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Dioptre correction/adjustment & earlier Barnacks


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I'm thinking of getting a Leica II (Model D) in black - this model does not have dioptre adjustment

 

My IIIa & IIIf both have this adjustment (inbuilt) plus I use 2+ dioptre screw in eyepieces for my M's - with all of these cameras if I don't have the dioptre correction the image in the viewfinder is reasonably blurry.

 

I presume the Leica II will be blurry too without any ability to change the dioptre - I don't like using glasses, especially with the Barnacks - eyepiece is way too small. How did people cope who wore glasses back then (pre dioptre times)

 

Anyway around this with the II (any attachments etc?). May not be worth getting as a user camera (which I do with all of my Leicas).

 

 

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I'm not sure, but I think I recall hearing in the distant past that one could send a prescription to Leica and they would specifically grind an eyepiece lens. I had a similar issue with a (non-Leica) Barnack style body. I made a minor change in my eyeglasses prescription and the issue was resolved (I definitely needed eyeglasses because there was no compensation on the camera body).

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I'm thinking of getting a Leica II (Model D) in black - this model does not have dioptre adjustment

 

My IIIa & IIIf both have this adjustment (inbuilt) plus I use 2+ dioptre screw in eyepieces for my M's - with all of these cameras if I don't have the dioptre correction the image in the viewfinder is reasonably blurry.

 

I presume the Leica II will be blurry too without any ability to change the dioptre - I don't like using glasses, especially with the Barnacks - eyepiece is way too small. How did people cope who wore glasses back then (pre dioptre times)

 

Anyway around this with the II (any attachments etc?). May not be worth getting as a user camera (which I do with all of my Leicas).

 

You used to be able to send your Model II to Leica, who would fit the variable focus optic from the model III but I doubt if this service was offered post war. Maybe a Leica expert like Alan Starkie might be able to do this nowadays but it would not be cheap. Why not buy a Model III instead? The price difference between a Model II and a III is minimal. 

 

Wilson

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You used to be able to send your Model II to Leica, who would fit the variable focus optic from the model III but I doubt if this service was offered post war. Maybe a Leica expert like Alan Starkie might be able to do this nowadays but it would not be cheap. Why not buy a Model III instead? The price difference between a Model II and a III is minimal. 

 

Wilson

Wilson, i already have a couple of III's (a & f) but there is a nice IID here locally (Australia) in nice condition & black paint - looks gorgeous - unfortunately it looks like I'm developing the "Barnack Bug"

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Wilson, i already have a couple of III's (a & f) but there is a nice IID here locally (Australia) in nice condition & black paint - looks gorgeous - unfortunately it looks like I'm developing the "Barnack Bug"

 

It sounds like you want to start collecting LTM (not Barnack - most collectors never use that term) models. If you mess with a collector's item, you will damage with its value. I wear glasses and use my II Model Ds (I have 5 of them with another on the way), just as they come, with my glasses on and they work perfectly well. If you are just going to use one rather than have it as a collector's item, then there may some solution out there for using it without your glasses, but I am not aware of any. You will need two items, one for the rangefinder and the other for the viewfinder which is not covered by the diopter control on a III. How do you manage that with your IIIs? Another solution might be to add a separate viewfinder such as an SBOOI when using your glasses. Such viewfinders tend to be much better than the ones which came with the early cameras. Another aspect is that the very early II Model Ds have a yellow front glass on the rangefinder, but adding another lens to aid viewing should not affect that.

 

As you will see from my nameplate, I am both a collector and a user and I cannot help thinking about both aspects. Sometimes the user and collector instincts don't match up, however.

 

William

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It sounds like you want to start collecting LTM (not Barnack - most collectors never use that term) models. If you mess with a collector's item, you will damage with its value. I wear glasses and use my II Model Ds (I have 5 of them with another on the way), just as they come, with my glasses on and they work perfectly well. If you are just going to use one rather than have it as a collector's item, then there may some solution out there for using it without your glasses, but I am not aware of any. You will need two items, one for the rangefinder and the other for the viewfinder which is not covered by the diopter control on a III. How do you manage that with your IIIs? Another solution might be to add a separate viewfinder such as an SBOOI when using your glasses. Such viewfinders tend to be much better than the ones which came with the early cameras. Another aspect is that the very early II Model Ds have a yellow front glass on the rangefinder, but adding another lens to aid viewing should not affect that.

 

As you will see from my nameplate, I am both a collector and a user and I cannot help thinking about both aspects. Sometimes the user and collector instincts don't match up, however.

 

William

William

with my IIIa & IIIf I don't wear my glasses, using the dioptre adjustment for the rangefinder window then use an external viewfinder - I have an SBLOO (superb) for my 35's plus a VIOOH for the other lenses plus 21 & 15 CV viewfinders. I have also been on the lookout for an SBOOI - another great viewfinder. I don't need glasses for the viewfinder plus I can see the viewfinder frames nicely - unfortunately with glasses on the frames become harder to see. So with the IID a possibility is to use glasses for the rangefinder (works OK for me) then also use them for the viewfinder (not as good as framelines are less distinct & out of view) or take them off for the viewfinder - getting a bit fiddly now. I certainly don't want to significantly modify the camera by the way.

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