So how useful is that OVF

[meerec]

Still deciding if I'm going to need that OVF. How useful do you think it is?
I'm scared off by the parallax even if with the 45 lens.
And beyond 21-30-45, anyone has anything positive to say about shooting with longer lenses without the framelines in the view? I'm planning on the 80 trying to use the central spot in the OVF to aim at subject: workable, or makes no practical sense?

[ramarren]

I find the Hasselblad OVF useful with the 21 and 45P. With both, after a couple of test frames, I see the framing error and just compensate in my head. Another tactic is to un-mount the OVF unit from its foot and put a thin piece of tape under the rear of where it bolts up, to reduce the parallax in the 5 to 15 foot sweet zone. This works well for me.

The OVF mount that comes with the OVF is also useful in that I can fit other OVFs to it. For instance, I found that my Voigtländer 21/25mm viewfinder on the 907x is almost a perfect match to the Color Skopar 28mm lens adapted to the camera, and the Voigtlander 75mm viewfinder is a close match to the Summicron-R 90mm. With the latter, though, DoF is so thin at normal taking apertures that I usually use the LCD rather than the OVF anyway. With an XCD lens and AF, the OVF will work better.

G

[JCM-Photos]

The OVF can also be used as a "director's finder"
When for example using the 45mm you always see at the same time what would give a 30mm or 21mm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Director%27s_viewfinder

You also see what is going on outside the image field, you can predict what moving person will soon come into the field, etc...

[Georg Kovalcik]

I always thought a directors finder is of the varifocal type (the one shown on wikipedia from your link, is), for a camera this would be something like this: http://linhof.com/en/optischer-universalsucher/

[TheGodParticle]

I live in New Mexico, where we have very very bright sunshine most of the time. for shooting outdoors, i find the finder is extremely useful for my 45mm and 30 mm lenses. 

[Dennersten]

Extremely useful. I was out shooting yesterday in bright Autumn sun. The screen is quite useless in bright sun situations. However the menus are still quite easy to read.