VIEWFINDER
App Store

Guides

How to choose lenses, scout a location and plan the frame, with every figure worked out from real cameras and recording modes.

On this page
GuideWhat a director's viewfinder isThe optical, hybrid and app kinds, and the arithmetic a phone uses to show your lens's frame. GuideHow to tech scout with a director's viewfinderA scout step by step, a checklist for every department, and the shot list that comes out of it. GuideChoosing a lens packageAngles by focal length on five recording modes, moving a set between formats, and what adapters change. GuideSensor size and field of viewWhy the recording mode beats the sensor's name, crop factors by width and diagonal, and the Super 35 disagreement. GuideAnamorphic lenses explainedSqueeze and desqueeze, 6:5 and 4:3 modes, reaching 2.39, and why depth of field ignores the squeeze. GuideFree shot list templateA CSV with the columns of the app's PDF shot list, and how its three depths compare.

Free tools

The guides lean on four calculators that run in your browser and use the same rules as the app.

All of them are on the free tools page.

Comparing viewfinder apps

If you are choosing a director's viewfinder app, our comparison puts the main ones side by side, with the date each claim was checked, and the best director's viewfinder apps answers the question by job.

Questions about the app

The help center covers each feature step by step, and how it works shows the app on a scout. Every camera and recording mode the app knows is in the gear search.

See the frame before the camera arrives

Cutvey Viewfinder frames any camera, recording mode and lens on your iPhone or iPad. $19.99, once.

Download on the App StoreHow the app works