How can I turn a Pentax SP1000 into a digital photo viewer using its viewfinder?
Asked 9/11/2020
4 views
2 answers
0
I’d like to memorialize my dad by displaying his favorite photos inside his Asahi Pentax SP1000 so I can look through the camera and see them in the viewfinder. My goal is to keep the camera as intact as possible.
I was thinking of putting a small LCD and electronics in the lens or body, but with the lens removed the viewfinder only shows a blurry field of color. Is there a practical way to place a small screen so the image appears sharp through the SP1000 viewfinder? Would this work better at the focusing screen, or is there another attachment-based approach that avoids major modification?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
2
If you set an lcd screen in the place of the translucent viewfinder screen, this should do the trick. The lens itself is not needed. You already have the images in the desired size and sharpness.
You could test this by placing an old negative onto the translucent screen and see if that appears sharp if you shine some light through the lens.
If that works, you know what size LCD you need. If that is backlighted, you might be done already for the display component.
Originally by user88965. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user88965
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The blur happens because an SLR viewfinder is designed to show the image formed on the camera’s focusing screen, not a screen placed out in the lens area.
The most direct solution is to place a small backlit LCD at or replacing the focusing screen position. In that location, the existing prism/viewfinder optics should present the image sharply, and you likely don’t need a lens at all. A simple test is to place a negative or small transparent image at the focusing screen and see whether it appears sharp through the finder.
If you want to avoid altering the camera body, another approach is a slide-copying attachment. These accessories hold a slide at the plane where the lens focuses. If you can mount a tiny backlit LCD where the slide would go, the camera’s optics can focus on that image with less permanent modification.
So: don’t use a pinhole in the front of an empty lens housing. Put the display at the focusing screen plane, or use a slide-copy attachment to position a display at the correct focus distance.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI5y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How can I clean dust from a DSLR focusing screen without damaging it?
How can I batch-convert a large photo archive into screen-sized JPEGs while keeping the folder structure?
How can I see my camera’s LCD for video in bright sunlight?
Why isn’t a rangefinder viewfinder positioned directly above the lens?
What are the symbols and indicators shown around a camera viewfinder called?