Help with 21mm viewfinder

[phototrope]

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Hello

I just received a new 21mm bright line viewfinder to use with my 21/3.4 super angulon. The viefinder has two framelines - an outer solid one and an inner dotted one. Can anyone please tell me which to use for 21mm?

Thank you

[farnz]

Hi,

The outer solid one.  As far as I remember the inner dotted line is for close-up shooting when parallax error comes into play.

Pete.

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[phototrope]

8 minutes ago, farnz said:

Hi,

The outer solid one.  As far as I remember the inner dotted line is for close-up shooting when parallax error comes into play.

Pete.

Perfect, thank you.
I could delete this thread now

[wda]

12 minutes ago, phototrope said:

Perfect, thank you.
I could delete this thread now

No. It could help others.

[pedaes]

47 minutes ago, phototrope said:

new 21mm bright line

If it is a Leica, there should be a slip explaing the two lines. I think the outer is for 'full frame', and the inner to work with the M8 crop factor. 

[phototrope]

1 minute ago, pedaes said:

If it is a Leica, there should be a slip explaing the two lines. I think the outer is for 'full frame', and the inner to work with the M8 crop factor. 

Yes, it is Leica, and you're right - there is a slip. And I was wondering why it refers explicitly to "M8" on the slip. There was no writing, just a drawing.

Thank you for explaining that to me - makes sense.

Edited October 3, 2020 by phototrope

[farnz]

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2 hours ago, pedaes said:

If it is a Leica, there should be a slip explaing the two lines. I think the outer is for 'full frame', and the inner to work with the M8 crop factor. 

Good point, Keith.  Since the OP mentioned it was for his 21/3.4 Super-Angulon I assumed the brightline viewfinder was from that era too and therefore pre-dated the M8 by a few decades.

Pete.

[phototrope]

42 minutes ago, farnz said:

Good point, Keith.  Since the OP mentioned it was for his 21/3.4 Super-Angulon I assumed the brightline viewfinder was from that era too and therefore pre-dated the M8 by a few decades.

Pete.

No. The super angulon is in mint condition, but it didn't come with a viewfinder. I bought a 21mm brightline viewfinder separately - brand new.

[Jean-Michel]

Looking at a listing for the viewfinder at my Leica dealer, it could be that the finder is for both the 18 and 21.  
 

[UliWer]

The inner dotted lines of the 18mm finder give the field of view for 24mm, which is approximately right if you use a 18mm lens with the M8; with a 21mm on the M8 you get the field of view of 28mm, so the inner lines may be used with a 28mm lens on full format.

The original finder - SBKOO or 12002 - for the Super-Angulon has only a single frame, no inner lines. The frame's edges were nicely rounded like the frames for the M3:

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Edited October 3, 2020 by UliWer

[pedaes]

12 minutes ago, Jean-Michel said:

Looking at a listing for the viewfinder at my Leica dealer, it could be that the finder is for both the 18 and 21.  
 

 

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[Jean-Michel]

The item I saw says that the finder is for 21 and 28 (not 18 21 as I first wrote) Here is a link to the item: https://shop.camtecphoto.com/en/Leica/Leica-Bright-Line-Finder-M-21mm-Silver-Chrome-As-New-?cat_id=33

 

Edited October 3, 2020 by Jean-Michel

[phototrope]

28 minutes ago, Jean-Michel said:

Looking at a listing for the viewfinder at my Leica dealer, it could be that the finder is for both the 18 and 21.  
 

Absolutely not. @pedaes had the right answer.

[UliWer]

vor 24 Minuten schrieb Jean-Michel:

The item I saw says that the finder is for 21 and 28 (not 18 21 as I first wrote) Here is a link to the item: https://shop.camtecphoto.com/en/Leica/Leica-Bright-Line-Finder-M-21mm-Silver-Chrome-As-New-?cat_id=33

 

Yes, as i wrote in #10. The combinations are 18/24; 21/28; 24/32 - the inner frames with smaller field of view to be used with the lenses of 18, 21, 24mm  on the M8.

Nowadays Leica doesn't mention the function of the inner frames for the M8 any more, but say the inner frames are for close distances below 2m: 

https://uk.leica-camera.com/Photography/Leica-M/Technical-Equipment/Viewfinder-Accessories/Bright-line-viewfinder-M

Edited October 3, 2020 by UliWer

[adan]

Just for the record, a regular 21mm Leitz/Leica viewfinder (in fact, most of their accessory finders) will have a single dashed line across the top, inside the solid frameline.

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That single dashed line is for close-up parallax correction (to avoid cutting off the tops of people's heads, etc.) when the subject is close. (remember the lens sees things from 2 inches below the viewfinder - irrelevant at landscape distances, but critical under about 1 meter subject distance).

In the 21st-century Leica metal finders 18/24/28, that is "close enough" to the M8 framing lines that Leica just uses the M8 lines to do both jobs.

Which for me is great, since I use both a 21 and a 28. One 12024 or 12025 21mm finder works for both lenses, and I never have to remove/swap it.

[logan2z]

14 minutes ago, adan said:

Just for the record, a regular 21mm Leitz/Leica viewfinder (in fact, most of their accessory finders) will have a single dashed line across the top, inside the solid frameline.

_________________
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

That single dashed line is for close-up parallax correction (to avoid cutting off the tops of people's heads, etc.) when the subject is close. (remember the lens sees things from 2 inches below the viewfinder - irrelevant at landscape distances, but critical under about 1 meter subject distance).

In the 21st-century Leica metal finders 18/24/28, that is "close enough" to the M8 framing lines that Leica just uses the M8 lines to do both jobs.

Which for me is great, since I use both a 21 and a 28. One 12024 or 12025 21mm finder works for both lenses, and I never have to remove/swap it.

Every time you post I learn something useful.

I just bought a SLOOZ and wondered what the dashed line was for.  Thanks for the explanation. 

[phototrope]

Some pictures for anyone interested. This was bought brand new from a Leica dealer yesterday. 
 

 

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