xrogers Posted January 30, 2007 Share #1 Â Posted January 30, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've used an external finder on a 21 elmarit for years, but I don't use that lens all that often, so I don't really know how the finder works as a day-to-day item. Now I've got this M8, and using the full finder just isn't accurate enough for the 21. I have a much-loved 35, so it seems like I either need to buy a 24 or 28, or get used to shooting with an external finder far more often than I'm accustomed to. Â Does this really work well? Can you shoot reliably quickly with an external finder, or do you find that you miss too many of those fleeting shots because of wonky automatic metering or focus? Â And what about the finder itself? I'd probably like the durability and size of that tiny CV 28mm finder, but is it squinty or is the view too small? And if I get a bigger finder that lives on the camera, am I going to bust it off (like I did a couple winters ago in -30F temps with a plastic CV finder)? That nice looking bigger CV metal finder looks a bit like a handle for ripping the shoe off the M8. Â Thank you for sharing your external finder experiences and opinions. Â Clyde Rogers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 30, 2007 Posted January 30, 2007 Hi xrogers, Take a look here Do you use external finders often?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Tony C. Posted January 30, 2007 Share #2  Posted January 30, 2007 Hi Clyde,  You should probably review the following thread, which I began a few days ago,  http://www.leica-camera-user.com/digital-forum/14661-m8-zeiss-external-viewfinder-thoughts.html  I find, as you'll see on that thread, that an external finder is very valuable in conjunction with a 21mm lens on the M8. But part of the reason that I am using one so regularly is that I bought a Zeiss finder, and it is spectacular! Now it is much more expensive than the CV, and some prefer to go without one at all on the M8. Those issues are addressed in the aforementioned thread, and others relating to the same topic.  Regards,  Tony C. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted January 30, 2007 Share #3 Â Posted January 30, 2007 I use them often. They're fast to work with if one is zone focusing. If you're working wide open, it's trickier because your eye constantly needs to move back and forth between the two finders. They don't effect metering at all and I've never even come close to breaking one off a camera. Â I'm using the CV 28 metal finder right now for testing the 21s and I like it very much. Â Cheers, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJL Posted January 30, 2007 Share #4 Â Posted January 30, 2007 The CV 21mm finder works wonderfully with the CV 15/4.5 lens. Since it is not rangefinder coupled and the DOF is pretty extreme at almost any stop, zone focusing can be rather sloppy, yet still accurate, and the little finder is fantastic for composing. As for breaking it off....looks like it would take quite a shot to do that, at which point you may have other things to worry about on the camera. Â I think the little CV finder is quite bright and not squinty at all. Makes composing a quite accurate breeze from what I am seeing so far. Â For other lenses, such as the 21, I will defer to others. Â LJ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrogers Posted January 30, 2007 Author Share #5 Â Posted January 30, 2007 Thank you for the pointer, Tony. I does answer some of my questions. I don't know how that thread slipped past me... Â Sean, my CV finder's foot just crumbled in the cold, it didn't take any hits I noticed. It was extreme conditions, but I'd like to avoid plastic finders in the future. The bigger CV looks like a good finder---have you (or anyone) tried that exceedingly small, low profile CV box finder that cameraquest sells? Â My question on metering had to do with loss of the viewfinder display---I sometimes catch bad exposure by noticing a spiking (or obviously incorrect) shutter speed in the viewfinder. I've never tracked how often this happens, so don't have a good sense for whether or not it is a problem with the external finder. Â Thanks for the responses so far! Â Clyde Rogers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJL Posted January 30, 2007 Share #6 Â Posted January 30, 2007 Clyde, That is a valid point. I have not had too many problems as I still look through the camera viewfinder to check the exposure readings. The only time it becomes a problem is when there may be some strong light that is within the frame for the lens, but beyond what you are seeing in the camera viewfinder. However, that should not really matter, as the actual lens is feeding the light for the meter, so whatever it is gathering should be taken into account. You just may not know as easily what the culprit is that could be throwing things off. Â If you are shooting totally manually, you will need to move back an forth between the camera viewfinder and the external viewfinder where you are composing. However, for wide angle shooting, unless there are hotspots or darkspots as a critical part of your composition, the camera meter is going to give you a pretty good average reading. Â Others can support of contradict that, but that has been my experience so far. Â LJ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted January 30, 2007 Share #7  Posted January 30, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I use them often. They're fast to work with if one is zone focusing. If you're working wide open, it's trickier because your eye constantly needs to move back and forth between the two finders. They don't effect metering at all and I've never even come close to breaking one off a camera. I'm using the CV 28 metal finder right now for testing the 21s and I like it very much.  Cheers,  I'm using the CV 28 finder as well with the 21mm and it does work very nicely. Small also Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. borger Posted January 30, 2007 Share #8 Â Posted January 30, 2007 I use an older Leica 28mm finder with the 21mm elmarit ..... it works well and is not to large but do not like external finders in general .... but the 21mm on the M8 without finder is too much guessing for my taste! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted January 30, 2007 Share #9 Â Posted January 30, 2007 I bought the Voigtlander metal 28mm finder a couple of weeks ago - a UK dealer had a used one on his website. Seems far better made than the plastic ones, which aren't bad themselves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Campbell Posted January 30, 2007 Share #10 Â Posted January 30, 2007 I use the Leica 28 all of the time with my 21 and like it very well. Â I'm about to try the Leica 35 with the 24 becaue I don't like the 24 frame lines. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted January 30, 2007 Share #11 Â Posted January 30, 2007 Woody, there is allways the cv21d finder which should give the 24mm crop Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannirr Posted January 30, 2007 Share #12 Â Posted January 30, 2007 I am using the Leica 21/24/28 xternal finder with the WATE and I think the finder is lousy. Framing is way, way off. Â Danni Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted January 30, 2007 Share #13  Posted January 30, 2007 I am using the Leica 21/24/28 xternal finder with the WATE and I think the finder is lousy. Framing is way, way off. Danni  I am really confused: Should I get the "lousy framing" 21/24/28 finder for the WATE?  Or the ugly looking new Leica universal finder for the wate?  Or the Zeis 25/28 finder in combination with my Leica 21mm finder?  I wish there was a place where I could compare all three/four of them. Has anybody here had a chance?  How do they compare...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Campbell Posted January 30, 2007 Share #14 Â Posted January 30, 2007 I am really confused:Should I get the "lousy framing" 21/24/28 finder for the WATE? Â Or the ugly looking new Leica universal finder for the wate? Â Or the Zeis 25/28 finder in combination with my Leica 21mm finder? Â I wish there was a place where I could compare all three/four of them. Has anybody here had a chance? Â How do they compare...... Â The finder for the Ricoh GRD is the same construction (probably the same maker) as the CV finders, is free of distortion and has 21 and 28 frame lines. I have a WATE on order and expect to us the Ricoh finder with it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted January 30, 2007 Share #15  Posted January 30, 2007 Woody, I have a grd and the Ricoh finder. 2 problems: 1) the Ricoh finder sits a little bit on the side (not in the center of thelens axis) when used on the M8. I dont know if this should be a problem but have to check out 2) As I understood Sean the Ricoh finder is 3:4 and not 2:3 ratio  I will try to check out tonight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grober Posted January 30, 2007 Share #16 Â Posted January 30, 2007 Just got my 21mm Elmarit back from a trip to Leica for 6-bit coding. I use the Zeiss 24/28 viewfinder when this lens in on my M8. Combo seems to work well. Â Completing this trio will be a 60mm IR-cut filter which I'm waiting for Leica to provide as promised. Â -g Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted January 30, 2007 Share #17  Posted January 30, 2007 Just got my 21mm Elmarit back from a trip to Leica for 6-bit coding. I use the Zeiss 24/28 viewfinder when this lens in on my M8. Combo seems to work well. Completing this trio will be a 60mm IR-cut filter which I'm waiting for Leica to provide as promised.  -g  Why 60? Isnt the 21/2.8asph 55? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted January 30, 2007 Share #18 Â Posted January 30, 2007 The finder for the Ricoh GRD is the same construction (probably the same maker) as the CV finders, is free of distortion and has 21 and 28 frame lines. I have a WATE on order and expect to us the Ricoh finder with it. Â Yes, but it uses different proportions for the frame lines. Â Cheers, Â Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted January 30, 2007 Share #19  Posted January 30, 2007 Woody, there is allways the cv21d finder which should give the 24mm crop  Aha...someone read that article. <G> Yes, as I discussed in the 24/25s review, the CV 21D finder is a good match for the 24/25 lenses.  Cheers,  Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted January 30, 2007 Share #20  Posted January 30, 2007 Aha...someone read that article. <G> Yes, as I discussed in the 24/25s review, the CV 21D finder is a good match for the 24/25 lenses. Cheers,  Sean  I do not only read the review but also own the finder from using it on my rd1 for the 21/2.8asph. However so far I just have used the internal M8 finder for the 24.... Its convenience....also it seems that I am not bothered from some viewfinder blocking as much as other people here. I dont know why but often I dont even realize that a part of the viewfinder is blocked with some lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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