louster Posted September 12, 2013 Share #1 Â Posted September 12, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) It's getting harder and harder for me to nail the focus shooting wide open as I prefer to do. Reading about the Leica viewfinder magnifier makes me think it might be a big help, but I'm also wondering about a diopter. I wear glasses and easily adjusted built in diopter on my Nikons. Naturally, Leica doesn't have this option! Looks like deciding on correct diopter will be a huge hassle. Any thoughts, Leicaphiles? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 12, 2013 Posted September 12, 2013 Hi louster, Take a look here Viewfinder Magnifier or Diopter or both?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
algrove Posted September 12, 2013 Share #2 Â Posted September 12, 2013 What Leica camera are you using? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
louster Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share #3 Â Posted September 13, 2013 Mainly an M9, would also like to move whatever works to an M6. Suppose that'll complicate it a bit. 50mm Summilux on M9 and 90mm Summicron on M6 and of course I love to shoot both wide open as much as possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 13, 2013 Share #4 Â Posted September 13, 2013 In general, to correct an eye condition a diopter is the way to go. The magnifier is useless for that purpose, as it will require a correcting diopter as well. The magnifier is meant to increase the viewfinder magnification to increase precision. Whether that is useful for you depends on the state of your corrected eyesight. It doesn't work for me for instance, but the corrected sight in my shooting eye has been measured at 160% by my optician. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted September 13, 2013 Share #5 Â Posted September 13, 2013 Jaap is right. A viewfinder magnifier won't help when your diopters are wrong. Either use your glasses, or contact lenses, or an eye-piece diopter lens. After you got that settled, you may start thinking about viewfinder magnifiers ... if still required. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maarten Posted September 13, 2013 Share #6 Â Posted September 13, 2013 Regarding the diopter: my optometrist was so kind and helpful to let me use his set of correction glasses to see what strength would work best. I needed a small plus and could use his +0.5 and +1.0 glasses to find the optimal strength for me. You can then easily order the correct diopter from Leica. When I am not mistaken the diopter will fit both your M6 and M9. Success, Maarten Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roydonian Posted September 13, 2013 Share #7 Â Posted September 13, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I use a +1 diopter correction lens on my M9-P to correct short-sightedness in my right eye. The normal correction needed for distance vision is +1.25, and experimentation at the dealer showed that the +1 screw-in lens gave me the clearest vision. Â However, when I fit the x1.4 magnifier, the addition of the magnifier is not needed. Fitting it degrades the image. Â Best regards, Â Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peebles Posted September 13, 2013 Share #8 Â Posted September 13, 2013 What about a Walter Leica Eyepiece? Then you won't need a magnifier or diopter correction lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted September 13, 2013 Share #9 Â Posted September 13, 2013 I use a +1 diopter correction lens on my M9-P to correct short-sightedness ... You're long-sighted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
louster Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share #10 Â Posted September 13, 2013 Much thanks for the information. I just checked out the Walter Leica Eyepiece online. So many options. First World problems, I know. Â Would a dealer such as B&H in New York have diopters on display that could be tested at the sales counter? I know they're good about taking returns if I order the wrong one, but I'd rather not go that route if possible. Â L Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted September 13, 2013 Share #11 Â Posted September 13, 2013 I prefer to just wear my glasses, which are corrected for astigmatism in addition to distance. This allows me to see the scene both with and without the camera, with no need for additional devices. I might be fortunate that the same corrections for my distance (and astigmatism) also provide for perfect view of the focus patch. Â And, in daylight, having prescription sunglasses serves another useful purpose. I find magnifiers unnecessary, especially so now with the improved M focusing. As said by others, magnifiers just magnify errors if they aren't first corrected. And some feel magnifiers reduce contrast as well. Â Are you sure your glasses are providing optimal correction for all your eye conditions? I would start there first. Â Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roydonian Posted September 13, 2013 Share #12 Â Posted September 13, 2013 You're long-sighted. Â You can trust me to know if I'm long or short sighted! Â So those diopter figures should have had minus signs... Â Best regards, Â Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted September 13, 2013 Share #13 Â Posted September 13, 2013 You can trust me to know if I'm long- or short-sighted! Obviously not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
louster Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share #14  Posted September 13, 2013 Are you sure your glasses are providing optimal correction for all your eye conditions? I would start there first. Jeff  I got a call couple days ago from optometrist reminding me I'm due for annual eye exam. Maybe that'll solve or lessen the problem.  Thanks to all for the constructive input. All very useful.  L Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roydonian Posted September 13, 2013 Share #15  Posted September 13, 2013 Obviously not.  Really? For most of my life since the age of eight, I have had poor to minimal long-distance vision, and decent vision at short range. That’s the symptoms of short sight.  And I have checked my optical prescription, and the diopter correction is a negative value.  As a result of cataract surgery last year, my right eye is now focussed at around 1 m, and my left at around 2.5 m. So I can make do without glasses, and my right eye can use the M9 finder when the correction lens is fitted.  But what really puzzles me is why the combo of magnifier + correction lens is not sharp. Presumably this has pushed the effective range of the VF image to beyond infinity. But trial and error has shown that the -0.5 diopter correction lens was not strong enough, while the -1 gave a clear image.  Best regards,  Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted September 13, 2013 Share #16  Posted September 13, 2013 ... while the -1 gave a clear image. Uh oh. I'm sorry but a few hours ago, it was a +1 dpt lens that would give you a clear image ... so one of us now is confused  That said, please note that—for some unknown reason—the Leica viewfinder magnifiers incorporate some negative diopter correction. For the 1.25× magnifier, it's a little less than -0.5 dpt; for the 1.4× magnifier, it's a little more than -0.5 dpt. I have not yet found out the reason for this—it's useful for persons with perfect vision or very mild myopia but a pest for everybody else. Anyway—I am mildly long-sighted. Without viewfinder magnifier, I need a +1.0 dpt eye-piece diopter lens. On the 1.4× magnifier, I need a +1.5 dpt lens. Please derive your own conclusions ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 14, 2013 Share #17 Â Posted September 14, 2013 As I understand it is to accommodate for the virtual distance of 2 m of the viewfinder markings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted September 14, 2013 Share #18  Posted September 14, 2013 As I understand it is to accommodate for the virtual distance of 2 m of the viewfinder markings. That's what the viewfinder's -0.5 dpt preset is for. However there is no reason I'm aware of for some additional negative preset of the viewfinder magnifiers. It's very annoying to need two different diopter lenses, one for the bare eye-piece and another for the 1.4× magnifier.  Maybe it's not actually a negative diopter built into the magnifiers but just the effect of magnifying the viewfinder's own -0.5 dpt ... I don't know exactly how the viewfinder and the magnifier interact. Anyway, if that's the case then the magnifiers should include some positive compensation so the effective preset would remain constant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted September 14, 2013 Share #19 Â Posted September 14, 2013 I suspect the latter. Actually having to combine a magnifier with a diopter is a pain anyway with all the screwing on and off. Better to stick to just a diopter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke_Miller Posted September 14, 2013 Share #20  Posted September 14, 2013 Anyway—I am mildly long-sighted. Without viewfinder magnifier, I need a +1.0 dpt eye-piece diopter lens. On the 1.4× magnifier, I need a +1.5 dpt lens.  My situation is exactly the same. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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