Got a camera that doesn’t have a viewfinder? Don’t fret, because if you’re crafty, you can easily make one — a cool waist-level optical viewfinder at that!
In the video above, James Warner of snappiness shares how he was able to make his own waist-level viewfinder using some cheap materials and some 3D printing. Sure, you can most likely find some of these for sale, but they can be pretty expensive and limited to only certain focal lengths.
But first, for those who are just learning about this kind of viewfinder, he also gives a brief background about what they are, and how photographers composed their shots through them.
James also mentioned wanting to build himself these DIY viewfinders for his compact cameras without tilt screens, so he can shoot from the hip with them. As he also noted, it’s a great opportunity to learn about how optics work. Of course, they’d also easily make any camera look super cool!
Next, he talks about what materials you’ll need, where to buy them, and how to put them all together. Finally, he shared a template he designed for 3D printing the housing of the viewfinder parts. But if you don’t have access to 3D printing, you can always go all out DIY and build it out of other materials like wood or thick plastic sheets.
So, do you think this is worth trying for a weekend project perhaps? What camera would you make it for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
