# Canon Angle Finder c for R5 and other R series camera's



## gui (Jun 28, 2022)

In our interior photography busy we use Canon Angle Finder's C every day. At the moment we use 5D Mark 4's but we want to transfer to mirrorless. A Canon R5 would be the obvious choice. But a show-stopper is that there is not Angle Finder available. The current Angle-Finder C fits only the current DSLR's. 
Because of the way we work with camera's on tripods. (We place them almost directly against the wall) We cannot use the flip-screen. And in harsh sunlight outside it is not an option. 

Does anybody know if Canon is even considering an Angle finder for the R series? and when would that be available. Who uses an Angle finder and is waiting until Canon supports one on a new camera.


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## gruhl28 (Jun 28, 2022)

This wouldn't help with outside, but can't you point the flip-screen forward so that you can see it even with the camera against the wall?


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 28, 2022)

I suspect your wait will be interminable. The presence of a fully articulated screen essentially renders the angle finder useless except perhaps in a few specific used cases like yours.

Without being able to picture your specific set up, it does seem like swinging the screen 180° through the hinge so it’s completely on the side of the camera and tilted up or forward would enable you to get the camera at least as close to a wall as using the angle finder, if not closer. Outside on a tripod, I’ve had no problems simply shading the display with my hand or a small card.

I have and used the Angle Finder C with my 1D X. With the R and now the R3, I have not run across a single situation where the articulated display is not more useful than the angle finder.


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 29, 2022)

Just to illustrate my point, here are my R3 with the articulating LCD out and facing up (screen parallel to the floor), compared to my 1D X with the Angle Finder C. Quite evident that the R3 is closer to the wall.




As suggested above, the screen can also be faced forward, the shot composed, then you can step out of the frame and take the shot (either timed release or using the handy Bluetooth remote).


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## privatebydesign (Jun 29, 2022)

Why on earth aren't you using a CamRanger? This tool is simply an essential for staging architectural and high end real estate photography as you can see the shot in real time as you stage things like cushions, glasses, books etc etc. 

I don't know of a single serious interior photographer who doesn't shoot tethered, either to a laptop via cable or an iPad via a CamRanger. The CamRanger/iPad works much better outside even in bright sun.


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## nickname (Jun 29, 2022)

I have to say that I am also annoyed that Canon hasn't provided for an angle finder. I am using the R5 and the LCD screen is useless for me. First, I am now far-sighted and hate taking glasses on and off all the time; second, the screen is almost useless in bright, sunny conditions. I shoot a lot macro, in particular odonates at the water level, so it is crucial for me to see the image well and react fast. For these reasons, I have taken off the eye cup from the R5 and attached the angle finder C with a bracket (see attached images). It is far from ideal as it is held on the sides of the viefinder sides just by friction and can be knocked off easily (for this I tether it with a string on the hot shoe, so it won't drop in the water). However, it works sufficiently well as a work-around, but yeah, I wish there would be a better solution. It also leaves scratch marks on the body but I don't care about that. The next best thing would be perhaps to 3D-print a bracket with rails to provide proper attachment for the angle finder.


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## gui (Jun 29, 2022)

privatebydesign said:


> Why on earth aren't you using a CamRanger? This tool is simply an essential for staging architectural and high end real estate photography as you can see the shot in real time as you stage things like cushions, glasses, books etc etc.
> 
> I don't know of a single serious interior photographer who doesn't shoot tethered, either to a laptop via cable or an iPad via a CamRanger. The CamRanger/iPad works much better outside even in bright sun.


I do know some photographers that use a Camranger. It is a beautiful tool. But it is not how we work. 

We shoot real estate quickly. For a middle-sized home In the Netherlands, we need around one hour. If we use a Camranger, this will take double the time. We place the camera with a tripod, and while looking through the angle finder, we place the camera and tripod in the right spot. Make the image and replace it. If we used a Camranger, it would be setting the camera, looking a the iPad, which has gone into sleep mode, then repositioning and looking again. It just does not work quick enough. 
It is just an extra handle. and that takes time. We sell these shoots for a fixed price. So all the time we gain is better. 

I would use a Camranger when the customer is looking with me and wants to decide and select. But we always receive an address and go by ourselves.


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## gui (Jun 29, 2022)

nickname said:


> I have to say that I am also annoyed that Canon hasn't provided for an angle finder. I am using the R5 and the LCD screen is useless for me. First, I am now far-sighted and hate taking glasses on and off all the time; second, the screen is almost useless in bright, sunny conditions. I shoot a lot macro, in particular odonates at the water level, so it is crucial for me to see the image well and react fast. For these reasons, I have taken off the eye cup from the R5 and attached the angle finder C with a bracket (see attached images). It is far from ideal as it is held on the sides of the viefinder sides just by friction and can be knocked off easily (for this I tether it with a string on the hot shoe, so it won't drop in the water). However, it works sufficiently well as a work-around, but yeah, I wish there would be a better solution. It also leaves scratch marks on the body but I don't care about that. The next best thing would be perhaps to 3D-print a bracket with rails to provide proper attachment for the angle finder.


If only canon or someone else would make a bracket that fits on those screws with the mounting rail for the angle finder. That would be great.


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## Kit. (Jun 29, 2022)

gui said:


> We shoot real estate quickly. For a middle-sized home In the Netherlands, we need around one hour. If we use a Camranger, this will take double the time. We place the camera with a tripod, and while looking through the angle finder, we place the camera and tripod in the right spot. Make the image and replace it. If we used a Camranger, it would be setting the camera, looking a the iPad, which has gone into sleep mode, then repositioning and looking again. It just does not work quick enough.
> It is just an extra handle. and that takes time. We sell these shoots for a fixed price. So all the time we gain is better.


How about a cheap hotshoe-mountable HDMI monitor?


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 29, 2022)

gui said:


> If only canon or someone else would make a bracket that fits on those screws with the mounting rail for the angle finder. That would be great.


Sorry, but it seems like this is mostly about resistance to change. Nothing about the method you describe would be hampered by using an articulating screen instead of an angle finder. I suspect the opposite is true.


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## gui (Jun 29, 2022)

neuroanatomist said:


> Sorry, but it seems like this is mostly about resistance to change. Nothing about the method you describe would be hampered by using an articulating screen instead of an angle finder. I suspect the opposite is true.


I am not resisting change. The problem is that you can compare an angle viewfinder with the camera's viewfinder. It is just a viewfinder with a corner. You place your eye directly on the viewfinder and see the viewfinder of the camera from an angle from above. 

An articulate screen is, in my opinion, the same as the live view at the back of the camera. it only folds to the left. ( what if you stand on the right) n sunlight, you cannot see the screen because it is not bright enough. How can you see details on a screen when you can see details through the viewfinder. You have your eye 10 to 15 centimetres from the viewing surface. The viewfinder is a few millimetres, and a viewfinder obstructs the noise around the screen. 

It is not a resistance to change; if canon would adopt the Hasselblad 500 series way, then we would have an articulated screen on top with a viewfinder in the foldout sunscreen. 

The articulated screen is ok if you shoot handheld in low light. Otherwise, it is pretty useless.


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## nickname (Jun 29, 2022)

> Sorry, but it seems like this is mostly about resistance to change. Nothing about the method you describe would be hampered by using an articulating screen instead of an angle finder. I suspect the opposite is true.



I don't post too much on here but I do follow some of the threads and I notice that you are often quick in 'belitteling' people. You should accept when someone is not following your advice (for whatever reason).


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 29, 2022)

gui said:


> I am not resisting change. The problem is that you can compare an angle viewfinder with the camera's viewfinder. It is just a viewfinder with a corner. You place your eye directly on the viewfinder and see the viewfinder of the camera from an angle from above.
> 
> An articulate screen is, in my opinion, the same as the live view at the back of the camera. it only folds to the left. ( what if you stand on the right) n sunlight, you cannot see the screen because it is not bright enough. How can you see details on a screen when you can see details through the viewfinder. You have your eye 10 to 15 centimetres from the viewing surface. The viewfinder is a few millimetres, and a viewfinder obstructs the noise around the screen.
> 
> ...


Well, to each their own. I wonder how much experience you have using an articulating LCD. As I said, I've used both extensively. I suspect you believe an articulated screen is 'pretty useless' because you lack experience actually using one.

You're correct that the angle finder is the viewfinder and the LCD is not, at least on a DLSR. On an MILC, the viewfinder is just a small LCD with an eyecup. There are situations where an EVF/LCD is far better because the exposure and focus are performed using the image sensor, and the utility extends well beyond just low light. For example, I frequently use tilt-shift lenses for architectural photography. If you've used one with a DSLR viewfinder, you will know that lens movements affect exposure metering, meaning time and effort expended to manually compensate for the effect (i.e. you have to meter before applying tilt/shift, knowing that doing so will change the framing and thus might also change the scene luminance). However, on a MILC or with Live View on a DSLR, there is no need to compensate, because the metered exposure is correct with movements applied. 

Incidentally, if you need to stand to the right of the camera using the articulating screen, you just open it 90° from the camera and rotate it so the screen faces to the right. If you're above the camera, face the screen up. If you're below the camera, face it down. If you're in front of the camera, face it forward. That's what fully articulating means. As for seeing details, the angle finder is limited to 2.5x magnification fixed on the center of the field. The LCD can be magnified far more to check details or critical focus anywhere in the frame.

Just to recap, you started this thread stating that you need an angle finder because an articulating screen can't be used with the camera against a wall and is impossible to use in sunlight. Neither are correct. 

In any case, the point is moot. It's extremely unlikely that Canon will release an angle finder for the MILCs (some of them don't even have a removable eyecup, meaning an angle finder would be incompatible). If you want the Hasselblad way, switch to Hasselblad. Or stick with your DSLR. If you want a Canon MILC, you'll have to get used to using the LCD instead.


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## Del Paso (Jun 29, 2022)

nickname said:


> I have to say that I am also annoyed that Canon hasn't provided for an angle finder. I am using the R5 and the LCD screen is useless for me. First, I am now far-sighted and hate taking glasses on and off all the time; second, the screen is almost useless in bright, sunny conditions. I shoot a lot macro, in particular odonates at the water level, so it is crucial for me to see the image well and react fast. For these reasons, I have taken off the eye cup from the R5 and attached the angle finder C with a bracket (see attached images). It is far from ideal as it is held on the sides of the viefinder sides just by friction and can be knocked off easily (for this I tether it with a string on the hot shoe, so it won't drop in the water). However, it works sufficiently well as a work-around, but yeah, I wish there would be a better solution. It also leaves scratch marks on the body but I don't care about that. The next best thing would be perhaps to 3D-print a bracket with rails to provide proper attachment for the angle finder.


Thanks for being not the only one hating the rear screen (and loving the angle finder!).


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## Bdbtoys (Jun 29, 2022)

Have you tried the canon connect app w/ a smartphone? That might give a convenient solution.

Personally, I have issues w/ connecting via bluetooth with my phone (most likely an android security patch getting in the way), but wifi works fine.


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## gui (Jun 30, 2022)

neuroanatomist said:


> Well, to each their own. I wonder how much experience you have using an articulating LCD. As I said, I've used both extensively. I suspect you believe an articulated screen is 'pretty useless' because you lack experience actually using one.
> 
> You're correct that the angle finder is the viewfinder and the LCD is not, at least on a DLSR. On an MILC, the viewfinder is just a small LCD with an eyecup. There are situations where an EVF/LCD is far better because the exposure and focus are performed using the image sensor, and the utility extends well beyond just low light. For example, I frequently use tilt-shift lenses for architectural photography. If you've used one with a DSLR viewfinder, you will know that lens movements affect exposure metering, meaning time and effort expended to manually compensate for the effect (i.e. you have to meter before applying tilt/shift, knowing that doing so will change the framing and thus might also change the scene luminance). However, on a MILC or with Live View on a DSLR, there is no need to compensate, because the metered exposure is correct with movements applied.
> 
> ...


While it is correct that placing the camera against the wall with the flip screen out like that works, you forget that your body is in the way. You cannot see the screen on the right side of the camera. And otherwise, you are so far away that details disappear. It is a hassle in rooms with mirrors, bathrooms and kitchens with lots of reflections, but working with a flip screen is even more. It is not the way we want and can work. 

For many uses, the EVF-LCD would be an excellent choice. But not for the way we do interior photography. We would love to switch to the R series. But only when we could use an angle viewfinder with it. For us, the flip screen does not work. 
It works very significantly for you and many other photographers. And that is great. Please enjoy working with it. But everyone uses their camera different. 

I started the thread because I wanted to switch to the R series, and the articulated screen does not work for us because when we make an image, we place the camera close to the wall, on a tripod in a tight space, and we have to fit our bodies with it. We often stand in a corner with one tripod leg directly in the corner of the room. Behind the camera, because there is no space to stand anywhere else. looking through the viewfinder and searching for cables underneath cabinets, stuff under beds, etc., the flip-screen does not work for us. But an angle finder doe not work because it has been how we work for years. 

I just wanted to find out if any other photographers have the same problem or if we are unique in this. Is the Angle finder such a fantastic product that nobody uses it? And we all look at the articulated screen at a distance so that the screen is as small as an iPhone screen, and when we shoot In sunlight, it is almost invisible. 

Everyone has a different way of working. We do another type of photography than you probably do. I have not seen your work. We currently use a DSLR with a viewfinder that works for us. And we would like to switch to the R series with a viewfinder because it works for us. Suppose you want to use the articulated screen that is very much ok. Canon created it for you; it's on the camera; use it. But it does not work for our way of working.


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## nickname (Jun 30, 2022)

Del Paso said:


> Thanks for being not the only one hating the rear screen (and loving the angle finder!).


For wildlife photography outdoors (or any other fast paced shooting style), it is the only viable solution where you have a lag-free and clear view of what the camera sees. I also own the CamRanger 2 and while it is great for remote controlling the camera, e.g. when I place camera traps up in trees, it is not without lag and frustrations regarding the connectivity. To deal with the glare on the LCD screen of the body itself, or of the CamRanger I sometimes use a Hoodman loupe which blocks out some of the light. Perhaps this might be also an option for the OP. Another crazy idea would be to feed the live signal from the camera to one of these head-monted monitors, or goggles, like the drone people use. Just have to put them on and take them off all the time.


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## gui (Jun 30, 2022)

Bdbtoys said:


> Have you tried the canon connect app w/ a smartphone? That might give a convenient solution.
> 
> Personally, I have issues w/ connecting via bluetooth with my phone (most likely an android security patch getting in the way), but wifi works fine.


I have tried it, and it works for my portrait shoots. But when I shoot interior photography, it is also about speed. The angle viewfinder is much more direct. And the handling of the connect app compares to using a camranger. It is something extra to handle. 

I have Bluetooth problems occasionally, but it is more direct than through wifi. I hope that an iPad with USB-c will work in the future.


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## neuroanatomist (Jun 30, 2022)

gui said:


> While it is correct that placing the camera against the wall with the flip screen out like that works, you forget that your body is in the way. You cannot see the screen on the right side of the camera.


Any position in which you can stand and look through the angle finder, you can see the LCD. It rotates through 360° just like the angle finder. Your eye would be ~10 cm further away.

I’ve used the articulating screen for interior real estate photography, with no issues. Mirrors are always tricky, I find the TS-E 17 useful for that, to shift the camera out of the frame.

I’ve used the articulating LCD in settings where using the VF even with the angle finder would be impossible, such as long exposure waterfall shots in winter, where the only access is by snowshoe and the shot is taken standing on meters of powder, with the only possible platform for the tripod legs being the snowshoes attached to my feet (I suspect that’s an example of being even more constrained by the positioning of a tripod than you’ve experienced).



gui said:


> I just wanted to find out if any other photographers have the same problem or if we are unique in this.


Well, you’re not unique but there doesn’t seem to be a large group of CR members jumping on the bandwagon.

The angle finders were niche products even before the advent of live view and articulated screens. At this point, I suspect Canon sees no need for a new one in their catalog.

Regardless, thanks for posting this – I'm going to sell my 1D X in the near future, and this reminded me that I should offload my Angle Finder C as well, since it's not compatible with any Canon MILCs.


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