Frankenfinder and M-10

[tpf1952]

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Two questions for owners of the Universal Wide Finder and the M-10: Do you like the finder? Does its size interfere with making adjustment to the ISO dial?

 

When covering events I'm usually woking with two Leica Ms, but juggling three or four lenses in this order of priority: 28, 50, 18, 180 (the 2.8 APO R). I have separate Leica optical finders for the 28 and 18 as well as the EVFs for the M240 and M10. Switching optical finders and lenses (the 28 and 18) is tedious/time consuming when having to move quckly. When shooting run and gun with the wides, rangefinder focusing is faster for me than EVFs.

 

So, aside from the obvious bulk of the Universal Wide Finder, how do you like it? How does it compare in contrast and framing accuracy to the dedicated Leica optical finders?

 

Thanks in advance for your opinions, especially those like me who wear eyeglasses when shooting.

 

Tom

 

 

 

[pgk]

So, aside from the obvious bulk of the Universal Wide Finder, how do you like it? How does it compare in contrast and framing accuracy to the dedicated Leica optical finders?

 

I used to have one. Technically it is by far the best finder from Leica; accuracy is good, viewing is good. But its not called the Frankenfinder for nothing! I too found it too big (on the M9) and eventually settled on one of the latest finders which is much more to my liking due to size and effective enough viewing.

[tpf1952]

My Frankenfinder arrived two days ago: I forgive its mass for its function. Nice hardware indeed. 

[Guest]

With mounted Frankenfinder it happened to me that some people suspected this "flash" hadn't flashed...

[LeicaR10]

TPF1952,   Why would you use a Universal Finder for the M10 when you have both Live View on the back and an excellent VisioFlex 020 finder to slide onto the hot shoe?   Plus with the Visio Flex finder you can adjust the finder to correct for non-glasses wear.  Simply, you don't need a Universal Finder on the M10 for wide angle lenses.  r/ Mark

[Luke_Miller]

 

So, aside from the obvious bulk of the Universal Wide Finder, how do you like it? How does it compare in contrast and framing accuracy to the dedicated Leica optical finders?

 

I initially bought the current Leica metal finder for my 24 Elmarit-M and while excellent optically, the etched frame lines would wash out in some lighting making composition difficult.  The Frankenfinder was much better in that regard and I also use it with my 28 Summicron to eliminate the viewfinder blockage from the lens hood.

[brill64]

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Although designed for film M-cameras, the Frankenfinder has a very good built-in bubble level which other optical finders & electronic Visoflex does not. The M10 has no way to level a shot properly, except by eye, which takes practice with wideangles.

[willeica]

I used the M10 with the WATE, 24mm Elmar and Frankenfinder at a classic car show last month. Results here:

 

http://macfilos.com/photo/2017/7/17/leica-m10-meets-the-motoring-stars-of-yesteryear?rq=Classic%20Cars

 

I think that I posted a link to this article on this forum. In summary, the Frankenfinder is the best viewfinder for using wide angle lenses on a Leica rangefinder camera. It covers focal lengths from 16mm to 28mm giving appropriate frame-lines with parallax adjustment and has a nice little spirit level. It is vastly superior to the EVF, which I have, but rarely use, except in an 'emergency'. I have finders for individual focal lengths and the Leica 21-24-28mm finder and the Voigtlander 'zoom finder', but nothing comes close to the Frankenfinder. It does not feel big on the M10 and I am not all self conscious about how my cameras look. They are only tools, after all.

 

William

[tpf1952]

Good question, Mark. While the EVF is indispensable for longer lenses, I find it less compelling when shooting wide angle lenses. EVFs slow down camera operations just enough for me when shooting events, thus the Frankenfinder. I tend to switch between an 18 and a 28 frequently.

TPF1952, Why would you use a Universal Finder for the M10 when you have both Live View on the back and an excellent VisioFlex 020 finder to slide onto the hot shoe? Plus with the Visio Flex finder you can adjust the finder to correct for non-glasses wear. Simply, you don't need a Universal Finder on the M10 for wide angle lenses. r/ Mark