A tiny blip in the continuum

The Seagull Angle Finder is an affordable aftermarket alternative to the Canon Angle Finder C which can easily cost three times as much. As I often frame in odd and low angles for both my architectural photography and location recce shots, I decided that an angle finder would be a useful accessory to have. That, plus the irrefutable fact that photographers love accessories.

The Seagull Angle Finder is optically made up of 9 elements in 5 groups and a roof prism. It provides 1x and 2x magnification views, selectable by a simple switch. The diopter correction ring has a range from -4 to +4. Viewfinder image is corrected upright no matter which direction the Angle Finder is turned in. When turning the Angle Finder, it clicks into the 25-, 45-, 75-, and 90-degree positions, although it can still be freely rotated (and, more importantly, will remain in position).Three different eyepiece adapters are provided that will fit most Canon, Nikon, and Minolta SLR cameras.

I have read on some forums about users complaining how, when the Angle Finder is set to 2x magnification, metering information displayed in the viewfinder is obscured. An online vendor substantiates this line of thinking with the following blurb on its product page: we have chosen to sell the 1x version as most people who purchase the 2x version have commented that with the 2x magnification, the user cannot see the metering.

Personally, I feel that those who subscribe to this line of thinking are completely missing the point. With most viewfinders being small enough as they are, the 2x magnification view an angle finder offers really helps in checking focusing. If you need to frame and shoot with it, simply do that while viewing in 1x magnification. Switch to 2x for a quick focus check and off you go.

I used the Seagull briefly today. After using it, I do have some small gripes:

Firstly—and this is somewhat moot, depending on your stance—the Seagull is not parfocal; switching from 1x to 2x magnification requires the user to refocus the image. This is the same as with the Canon Angle Finder C. I do not think there is an angle finder out there that is parfocal.

Secondly, if your camera body is relatively large, you might find it a tad difficult to look into the Angle Finder when the camera is oriented for vertical framing. On the EOS 30D, the tip of the Angle Finder does not extend beyond the body, which, in this orientation, will be the right side of the body where the CF compartment is. Since I use a battery grip for vertical framing, swinging the Angle Finder to the left—where it definitely extends beyond the body since the left side of the 30D is much shorter than the right—is not an option.

Lastly, while the provided eyepiece adapter fits tightly onto the Angle Finder itself, the two plastic ‘claws’ on the adapter are too small to offer any lock onto the camera body. You do not want to be walking around with your camera slung over your shoulder while the Seagull Angle Finder is attached, because it is bound to catch on your clothes and fall off. I know because that happened twice in the very day I bought the Seagull. This adapter is also made from really cheap plastic.

Nonetheless, out-of-the-box experience for this product remains good; I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Seagull Angle Finder is nicely manufactured with decent plastic, and finished in a matte black paint. Optics quality is excellent with almost no light loss. I could be wrong but it does seem that glass lenses, rather than plastic, are used in the Angle Finder.

This is a highly recommended buy if it suits your needs. Do note that you should be getting the Version 2 model; check here for a comparison between the two versions.

Updated 27.03.07

I used the Seagull Angle Finder while doing food shots for a client today. It was good to be able to further evaluate the Angle Finder in an actual shooting environment where most shots called for a very shallow depth of field.

I attached the Angle Finder only after I had framed up each shot. Since I had to refocus the diopter when switching between 1x and 2x views, I set the diopter in 2x magnification and kept it at that. The 2x magnification view proved to be so useful in critical focusing that I soon kept it on the camera for the entire shoot.

Furthermore, for many of the setups, the camera was oriented vertically and raised to a level above my eyeline. Instead of having to climb on and off a stool, I simply turned the Angle Finder down to my eyeline without even having to so much as tiptoe. This meant I had to look into the viewfinder with my eyeline perpendicular to the lens line; it felt rather strange initially, especially whenever I reframed the camera while having my eye to the Finder in that body arrangement, but I got used to it pretty quickly.

I wrapped the shoot feeling very glad I had bought the Angle Finder. The price you pay for the Seagull Angle Finder—or even the Canon Angle Finder C, if you are especially discerning—is chump change given the multitude of pay-offs it offers. I am even tempted to buy another one just so that I can have one with its diopter ring locked at 1x and the other locked at 2x.

There, non-parfocal problem solved!