Olsen Posted June 24, 2011 Share #1 Posted June 24, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I bought my M8 together with a WATE and a Frankenfinder, being convinced that the crop factor would be around for a good while. I still use the WATE and the Frankenfinder with my M9. The WATE is an awesome lens on this camera. Then I also have to use the Frankenfinder. I tighten it as tight as possible onto the flash shoe. But still, it fell off and crushed into small plastic pieces. I sent it to Solms for repair through the Norwegian dealer (even though I had not bought it there) and got a reply that it was too damaged to make repair reasonable. But Leica offered me a new one at 20% discount - which eliminated for much of the VAT I had to pay buying it here in Norway. Which I found to be most generous and excepted. But the moral of this story is that; 'be sure to tighten the bottom screw tightly to the camera hot shoe'! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 24, 2011 Posted June 24, 2011 Hi Olsen, Take a look here The Frankenfinder. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
UliWer Posted June 24, 2011 Share #2 Posted June 24, 2011 This is astonishing as I always found the M-hotshoes extremely tight for anything I put in. I always fear that I damage the "foot" of a finder or especially a flash when removing it. So the "foot" for the frankenfinder must be too small. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted June 24, 2011 Share #3 Posted June 24, 2011 Olsen, I'm sorry for the breakage. But I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has dropped the Universal Finder after thinking he had tightened it well. I was luckier than you, though, because when it fell, my finder dropped into the gadget bag I had open at the time. There must be a way to keep it from slipping, but tightening the knurled knob isn't enough in my experience. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubice Posted June 24, 2011 Share #4 Posted June 24, 2011 Olsen, Have you considered one of these?: Voigt 15-35 VF Considerably smaller, cheaper and very well built. Best, Jan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted June 24, 2011 Share #5 Posted June 24, 2011 The 18mm brightline finder works just as well and is a lot smaller, fits tightly and is more robust. The inner (M8) marks equate pretty well to 21mm and the whole view outside the 18mm marks is close to 16mm. I had an 18mm finder from my original 18/3.8 before I found a WATE tried it and since then the Frankenfinder has never been out of its box...... With some judicious filing and some superglue you can also fit a diopter adjustment lens to the finder which overcomes the only other advantage of the Frankenfinder which is its facility to slot in correction lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olsen Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share #6 Posted June 24, 2011 Olsen, Have you considered one of these?: Voigt 15-35 VF Considerably smaller, cheaper and very well built. Best, Jan I have both the 21 mm and the 15 mm - plastic ones. They are compact & small - and cheap, but lack the libelle for accurate horizon fixing. I use the the Frankenfinder also on my 1Ds III sometimes. Very useful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubice Posted June 24, 2011 Share #7 Posted June 24, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Olsen, Yes, the 'libelle' can definitely come in handy, particularly when used with extreme wides. Cheers, Jan P.S.: Luckily English is not the only language in my vocabulary - most North Americans would not know what a 'libelle' is..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted June 24, 2011 Share #8 Posted June 24, 2011 I didn't drop my Frankenfinder that I bought used. Used it for awhile just fine. Then something inside got loose and rolled around, making noise. Had it repaired before that caused additional damage. The mechanic told me in order to take the Frankenfinder apart he had to destroy an outside cheap plastic part. No problem. That part is available from Leica. It's true, I have to turn a little wheel to tighten the Frankenfinder's foot in the flash shoe. I never get it really tight though. So, one has to keep an eye on it. K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted June 24, 2011 Share #9 Posted June 24, 2011 You're not speaking of the spirit level, are you? So which definition do I choose if I buy a 1Ds III? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/155197-the-frankenfinder/?do=findComment&comment=1713962'>More sharing options...
Washington Posted June 25, 2011 Share #10 Posted June 25, 2011 Howard, By all means go with the German Barque…. which makes as much sense as most of the stuff I read here! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexmann Posted June 25, 2011 Share #11 Posted June 25, 2011 You're not speaking of the spirit level, are you? Yes, it's German for spirit level or Wasserwaage. Though I'm sure you knew that Howard. Regards Alex Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Posted June 25, 2011 Share #12 Posted June 25, 2011 Sorry, but Erik Weise proved sprits weren’t on the level in the 1920’s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pop Posted June 25, 2011 Share #13 Posted June 25, 2011 You've got it all wrong, anyway. In Switzerland a "Libelle" is the brand name for a mobile rack to hang your washing on to dry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Posted June 25, 2011 Share #14 Posted June 25, 2011 Hanging it out to dry is NOT a bad idea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted June 25, 2011 Share #15 Posted June 25, 2011 OK, but none of these other "Libellen" glows in the dark like that of the Frankenfinder, right? Score one for Leica! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted June 25, 2011 Share #16 Posted June 25, 2011 Good to know the policy of discounts on unrepairable items is still in effect. One never knows about new owners. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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