terrycym Posted July 5, 2013 Share #1 Posted July 5, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I bought one of these from the Leica shop in Londan last Saturday and I'm really pleased with it. I got it for my ME and 90mm F2.8 Elmarit M as I was off to the Royal Albert Hall that night to watch Neil Innes. I appreciated the opportunity to try it in the shop to see what difference it made and I must say, I'm really pleased with it, focussing is so much easier with it fitted now The thing I did do was to remove the attachment to the case as it just gets in the way for me. Yes, it's really expensive for what you get but it does work, for me at least. What are other people's experiences? I might post a picture or two from the gig if people are interested Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 5, 2013 Posted July 5, 2013 Hi terrycym, Take a look here Leica 1.4 magnifier. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
yujh Posted July 5, 2013 Share #2 Posted July 5, 2013 I am thinking of getting one to help with focusing. Do you think it works better for certain focal lengths? Does it keep frame lines, or does it zoom in to the center at the expense of the entire frame? Thank you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrycym Posted July 5, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted July 5, 2013 I am thinking of getting one to help with focusing. Do you think it works better for certain focal lengths? Does it keep frame lines, or does it zoom in to the center at the expense of the entire frame? Thank you. Greater than 50mm for the 1.4 Zooms in - it's a magnifier but, yes, you can still see the digital display. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted July 6, 2013 Share #4 Posted July 6, 2013 The most notable thing about it is that the rubber ring falls off after a while and it can scratch your glasses if you wear them. It used to be the case you could get a replacement from Leica free of charge but I expect Leica Mayfair will probably want to sent it back to Solms for service... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted July 6, 2013 Share #5 Posted July 6, 2013 It used to be the case you could get a replacement from Leica free of charge but I expect Leica Mayfair will probably want to sent it back to Solms for service... I still haven't had a reply from Leica Mayfair about a replacement after two years waiting. You'd have thought they would have caught up with their emails by now. However the people at Solms sent me one very quickly, for free. The magnifier is useful to have in the long run, but I use it very little day to day so it is an expensive luxury. It is only if I know that I'm going to be using a 90mm for an extended period that it becomes really useful, and makes the lens quicker to focus. But I wouldn't say that it made it more accurate to focus since some contrast is lost, so while the focus patch is bigger the quality of the image is poorer, so it's a trade off. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted July 6, 2013 Share #6 Posted July 6, 2013 Some thoughts in this FAQ. It's important to correct for any vision issues first; otherwise it will magnify problems. I have astigmatism and prefer to use my glasses without any magnifier. Some prefer the Walter RX eyepiece for this purpose. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IkarusJohn Posted July 6, 2013 Share #7 Posted July 6, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have the 1.4 on my Monochrom and the 1.25 on my M9-P. I use them on all lenses 50 & longer. You will hear the comment that they make the viewfinder more dim - that hasn't been my experience. I keep them clean. Cheers John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrycym Posted July 6, 2013 Author Share #8 Posted July 6, 2013 I have the 1.4 on my Monochrom and the 1.25 on my M9-P. I use them on all lenses 50 & longer. You will hear the comment that they make the viewfinder more dim - that hasn't been my experience. I keep them clean. Cheers John I agree, people say the view is dimmer but even in the dark environment of a concert, I found it perfectly usable. I didn't know the thing about the rubber ring coming off, I'll keep an eye out for that Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted July 6, 2013 Share #9 Posted July 6, 2013 They don't make the viewfinder dimmer, or not enough to notice. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted July 7, 2013 Share #10 Posted July 7, 2013 I bought the 1.25x version from Machtechnical and works like a charm. I find the 1.4x is "too zoomed in" for my tastes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted July 7, 2013 Share #11 Posted July 7, 2013 I bought one of these from the Leica shop ...The thing I did do was to remove the attachment to the case as it just gets in the way for me. Yes, it's really expensive for what you get but it does work, for me at least.... I would caution against this action. I reported several years ago an experience which resulted in Leica replacing mine. In brief, the unit separated in use and one part was lost. I was left with the tethered ring and the optical unit still screwed to the eye-piece. As a result, I always keep the unit tethered to the camera strap and habitually check that the eye-piece is securely screwed into the optical unit attached to the camera. I find the attachment invaluable for use with 75mm+ on my M8 and 90mm+ on my M9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrycym Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share #12 Posted July 7, 2013 I bought the 1.25x version from Machtechnical and works like a charm. I find the 1.4x is "too zoomed in" for my tastes. Depends on the lens being used? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted July 7, 2013 Share #13 Posted July 7, 2013 I found the Leica 1.25x magnifier to lower the viewfinder contrast. I'd used it happily for some months with my 90 APO-Summicron-M asph and felt that it increased my 'hit' rate but when I removed it to use a wide angle lens I noticed the higher contrast and never put the magnifier back on and my 90 AA hit rate was the same. YMMV. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted July 7, 2013 Share #14 Posted July 7, 2013 Depends on the lens being used? Thats true but I never use longer than 50mm.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted July 7, 2013 Share #15 Posted July 7, 2013 I have the 1.4 and use it for 50 and above. It is really helpful with my 135. I wear reading glasses but not while photographing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted July 10, 2013 Share #16 Posted July 10, 2013 I have found that the rangefinder on the M240 is perhaps the best I have ever used on any M, and using the 1.4 makes it even better with a 50 or 90mm lens. Very M3 like. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brill64 Posted July 10, 2013 Share #17 Posted July 10, 2013 I feel the 1.4x is a little bulky sometimes but if you want even more magnification with your 75 or 90, try adding a 1.25x on top.! Lost the rubber rings on both a long time ago & seems impossible to replace. Careful with your glasses *scratch* also careful with that little chain against the top plate *scraaatch* Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted July 10, 2013 Share #18 Posted July 10, 2013 My 1.4 lives on my camera through 90, 75, 50 and sometimes 35 if I don't want to or don't have the time to take it off. I've never felt any adverse affects from using it and it definitely increased my hit rate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LocalHero1953 Posted July 10, 2013 Share #19 Posted July 10, 2013 I got a 1.4 magnifier about a year ago when I was having focussing problems, some of which were both lens and M9 rangefinder calibration errors. For a while I found it helpful, particularly with a 90mm. At the same time I was moving towards people/portrait photography where absolute precision in focussing was critical, vis-a-vis landscape and travel photography. However, I wear contacts or glasses, and found using the magnifier with the latter was a pain, and even with contacts I found the loss of view at the margin was a distraction (even with the 90mm). I put in a real effort to improve my focussing technique, and have recently dispensed with the magnifier. I have been surprised how little I miss it now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipper Posted August 18, 2013 Share #20 Posted August 18, 2013 I have had the x1.25 for a few years and use it with my 75 Lux. Milton Keynes replaced the lost rubber eyepiece for free. Mayfair now charge £9 a pop for this tiny little rubber band, too bad. I like the magnifier though, and have also bought the x1.4 which wasn't available when I bought the 1.25. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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