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Viewfinder Magnifiers-Worth It?


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I am wondering if purchasing either the 1.25 or 1.4 Leica viewfinder magnifier is worth it.  It would be used mainly on the MP240 with fast 50mm lenses.  I want to be able to see the entire 50 frame line and I do not wear glasses.  I have never used one of these Leica accessories and would like opinions. 

 

Thanks.

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When I really needed the magnifier it was in low light, but the diminished brightness was discouraging. Our eye/brains are different. Best if you can try one, then judge.

 

Best of luck to you.

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I got the x1.4 (for the Apo-Summicron 90) but after a while I ended up not using it. It magnifies the view, but at the cost of a bit of clarity/contrast. In the end I decided the two balanced each other out.

 

Generally the same - I use the 1.4x, mainly for the 75/2 Summicron and occasionally for the 50/2 (the framelines are still visible).

 

It makes the image larger but doesn't necessarily make focusing quicker - the rangefinder discrepancy from the slight twitch of the fingers when turning the focussing ring gets bigger, too - and focus on the 75/2 (well documented by other users in other threads) can still be tricky to 'nail'.

 

Hassles? Screwing it onto the viewfinder when in a hurry - one more thing to do when changing lenses, and (along with the viewfinder optics), it's another pair of glass surfaces to keep clean. Doing so makes a big difference to ease of focusing.

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I have the x1.4 now permanently screwed onto my M(262) and find it handy for ease of focusing. I confess that I even use it with a 28mm and for that make a quick switch after focusing to an external OVF on the hotshoe to get the composition I want. My eyesight is 20:20 but I do really like the benefit of a slight increased rangefinder focus patch.

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I've tried them all - but being a bit nearsighted I have better results with just my specs.  If I'm not sure of focus like in dark scenes I'll shoot several exposures and pic the best later - no reason to save chip space on a 64GB chip

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Well, I got a used 1.25X magnifier from ClassicConnections and it works and works well.  I would never have guessed 1.25X makes such a difference.  It sure makes focusing a 50f1.1 much more precise.  So, I am thinking money well spent.  And just for information with a little bit of searching, you can see the frame lines for the 35mm.  

 

Thanks for the opinions.  

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I wanted to see if a magnifier was something I was interested in buying and if so, which one.  A visit to the Leica Store in SF didn't answer my question -- they were out of stock!   I'll check again the next time I'm in that area of the city.

 

If nothing else I saved some money.  I was within a couple blocks of the store for other reasons so I wasn't even out much time.

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I just picked up a 1.25x magnifier and have been very impressed at how much it has improved my hit rate with the 50mm Noctilux f/1.0. I tried the 1.4x in the store and didn’t like how it cut off the shitter speed readout in the viewfinder.

 

I’m very happy with it and would highly recommend it.

Mike

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