issue with Minilux viewfinder to film accuracy

[aws]

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Hi, any other Minilux users experience this problem? Any advice?

The image framed in the viewfinder does not match the image captured on film. For example: a photo with three windows in the background was composed so the far left and right edges of the windows were flush to the left and right of the viewfinder, however, the resulting negative has the image extending beyond the edges of the windows, far more on the left side, pushing the middle, centered window off to the right. This really sucks for composition, especially with the subject was intended to be dead center.

Picture was taken with a tripod from a distance of 12-15 ft. This seems to happen with every photo, obviously more noticeable in cases such as above.

Is this normal? Will I just have to learn to adjust?

Thanks

[masjah]

Many camera viewfinders don't give a complete 100% coverage - that bit is something you need to aclimatise to. You also need to get you eye as close as possible to the v/f, and spectacles, for example, certainly don't help. With regard to the asymmetry, this may also have something to do with the printing. For example, if it is C41 negative film processed on a Fuji Frontierlab machine, the machine doesn't print the whole of the negative, and the operator may line up one edge rather than centreing. Just a few possibilities - hope this helps.

[aws]

The misalignment appears on the negative itself, though it is more pronounced in the prints, because as you suggested the operator cropped to one side, the side which was nearer to the target composition.

Here is an example, scanned from the negative. The bed, through the viewfinder, was perfectly centered. That brass lamp was nowhere to be seen.