Question Has anyone DIYed a viewfinder for their housing?

[WillDives]

I've got one of the old Canon FL housings and I'm wondering if anyone has made their own viewfinder. I'm thinking of adding a 45 or 90 degree one but can't find a teardown of the ones available on the market. A 90 degree one might be possible using a pentaprism, but I can't think where to start putting one together. Anyone tried this themselves?

 

[grantmac]

Viewfinders seem like one of those things which are extremely expensive for what they are. This makes me think there is a lot going on inside them.
I'd definitely like a 45 degree but it would be more than I've got into my entire set-up to make it happen.

 

[tursiops]

I bought a 45 back when they were cheaper and I had more money. Really glad I did! Love it. Not sure I'd spring for one today.

 

[Barmaglot]

Inon makes relatively inexpensive viewfinders, both 45-degree and straight, that fit a variety of mountings, including Ikelite - Viewfinders

 

[grantmac]

That is a much easier pill to swallow and available for Nauticam.

 

[WillDives]

Yeah that Inon is certainly a lot cheaper than the ikelite ones! I might try and make a 90 degree and see how I get on. Maybe I'll figure out the 45 at some point, but for now I can only think of ways that would result in an inverted image through the viewfinder

 

[Barmaglot]

That is a much easier pill to swallow and available for Nauticam.

To be fair, while I haven't used either, I've seen user testimonies that the Nauticam viewfinders provide a much larger and easier to use perceived image than the Inon ones. AFAIK the Inon design is very old - possibly preceding Nauticam's existence as a company - and hasn't been updated in forever.