rangefinder and eyglasses

[al02052]

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Hi

I am going to buy a M9-P and I have a main question.

I wear glasses and with some camera I got problem in focusing or having a full field view.

 

In the past with Nikkormat all was ok, but now I got an Epson R-D1 + Summicron 40 rangefinder and I find a bit hard both in focusing (do one image from the two) and having a full view inside the 35 frame.

All is related to eyeglasses that put the eye far from the viewfinder.

 

When I tested the M9 in the shop I felt that its viewfinder seems larger and easier to focus than the RD1, even wearing glasses. Someome that wear glasses can confirm ?

 

The guy of the shop told me that eventually it would be possible (I did not understood if is a factory order or is a spare part) add a lens that give a wider view inside the finder.

It could be a valid solution ?

He told me that with such lens I will see a smaller focusing rectangle. Is it true ?

 

Thanks for suggestions

Alberto

[photoart]

I have no problems with glasses, only the 28mm frame is just on the edge. I´m working even with 1.4x viewfinder magnifier on 90mm and 50mm with my glasses.

[drjho]

I use glasses with no problems. I can't see quite the edge of the 28 depending on how I hold line up but all other lenses are fine.

[RoySmith]

Hi

I am going to buy a M9-P and I have a main question.

I wear glasses and with some camera I got problem in focusing or having a full field view.

 

In the past with Nikkormat all was ok, but now I got an Epson R-D1 + Summicron 40 rangefinder and I find a bit hard both in focusing (do one image from the two) and having a full view inside the 35 frame.

All is related to eyeglasses that put the eye far from the viewfinder.

 

When I tested the M9 in the shop I felt that its viewfinder seems larger and easier to focus than the RD1, even wearing glasses. Someome that wear glasses can confirm ?

 

The guy of the shop told me that eventually it would be possible (I did not understood if is a factory order or is a spare part) add a lens that give a wider view inside the finder.

It could be a valid solution ?

He told me that with such lens I will see a smaller focusing rectangle. Is it true ?

 

Thanks for suggestions

Alberto

 

Welcome to the forum Alberto.

 

I am not aware of any change inside the M9 viewfinder itself that would give you a wider field of view, but there are two possible attachments outside that would help:

1) add a Leica Dioptre or a Walter Rx Eyepeice to the viewfinder and eliminate the need to wear glasses. By not wearing glasses you will be closer to the viewfinder and have a wider field of view.

2) Add a 0.85 magnifier to widen the field of view.

 

The focusing patch is small so widening the field of view would not help focusing, and decreasing the size of the patch with a 0.85 magnifier would also make focusing a little more difficult. Therefore option 1 above would likely work better.

 

Widening the field of view would help with framing the image.

[250swb]

I haven't encountered a problem with my glasses and my M9. I think sticking with varifocal glasses is the better solution (for me at least) than using dioptres because they allow me to see what the shutter speed is and the LCD info etc without constantly putting my specs on and off. Using a dioptre can also be a nightmare if you are in crowds or out in the landscape and need your glasses to see clearly and be safe.

 

Steve

[al02052]

Thanks for superfast reply.

All are good news.

For many reasons I prefer use glasses instead of dioptrie lens.

So I think that I will try with the standard vf and then eventually I'll buy a 0.85 magnifier.

[dwbell]

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Glasses wearer here who can't see all of the 35mm frame lines, forget about 28mm! 50 are the widest lines I can see in one position. You'll work around it or find a solution that works for you though. Try before you buy, as always.

[Double Negative]

I wear glasses mostly for reading and don't care for them when shooting. I tried a magnifier, but my astigmatism limited its usefulness (it just magnified it). The perfect solution turned out to be - and something I fully reviewed here is the Walter RX Eyepiece. Great solution for me and it solved all my issues. YMMV.

[ayewing]

I wear glasses mostly for reading and don't care for them when shooting. I tried a magnifier, but my astigmatism limited its usefulness (it just magnified it). The perfect solution turned out to be - and something I fully reviewed here is the Walter RX Eyepiece. Great solution for me and it solved all my issues. YMMV.

 

 

I presume that your distance vision is OK without glasses but you have problems with near vision so the Walter RX Eyepiece is the ideal solution for you.

 

Those of us who are myopic find that without glasses the world around us is a total blur so if we used a corrective eyepiece we would be continualy taking our glasses off and puting them back on again. Myopes are much better with corrective glasses and if aged 40+ will need Varilux or bifocal lenses to provide both distance and near correction.

 

I do not know what the OPs visual problem is but in general if he is farsighted then in camera correction would work well but if shortsighted he would be better with glasses.

[Double Negative]

I presume that your distance vision is OK without glasses but you have problems with near vision so the Walter RX Eyepiece is the ideal solution for you.

 

Those of us who are myopic find that without glasses the world around us is a total blur so if we used a corrective eyepiece we would be continualy taking our glasses off and puting them back on again. Myopes are much better with corrective glasses and if aged 40+ will need Varilux or bifocal lenses to provide both distance and near correction.

 

I do not know what the OPs visual problem is but in general if he is farsighted then in camera correction would work well but if shortsighted he would be better with glasses.

 

Yes, my distance vision is still mostly okay (though I really should start wearing them for this as well). You're right, the Eyepiece isn't a solution for everyone as you point out. But in cases like mine, it turned out to be ideal. It's hard - you either have to put your glasses on to see or shoot or vice versa.

[bocaburger]

 

Those of us who are myopic find that without glasses the world around us is a total blur so if we used a corrective eyepiece we would be continualy taking our glasses off and puting them back on again.

 

+1! And the "trick" to getting the widest view inside the finder while wearing glasses is to procure the thinnest lenses technology will allow, frames that are reasonably flexible, and small enough (the part with the lens) to clear your brow and cheekbone...so that you can press the camera's eyepiece as close as possible in toward your eye.

 

Even without glasses, it's impossible to see all the borders of the 28mm frameline if you look around. The trick to it (and the 35mm frames somewhat) is to keep your gaze straight through the center of the rangefinder patch and let your peripheral vision pick up the framelines.

[roydonian]

+1! And the "trick" to getting the widest view inside the finder while wearing glasses is to procure the thinnest lenses technology will allow, frames that are reasonably flexible, and small enough (the part with the lens) to clear your brow and cheekbone...so that you can press the camera's eyepiece as close as possible in toward your eye.

 

Indeed. But if you are blessed with the sort of eyesight that needs thick lenses and heavy frames, even the 35mm frame will require a degree of eyeball shuffling.

 

But even with glasses off and my eye as close to the eyepiece as it can get, I still cannot see both sides of the 28mm frame.

 

One early review of the M9 (LHSA viewfinder, I think) said that spectacle wearers would need to use external finders for 35mm and wider lenses.

 

Best regards,

 

Doug

[Double Negative]

^ Excellent idea(s). As much as I personally don't care for external viewfinders so much, they're another option. Focus with the internal but rely on the external for the framing as there's usually more area around the framelines.

[parsod]

Down to 35mm is fine with glasses for me since I got a pair with very flexible frames. These were however my first progressive ones and it took some practice and out of focus shots before I learnt where exactly to position the viewfinder eyepiece.

 

/Pär

[TomB_tx]

I've worn glasses for 50+ years, and have had more problems with SLRs than Leica. I do like the M9 finder, as the 35 frame is easily usable, and really liked the M4 with a 90.

Besides not always seeing the full SLR image (depending on model), there have been many where the light behind me coming through my glasses and into the finder would cause underexposure of 1 or more stops, by affecting the meter. It took a while to learn to check the exposure without my glasses to verify how much the meter was affected.

[bocaburger]

Indeed. But if you are blessed with the sort of eyesight that needs thick lenses and heavy frames, even the 35mm frame will require a degree of eyeball shuffling.

 

But even with glasses off and my eye as close to the eyepiece as it can get, I still cannot see both sides of the 28mm frame.

 

One early review of the M9 (LHSA viewfinder, I think) said that spectacle wearers would need to use external finders for 35mm and wider lenses.

 

Best regards,

 

Doug

 

Doug, I'm not an opthalmologist or optometrist, just an optimist I've worn glasses since I was 8 (and should have been wearing them before that). Highly nearsighted plus astigmatism. My lenses used to be thick as coke bottle bottoms, but with the latest technology they are now about half as thick as before, at most 4mm at the central point where they rest against the viewfinder. Upshot of the new lighter, thinner lenses is they fit in smaller, lighter, more flexible frames.

 

There might be something specific to your particular prescription that contraindicates these thinner lenses, but if you haven't gotten a second professional opinion, you might consider it. In fact I can't recall seeing anyone with really thick lenses in a long time.

[lars_bergquist]

I have long ago reached the age when my eyes' focusing mechanism has frozen. They are in fact permanently focused beyond infinity. Yes, I cannot see even the horizon sharply!

 

Even without glasses, I could never see the short sides of the 28mm frame. With specs on, I cannot see the frame at all, even though mine are very modern and thin. When I used 28mm on a full frame M, I always used it with a 28mm accessory finder (Leica's old black plastic one). After changing to the M9, I have discarded the 28mm focal length entirely.

 

I am always using a pair of varifocal or 'progressive' specs, and I use them for everything, from horizon-gazing to M-focusing to reading. I focus my Apo-Telyt wide open with goood reliability. Modern binoculars with their adjustable eyecups are also a boon. I always hated the 'specs on-specs off' drill. I agree that this is a pain in the ass generally, and a safety risk in many situations. Dropping my specs and having them trod on would disable me totally. This is why I don't use eyepiece diopter lenses either. If I can't cope without the specs, then I'd better keep them on!

 

In fact, apart from the 28mm disadvantage, which is a subjective one and does not count with me, I see no problems at all with using a pair of modern varifocals.

 

The old man with 20/20 eyesight

[asmith]

There is no doubt that glasses, hearing aids, crutches and wheelchairs all impose limitations, but when you need them you need them and it becomes necessary to make accommodations. I find that with glasses, focussing with a rangefinder is easier than with a reflex screen. Like most spectacle wearers, I find I cannot see the 28mm frame on the M9 and the 35mm frame is only just visible. But this is a relatively minor problem compared with what many people experience from more serious handicaps. I still like my Ms more than my D2 and V-lux3 with their autofocus.

Alwyn

[payasam]

I now have a corrective lens on my M (not an M9), but for some years before cataract surgery I used a special pair of glasses whose right lens was for the finder while its left lens was my reading prescription so that I could see the lettering on meter and speed dial and aperture scale.

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[jeverettfine]

I've worn glasses for 50+ years, and have had more problems with SLRs than Leica. I do like the M9 finder, as the 35 frame is easily usable, and really liked the M4 with a 90.

Besides not always seeing the full SLR image (depending on model), there have been many where the light behind me coming through my glasses and into the finder would cause underexposure of 1 or more stops, by affecting the meter. It took a while to learn to check the exposure without my glasses to verify how much the meter was affected.

 

This is where I like using a 35mm focal length with the M3 viewfinder attachment. The 50mm frame is selected on ANY M BODY and the "goggles" fit the 35mm view into it. I know it is a very old lens design, but the M3 version of the 35 Summicron has beautiful bokeh and is no slouch in every other respect. It looks a bit funky, but it is a joy to use if you wear glasses. It also allows you to keep your sweaty forehead off the camera in hot weather.