Christopher Nolan is famous for his commitment to large-format film, especially 15-perf 65mm/70mm IMAX. What is less widely known is one of the practical tools that has helped him previsualize those towering frames: a modified Pentax 6×7 medium-format still camera used as a director’s viewfinder.
Christopher Nolan’s teams have long used a modified Pentax 6×7 as a director’s viewfinder on IMAX productions, including The Odyssey. The camera was fitted with an IMAX mount so that actual IMAX lenses could be attached, giving a nearly exact match to the large 15-perf frame. The 6×7 negative size (roughly 56 × 70 mm) is remarkably close to the IMAX camera aperture, making the old medium-format SLR an effective and practical tool for framing shots.
Why a Pentax 6×7?
A director’s viewfinder lets a filmmaker (or cinematographer) quickly check framing, lens choice, and composition without hauling the full production camera. Traditional optical finders approximate various formats and focal lengths. For IMAX work, something more precise was needed.
The Pentax 6×7 (and later 67) produces a negative measuring approximately 56 × 70 mm. That is remarkably close in size and proportions to the IMAX camera aperture (roughly 52.6 × 70.4 mm). Mount an actual IMAX lens on a body that covers nearly the same image area, and the view through the finder closely matches what the giant IMAX camera will capture.
James Neihouse, ASC – a veteran IMAX cinematographer — explained the solution on The Wandering DP Podcast:
We modified a Pentax 6×7 still camera with an IMAX mount and that was our director’s viewfinder. … you could shoot a nice still image with it at the same time.
The modification is straightforward in concept: the original Pentax lens mount is replaced (or adapted) with an IMAX mount so genuine IMAX lenses can be attached. The camera retains its large, bright focusing screen and interchangeable finders (prism or waist-level/chimney). Because it is still a fully functional 120/220 film camera, the operator can also expose a still frame for reference or documentation if desired.
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