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I don't think I understand viewfinder magnification.


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I've been reading threads as much as possible on this but I still don't get it.

 

I'm confused about viewfinder magnification.

 

I currently have an R-D1x which has a 1:1 magnification, which I understand means "clear glass" (and I love it)

 

So far so good.

 

 

What I don't get is what are the ramifications of the other Leica magnifications; .72, .85 etc. I'm patiently saving my pennies for a used M240 and am trying to figure out what these mean and why one is better than another.

 

I currently have 28mm, 35mm, 50mm and 90mm lenses

Edited by rpavich
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Standard SWB answer. In other words there wasn't one. Mr. helpful.  :)

 

Try here:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/viewfinder-magnifications.htm

Thanks for the info; appreciated. Even if I don't have a choice, I would like to know what I'm getting into; it's a consideration.

 

That was really informative.

 

I guess I should cherish the 1:1 finder on my R-D1x. :) (while I can)

Edited by rpavich
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Hello Rpavich,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Altho current digital M's do not offer a choice of viewfinder magnification the general rule for expressing magnification (Viewfinder or other) is in this order:

Image : Object

 

Always in that order.

 

If there is an exception to this rule (rare occurrence) it will be noted individually each time it occurs. 

 

Therefore .72X means a magnification ratio of .72 (Image size) to 1.0 (Object size).

 

You are looking at an image that APPEARS to be just under 3/4 (.75) life size.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Edited by Michael Geschlecht
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Hello Rpavich,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Altho current digital M's do not offer a choice of viewfinder magnification the general rule for expressing magnification (Viewfinder or other) is in this order:

 

Image : Object

 

Always in that order.

 

If there is an exception to this rule (rare occurrence) it will be noted individually each time it occurs. 

 

Therefore .72X means a magnification ratio of .72 (Image size) to ( :) 1.0 (Object size)

 

You are looking at an image that APPEARS to be just under 3/4 (.75) life size.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

Thanks Michael, it took me until today to realize that...thanks very much.

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FYI, the M9 and M240 both use a 0.68X viewfinder, not a 0.72X finder that was standard in film bodies from M2 to M7, though the difference between 0.68X and 0.72X is not very noticeable. In both cases the limit of the extent of view in the finder is just slightly bigger than the framelines for 28mm wide angle lenses for full frame sensor, and the 28mm frame lines are a bit of a pain to see all at once for me (even without glasses).

 

I had ordered a custom M7 with 0.58X finder as my last film Leica, because I prefer 28mm for general photography, and I liked being able to see the whole frame at a glance with some room around the edge to see what is near the frame and may be coming into it. This is unfortunately not an option Leica has marketed, and they have not made 0.58X or 0.85X or 1X finder parts for the thicker digital bodies. I specifically asked the Leica USA service center if my M9-P could have custom 0.58x finder parts installed, and was told they don't exist, and that the M7 finder parts are incompatible.

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Means that it will be much harder to shoot both eyes open with the M240 than with your R-D1 unless you use a magnifier with the former. But then 28mm and possibly 35mm frame lines won't be visible any more. In any case the optical finder of the M240 is brighter than that of the R-D1 but it has more frame lines than the latter's which can be confusing in some cases, especially when using 50mm lenses because 50mm but also 75mm frame lines will bring up automatically.

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0.68x is ideal for 35mm lenses. But 0.85x is certainly preferable for 50mm.

I wonder why Leica has not attempted a camera with switchable magnification, it's technically possible the Contax G did it.

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That would be rather difficult. The viewfinder magnification has to do with the length of the telescope that the viewfinder basically is, hence with the thickness of the body and the angle of view of the system. The reason that digital M bodies have a different magnification from film bodies is that hey are thicker, hence the telescope is longer, yet they have the same size front window, which restricts the angle of view.

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0.68x is ideal for 35mm lenses. But 0.85x is certainly preferable for 50mm.

I wonder why Leica has not attempted a camera with switchable magnification, it's technically possible the Contax G did it.

Doing it requires one or more moving lens elements (similar to a zoom lens). There is no space for this within the thickness of the current M body (the Contax G cameras have a much lower magnification and the eyepiece protrudes much further from the body).

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Standard SWB answer. In other words there wasn't one. Mr. helpful.  :)

 

Try here:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/viewfinder-magnifications.htm

 

As the question was related specifically to buying an M240 I see no reason to wreath the explanation in Leica history or show off how much one person knows against how much the other person needs to know. It's about having a happy untroubled buying experience for the OP, not 'I know so much so you need to know all this as well'. :rolleyes:

 

Steve

Edited by 250swb
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