A Simple and Effective Mirror System from Zig-Align to Check
Alignment of Film/CCD, Lens, and Copy Planes for View Cameras

For maximum sharpness of an image made with a view camera, or any format camera, the lens and film (digital sensor) planes should be exactly parallel to each other; and when photographing flat surfaces (artwork, posters, documents, etc.), lens and film planes must also be perfectly parallel to the copy. All view cameras have mechanical variations in the accuracy of their "zero" centering positions for swing and tilt movements and these tiny variations can cause a noticeable lack of focus precision.

Better Light's extremely high-resolution imaging produces exceptional photographs, but also can be unforgiving... dramatically showing any error in overall focus or corner-to-corner sharpness. Below are several sets of components for checking alignment in varied photographic applications. In each case, a blank lens board for your camera is required to mount the Ring Module.

Click here to view parts and price list for view camera and flat art copy applications.
ZV1 – BASIC ALIGNMENT MIRROR SET
For camera to copy board distance of less than 10 feet.

Two mirrors are used to check parallelism of front and rear standards and the camera to copy planes in horizontal (wall) or vertical (copy stand) applications. The rectangular mirror is used in the spring back of the rear standard (in place of the film holder) and the Ring Module (mounted on a camera lens board) is placed on the front standard (in place of the lens) for alignment of the camera standards.

The Ring Module on the lens board is then placed on the rear camera standard and the rectangular mirror is positioned flat on the copy surface to check parallelism between camera and copy plane.

US $ 144.00

Lens board and spring back assembly must be able to be removed from the camera to use this Basic mirror set. If the bellows cannot be removed, a small flashlight or penlight can be placed in the bellows to illuminate the mirror for alignment. Requires a blank lens board for your camera to mount the Ring Module (see inset photo above).
ZV1.1 – STANDARD ALIGNMENT MIRROR SET
For camera to copy board distance up to 20 feet.

Three mirrors are used to check parallelism of film and lens standards and camera to copy plane in a horizontal (wall) or vertical (copy stand) application. The small rectangular mirror is used in the spring back of the rear standard (in place of the film holder) and the Ring Module (mounted on camera lens board) is placed on the front standard (in place of the lens) for alignment of the camera standards.

The Ring Module on the lens board is then placed on the rear camera standard and the large rectangular mirror is positioned flat on the copy surface to check parallelism between camera and copy plane. (The larger mirror makes it much easier to locate camera reflection).

US $ 244.00

Lens board and spring back assembly must be able to be removed from the camera to use this mirror set. If the bellows cannot be removed, a small flashlight or penlight can be placed in the bellows to illuminate the mirror for alignment. Requires a blank lens board for your camera to mount the Ring Module (see inset photo above).
ZP4 – RAPID ALIGNMENT MIRROR & PLATE SET
Reposition & align camera quickly without disassembly of camera.

The View Camera Parallelism Plate (ZP2) is used in the spring back of the rear standard, and the Ring Module (mounted on camera lens board) is placed on the front standard (in place of the lens) for alignment of the camera standards.

Camera is aligned to copy board or wall using the viewing hole in the Ring Module that is mounted on the ZP2 Camera Plate (see photo of camera below) and locating the reflected image in the large mirror positioned flat to the copy surface. Whenever the camera is repositioned, use the ZP2 Plate to adjust for parallelism to the copy plane without any alterations to the camera body. Recommended for fastest and most accurate alignment.

US $ 484.00

Lens board must be able to be removed from the camera to use this mirror set. If the bellows cannot be removed, a small flashlight or penlight can be placed in the bellows to illuminate the mirror for alignment. Requires a blank lens board for your camera to mount the Ring Module (see inset photo above).

Camera to copy board alignment is done while looking through the hole in the Camera Plate.

The ZP2 Camera Plate is designed and manufactured to duplicate the weight and balance of the Better Light scanning back to assure optimal accuracy.

Requires less disassembly of the camera to make the alignment process faster and more accurate.
misaligned
When viewing through the small hole in the ring module, you will see a series of concentric rings. In this example, the alignment is not correct. This same pattern is evident when aligning the front and rear camera standards, or if you are aligning the camera to the copy plane for art reproduction.
zig-aligned
The goal is to see the series of concentric circles centered as shown in the photo to the left. When aligning the camera standards, use the swing and tilt adjustments to make small changes in position until the circles line up. For flat copy work, after camera standards are parallel, move the entire camera to center the circles, assuring camera to copy plane alignment.