Andreas Feininger Photo Question

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Andreas Feininger has a famous picture of a man holding a Leica SM camera verticaly to face and is looking through a seperate viewfinder. The viewfined is quite large. Most of the face is in shadow. The photo is on the cover of the book "What They Saw". A search on Amazon.com for that book will show the cover.

Since the lens is a 50mm, I've always wondered why the viewfinder? But the bigger question is who made the finder? Does anyone recognize it.

Curious minds have to know!

Thanks.

-- Tony Oresteen (Aoresteen@mindspring.com), October 14, 2001

Answers

The photograph ("The Photojournalist", the subject is Dennis Stock) is also here:

http://www.gallerym.com/pixs/photogs/fa/faphotojournalist.jpg

I think the finder was included to balance the composition. I've seen this described as a portrait of the photographer as 'mechanized insect'. On the other hand, the built-in viewfinders on these cameras are rather small, and an accessory finder might improve usability even if the focal length of the lens doesn't require one. I'd even wondered whether it might be worth trying the Voigtlander 50mm finder on my IIIc. Can't help with the finder model used in the photograph, however. Maybe it's the biggest one they could find!

-- Richard Williams (richardw@icr.ac.uk), October 15, 2001.


For anyone who wears glasses and shoots with a LTM camera, the reason for the viewfinder (even with a 50) is simply that the auxillary finders present a larger and easier to see image. If I remember the image correctly the shooter does not wear glasses but even for those with good eyesite the use of an aux. finder allows quicker framing. One manufacturer of such style finders was Walz (looks a lot like the one in the picture).

-- Peter J. Hanlon (peter.hanlon@3web.net), October 15, 2001.

The viewfinder is a TEWE, the camera is a IIIc and the subject is Dennis Stock. He is now a Magnum photographer.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), October 15, 2001.


The VF is looking like an older Linhof’s one. The high shoe’s leg is for parallax compensation in wider range than it is necessary for 35mm camera that has a very short distance between an VF’ and lens’ optical axles.

-- Victor Randin (ved@enran.com.ua), October 15, 2001.

Richard, try the 50 finder. You'll never go back to the little built in finder. You can compose with both eyes open, and the framelines will float in space.

-- John Fleetwood (johnfleetwood@hotmail.com), October 15, 2001.


Dennis Stock is 73 now, and has been a member of magnum photos since 1951, he is the author of some of the most famous pictures of James Dean.

Interesting to know it is him in the portrait of Feininger.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), October 15, 2001.


Thanks for the tip John, sounds like it's a worthwhile accessory.

More Feininger trivia - I've just looked at a better reproduction of this photo in a book, and the lens is a 5cm Summitar (so if Andy Piper who replied to a similar question in the 'left eyed' thread is reading this - close but no cigar :-) As for the camera, can we say definitively if it's a IIIc or a IIIf? - the photo is dated 1955, so I'd guess either is possible unless some distinguishing mark is visible (or unless it's actually documented somewhere). And finally, is Dennis Stock really left-eyed?!

-- Richard Williams (richardw@icr.ac.uk), October 15, 2001.


I remember seeing the origional Feininger photo a while back and always wanted to do it. Mine is quite different because I couldn't remember the details. I used a 90/4 Elmar and the Leica 90 finder reversed to make it larger.

-- Gerry Widen (gwiden@alliancepartners.org), January 16, 2002.


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