Viewfinder magnifier 1.25x or 1.4x for 75mm lens

[BeFree]

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Hello!

 

I need help to decide what to order for my 75mm lens (M9body) 1.25x or 1.4x. I feel that I need something for better focus tuning. Second lens what I use is 35 mm. I have also eyeglasses. Unfortunately I can not test myself, I hope to have opinion from somebody who has both and 75 mm lens.

Thank you advance.

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[jaapv]

I wouldn't use a magnifier, at least not until I had corrected the ocular with the appropriate diopter. It is senseless to use a magnifier without proper viewfinder correction. Nb. The magnifier requires a different dioptre from the naked viewfinder.

[BeFree]

I wouldn't use a magnifier, at least not until I had corrected the ocular with the appropriate diopter. It is senseless to use a magnifier without proper viewfinder correction. Nb. The magnifier requires a different dioptre from the naked viewfinder.

 

Hi Jaap! Thanks. I do not use any diopter correction as I wear glasses when I shooting. Magnifier will be between camera and my glasses to see better focusing square. Sorry if I misunderstand you.

[robert_parker]

The uncorrected 1,4 magnifier allows a good view of the 75 and 35mm framelines and for me allows easier focussing than the 1,25, it also seems to be ok if eyeglasses are used.

[jaapv]

Hi Jaap! Thanks. I do not use any diopter correction as I wear glasses when I shooting. Magnifier will be between camera and my glasses to see better focusing square. Sorry if I misunderstand you.

No, you understood correctly. If it helps you, fine, I would use the 1.25 for a 75 in that case. However, I feel that proper focussing technique makes magnifiers superfluous for many users. There are drawbacks as well. Loss of viewfinder brightness and contrast for instance. Personally I find I focus better without, including the " impossible" Apo Telyt 135. But personal experiences vary.

[wda]

Hello!

 

I need help to decide what to order for my 75mm lens (M9body) 1.25x or 1.4x. I feel that I need something for better focus tuning. Second lens what I use is 35 mm. I have also eyeglasses. Unfortunately I can not test myself, I hope to have opinion from somebody who has both and 75 mm lens.

Thank you advance.

Welcome BeFree to the forum!

 

I went through this exercise with my M8 and settled on the 1.4x magnifier. The eye-piece is protected so I just use my spectacles without further correction or risk of scratching. I found it a great help in determining the precise point of focus; but it is a subjective judgement. I also use it on my M9 equally successfully. The major downside is the limit on seeing all the wider frames. But it is no hardship to remove the magnifier and place it in the attached leather case held on the camera strap. When using my 21mm lens I use its required separate viewfinder anyway; so no need to remove the magnifier.

[hoppyman]

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I have both and the 75. I think that the 1.25 is more practical in general with better eye relief and clarity (a little) and is more useful for a 50 too. On a tripod for close up especially, the 1.4 is superbly precise.

[juergen]

Nb. The magnifier requires a different dioptre from the naked viewfinder.

 

Is that so? What you are saying is, that someone using eyeglasses, would need two sets of eyeglasses. One for the use without - and one for the use with the magnifier.

 

Juergen

[ericborgstrom]

Hi,

 

I use -2 correction lens both with and without the 1.25 magnifier on my M9 and optically this works. The 1.25 magnifier is great with the 75mm Summarit. Takes some nimble fingerwork to change the correction lens between the naked eyepice and the magnifier. Practice helps. I have no experience of the 1.4 magnifier.

 

/Eric

[juergen]

Hi,

 

I use -2 correction lens both with and without the 1.25 magnifier on my M9 and optically this works.

 

This is my personal experience as well.

 

Juergen

[jaapv]

Is that so? What you are saying is, that someone using eyeglasses, would need two sets of eyeglasses. One for the use without - and one for the use with the magnifier.

 

Juergen

It depends on how good the accomodation of your eye works. Yes - there is a difference of 0.5 dioptre between the VF with or without magnifier. If your eye can bridge that, no problem. If it can't, you need two different diopters. Or varifocal glasses - but you would probably need those anyway.

[Shootist]

No, you understood correctly. If it helps you, fine, I would use the 1.25 for a 75 in that case. However, I feel that proper focussing technique makes magnifiers superfluous for many users. There are drawbacks as well. Loss of viewfinder brightness and contrast for instance. Personally I find I focus better without, including the " impossible" Apo Telyt 135. But personal experiences vary.

 

As jaapv has clearly stated the use of a magnifier, if you have proper eye correction to view the rangefinder patch clean and clear, is superfluous. I have a 1.25 and never use it as I don't need it to focus all of my lenses correctly. Including a 75, 90 and 135.

 

If you are not seeing the RF patch clean and clear then either you need to have a diopter lens or I guess glasses made to work with the Leica viewfinder (for me that is different then what I need for reading), or you need to have the vertical alignment adjusted. If both of these things are correct and you still can't properly focus a 75mm lens without a magnifier then maybe you need the whole range/viewfinder adjusted.

[Shootist]

Is that so? What you are saying is, that someone using eyeglasses, would need two sets of eyeglasses. One for the use without - and one for the use with the magnifier.

 

Juergen

 

 

Hi,

 

I use -2 correction lens both with and without the 1.25 magnifier on my M9 and optically this works. The 1.25 magnifier is great with the 75mm Summarit. Takes some nimble fingerwork to change the correction lens between the naked eyepice and the magnifier. Practice helps. I have no experience of the 1.4 magnifier.

 

/Eric

 

I have no idea how it works with - (Minus) diopter correction (for distance vision) but for close up vision, + (Plus) diopters, you definitely need a different diopter for the magnifier then you normally use on the viewfinder without a magnifier attached, that is the way it is for me.

[luigi bertolotti]

I use progressive spectacles... and having used for sometime the (cheap) 1,35x from HK supplies, decided that is better not to use it at all: the 75/90 frames were indeed larger... but the global viewing in the VF was signicantly worst: my conclusion is that, with glasses on, if you have good sharpness and RF patch well controlled, the magnifier is more annoying than useful... personally, for instance, I disliked its protrusione on the back of the camera... and mounting/dismounting it was one more annoyiance.

[UliWer]

It depends on how good the accomodation of your eye works. Yes - there is a difference of 0.5 dioptre between the VF with or without magnifier. If your eye can bridge that, no problem. If it can't, you need two different diopters. Or varifocal glasses - but you would probably need those anyway.

 

I wear verifocal glasses usually - but I think they are very unpractical for a viewfinder with or without magnifier. You get very different results depending on which part of your glasses gets nearest to the ocular. When you raise your camera to your eye you'll often automatically use the lower parts of your glasses as they are best for short distances - the distance between your eye and the viewfinder.

 

But looking through the viewfinder needs the long distance part of your glasses. If you don't have the right position your focussing will be dfisturbed.

 

That's exactly my experience with the 75mm Summicron - without and with a magnifier. When it was new I thought it had back focus - and front focus as well, when I tried again. It took me some time to make up my confused mind about this - until I put off my varifocals and used my other monofocal glasses. Since then the lens is spot on.

 

I never knew that there was a dioptre difference if you used a magnifier. Is this also true when you use a different viewfinder magnification - say 0.85 for the M6 instead of 0.72 or even 0.58? If not, where is the difference between the internal viewfinder magnification and the external by using an additional magnifier?

[Shootist]

I never knew that there was a dioptre difference if you used a magnifier. Is this also true when you use a different viewfinder magnification - say 0.85 for the M6 instead of 0.72 or even 0.58? If not, where is the difference between the internal viewfinder magnification and the external by using an additional magnifier?

 

Not to my knowledge. What M users don't know or remember is that the M view/ranger finder is set at a fixed distance of 2 meters (7 feet). Meaning that everything you see through the viewfinder appears to your eye at 2 meters so you need glasses or a diopter lens to give you good vision at 2 meters. That is why I wear +1.5 to +2 for reading glasses but use a +1 diopter lens for normal viewfinder and a +1.5 if and when I use a magnifier. The magnifier brings the viewfinder image closer to my eye, shorter then the 2 meters. Since the other viewfinder magnifications, .58/.72/.85 and the M8/9 .68, are internal I suspect the fixed distance of 2 meters still applies. At least that is what is stated in the M8 manual and on the .85 M7 I had I still used a +1 diopter to see the RF patch clear.

[treeplanter]

I own a 75mm Summilux as well as the 1.25X and 1.4X magnifiers, and prefer the 1.4X magnifier when I use this lens.

 

Jim B.

[pico]

I own a 75mm Summilux as well as the 1.25X and 1.4X magnifiers, and prefer the 1.4X magnifier when I use this lens.

 

Jim B.

 

Good choice. That would give you a 1:1 view with a .72 viewfinder. Both eyes open work well that way. (Very close to 1:1 - in fact, 1:1.008)

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[juergen]

I never knew that there was a dioptre difference if you used a magnifier.

 

Neither did I, nor does Leica. I know that this statement has been repeatet a few times on this forum but I never found an official source for validation.

 

Juergen

[jaapv]

Leica does know. I am not sure, but I think Gunther Osterloh mentions it already. Anyway, just try it out, if you need varifocals.