Seagull 1x-2x Right Angle Finder for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, Fuji, Olympus and Leica SLR cameras
Posted: June 19th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Electronics | Tags: 1x2x, Angle, Cameras, Canon, Finder, Fuji, Leica, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Right, Seagull | 3 Comments »
Seagull 1x-2x Right Angle Finder for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, Fuji, Olympus and Leica SLR cameras
List Price: $ 179.95
Price: $ 42.95
Product Features
Compatibility
|Canon 18 mm adapter for: Canon 10D, 20D, D30/D60, 300D, 350D, 400D, Digital Rebel, XT, XTi, EOS10, 66, 88/88QD, 100, 300/300V, 500/500N, 700/750, 850/888, 1000N/1000FN, 1/1N/1D/1V
|Canon 22 mm adapter for: Canon EOS3/30/33, 50D/50E/55
|Nikon 22 mm adapter for: Nikon D1, D50, D70, D70s, D100, FM10, F55, F65, F80
|Minolta: no adapter is needed
|Pentax: no adapter is needed for SP, M, K, Z, P, MZ
|Fujifilm: S3 Pro, S2 Pro, S1
|Leica
|Olympus
Technical Details
|Lens Construction:| 9 elements in 5 groups, high quality glass roof prism.
|Magnification:| 1X and 2X
|Angle of rotation:| 360 degrees
|Diopter adjustment:| Built-in (+/- 4) for variations in eyesight
|Eyepiece fittings:| Canon EOS, Nikon, Minolta, Leica, Pentax & Olympus
|Adapter:| Plastic slot-in type
|Dimensions:| 60 x 35 x 85mm
|Weight:| 82g
- 5 eyepiece adapters for Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Leica, Pentax, Olympus and Fuji cameras
- Keeps correct subject position even with 360 degrees rotation
- Diopter adjustment to accommodate for individual eyesight. Rubber eyecup for comfortable viewing
- 9 elements in 5 groups with high quality glass roof prism
- 1x or 2x manually switchable magnification
Related Nikon Products
Backup for my Canon Right Angle Finder,
The quality of the Canon Right Angle Finder C is high but the fit was quite loose on my Canon XT and 50D. The metal portion of this finder with the prongs had slightly worn a tiny bit of the top edge of the glass LCD so I decided to look into the Seagull version. The fitting of the Seagull version is plastic so it should not damage glass at all. I also heard the fit was tighter, which I hoped would be safer after I accidentally popped my Canon one off the camera quite easily a few times.
I actually received the newer model of the Seagull that goes up to 2.5 in magnification (there is actually an even newer one providing 3x magnification). The adapters were supposed to be made from a better quality of nylon than the previous versions. Here’s my findings:
1. Quality:
The Canon is definitely a higher quality item and it has a heavier feel. The Seagull is much lighter. They both are mainly plastic with a metal barrel that is rotated for focusing. Both the Canon and Seagull fit snugly into their included soft cases. The Seagull appears to be a little snugger fit and may take a bit more fiddling to get it into its case.
2. Fit:
This may vary depending on the camera but I will report on what my experience is with my Canon. The adapter labeled for my Canon 50D was actually too big. I had to use a smaller size (labeled for the Canon Rebel line) that fit too snugly. With the Canon finder, I did not require using an adapter but it attached too loosely to my camera, even though I tried to bend the springs in to make it fit more securely.
The Seagull’s adapter had a tighter fit but it was so tight that it was not possible to remove the viewer together with the adapter still attached to it. The fit between the viewer and adapter was loose enough that swiveling the viewer misaligned it from the adapter much too easily. The tightness of the “clicks” inside the rotating mechanism meant that I had to firmly hold the base while I rotated the viewer in order to keep the whole unit properly in place on my camera. This was the same problem I had with the Canon viewer.
When removing the Seagull viewer, the unit itself came off easily and left the adapter attached to the camera tightly. The fit of the adapter was so snug that I had to use both thumbs under both corners to push it off the camera’s eyepiece fitting (and hoping I don’t pop it off into oblivion). However, since this adapter is plastic, it might wear down over use and become looser.
3. Operation:
The optics of the Seagull is as good as Canon’s. Like the Canon viewer, ball bearings can be felt when swiveling the eyepiece to different angles.
There are also little “notches” that can felt that are set to specific angles for the finder. These are much looser in the Canon viewer and it was very easy to accidentally rotate the eyepiece from where you had it set. The Seagull’s are much tighter and the force required to rotate the eyepiece actually causes the unit to misalign from the adapter attaching it to the camera. With both the Canon and Seagull viewers, you have to keep the right angle viewer in place with one hand while you rotate it with your other hand. This can be awkward especially for handheld photography.
The focusing systems are very similar between the Canon and the Seagull.
4. Value:
As mentioned at the beginning, the Canon right angle finder is a better quality piece but it also costs almost 3 times as much as the Seagull version. The Seagull finder works as well as Canon’s and is a good deal in comparison.
Conclusion:
The Seagull right angle finder does what it is supposed to and would be especially trouble-free for photographers who often use tripods and do not remove the finder from their cameras as often as street and event photographers or move around as much. I was disappointed to discover that the problem of looseness was still there… but in a different form than my Canon finder. The adapter attached to my Canon cameras too tightly and was too loose where the adapter itself attaches to the Seagull finder. To shoot in a “normal” mode without the right angle finder, this meant that I had to first remove the Seagull finder itself and then use both thumbs to push off the adapter. This is a nuisance that varies depending on the individual.
This loose fit with both the Seagull and Canon right angle finders requires that one much be careful not to accidentally knock it off the camera. The Seagull finder is much more reasonably priced and the build seems to be of a good quality. It is a good alternative to the Canon version as it provides the same purpose of use. I gave this a 4 star rating because of the general loose fit onto the Canon camera. If the adapter and the fit between the finder and the adapter where both equally and adequately better fitting, it would have been perfect. Only…
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|Right angle for the right price,
After seeing how much a friend liked a similar right-angle finder on his Canon SLR, I wondered if there was anything available for my Pentax *ist 35mm camera. After searching and only finding older right angle finders for much older Pentax models I stumbled on this beauty.
The finder is well constructed; light in weight but does not feel flimsy. Probably most appealing feature for everyone looking at this product is that it appears to be compatible with almost all SLRs, regardless of brand. Adapters allow one to attach the finder to a particular brand of camera. The fit on my Pentax was snug but not so tight that I couldn’t take it off without excessive force. Though I have not made much use of the 2x magnification, I believe it would be very helpful in macro work.
The only drawback to this finder is the rather loose feel to the diopter control. The upper portion of the tube rotates to adapt the viewing focus to the user’s comfort. The rotation is very fluid, but it almost feels too easy to turn. If the photographer were to orient the camera vertically, for instance, one can swivel the finder also into an upright position. Swiveling the finder, however, can bump the diopter thus throwing it out of focus slightly. This is easily fixed, but one must be aware of it when operating the camera, so be careful!
I highly recommend this right angle finder. It does its job well and costs maybe a third of the price of the comparable Canon version (which, of course, is only available for Canon cameras). It makes photography easier on my back and easy on my wallet!
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|Handy little gadget,
I found this product to be well made and as it seems to me truly universal – at least it fit my Pentax *ist DS (a similar product by another company apparently does not). The only reason that I gave it four, rather than five, stars is that the fit is a littl too tight (although this is better than too loose). I might be able to improve this with a few adjustments, however. The viewfinder is useful for nature photography when using a tripod, especially when the camera lens is pointing upward.
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