50, does the same positioning of the subject apply to other focal lengths as well or will you have to position differently for each focal length's frame lines?

 

4. When dealing with external finders, is the Universal Finder easier to deal with since it compensates to some degree for parallax or is it just as easy to deal with a dedicated finder when considering frame lines?

 

5. For those of you that have seen the LED frame lines, are they any more accurate than the current frame lines or is it just a cosmetic change?

 

Thanks!

 

Jim

Basically the answer to all of these questions is: you have to gain experience and expertise. An experienced RF user will easily frame accurately, because he knows the divergence from the actual framelines with that lens at that distance.

 

There are approximate guidelines to help the less experienced: with 50 mm:

1 m = inside edge framelines

3 m = outside edge framelines

infinity = 3 framelines thicknesses outside outer border

 

etc.

 

The thing to know is that the framelines are actually extremely accurate, at the distance they are adjusted to be accurate at; be it 0.7 m, 1 m or 2 m depending on camera type.

But as the lens gets focussed at another distance the angle of view changes with the lens being extended, so the framelines don't match the field of view.

[Guest #12]

...

The thing to know is that the framelines are actually extremely accurate, at the distance they are adjusted to be accurate at; be it 0.7 m, 1 m or 2 m depending on camera type...

 

Have you measured this yourself, i.e. to actually get a number for the accuracy?

 

I doubt the framelines are especially accurate, either with respect to the reference distance or the parallax compensation. Far as I know, this is what everyone here found when they actually measured (there are three or four previous threads on the subject).