michael friedberg Posted August 23, 2007 Share #1 Posted August 23, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm trying to figure out what 28mm viewfinder I should buy to use with my 21mm Zeiss Biogon on my chrome M8. I realize that one person wrote here "You can successfully use a 21 without an external finderif you keep in mind there's a generous margin around what you see in the main finder ." But I find that glancing around takes away from what to me often can be the essence of M photography, which involves taking candid shots. So viewfinder it is, and my question might seem like a simple one, but so far my "research" discloses something like the following: 1. Zeiss --reports of excellent clarity, but relatively expensive...and one report says it's very bulky on top of an M8. 2. Leica (new) --even more expensive than Zeiss, and I'm sure it's got great optics. Plus it has variable diameters which might be useful in the future. But aside from really high cost the viewing area looks (at least in photos) as slightly small 3. Leica (vintage) --some nice chrome pieces are sold on the used market --somewhat expensive but less than 1 and 2. Still the glass might be a little cloudy, although I guess these retain resale value if you buy right. 4. Voightlander --less expensive, and I've seen two versions --a round one and a rectangular one. The 21mm CV finder I used seemed to have excellent optics, but I'm wondering if the Zeiss or Leica might be better. 5. Other --there are a lot of vintage choices, Canon, Alpex, etc. And a few other contemporary ones. But should I start fooling around with this stuff --I'm not even sure how each would fit on the camera. Maybe it doesn't matter --a field of view is a field of view. If so the CV should work just fine. But if the Zeiss is better, it's still less than the Leica. And a Leica is a Leica. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 23, 2007 Posted August 23, 2007 Hi michael friedberg, Take a look here Best 28mm viewfinder for M8?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Skippy Sanchez Posted August 23, 2007 Share #2 Posted August 23, 2007 I'm using the CV finder & it works very well. The lens takes in just a little more than the finder but that's OK with me. It is an excellent finder A BIG advantage of the less expensive finder is if you loose it. Toward the end of shooting pics of GW Bush while he was in town I looked down and saw my finder had gone missing. I retraced my steps long enough to decide it was a write off. The finder always fit very snugly, but somehow it must've pulled off the camera by snagging on a camera strap, my vest, whatever. Those kinds of assignments are pretty hectic. Had another from CameraQuest within the week. Now I tape the sucker on. -Skippy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted August 23, 2007 Share #3 Posted August 23, 2007 I use a CV from Cameraquest like this one, works well for me. To get the propper FOV for a 21mm lens on an M8 you need a 28mm finder. - Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted August 23, 2007 Share #4 Posted August 23, 2007 Don't buy a Leica 21-24-28 finder sight unseen. I wanted to buy one at one point, but the one I looked at was very soft in the corners and had lots of distortion. Another 21mm single-focal length Leica finder I looked at was as bad. Be sure to make sure what you are buying here. Leica could really improve these finders. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted August 23, 2007 Share #5 Posted August 23, 2007 The Zeiss is the best optically but the CV is quite good as well and is the one I use. Cheers, Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. borger Posted August 23, 2007 Share #6 Posted August 23, 2007 Avoid the vintage Leica finders .. i had one and it was pretty useless due to heavy distortion ....almost impossible to keep lines straight using it!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C. Posted August 24, 2007 Share #7 Posted August 24, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) If money is not an issue, I'd recommend the Zeiss. It is superb, and built extremely well. Regards, Tony C. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_Flesher Posted August 24, 2007 Share #8 Posted August 24, 2007 I have the VC myself and find it fine, though most of the time I just smash my eye up to M8 finder and use the whole frame Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMF Posted August 24, 2007 Share #9 Posted August 24, 2007 For my Zeiss 21mm C-Biogon, I have both the Zeiss 25/28 finder and the Voigtlander 28mm (round) finder. The Zeiss is excellent - a real pleasure to use - but it is big and I find the brightlines hard to see in bright lighting (but maybe that's just me). The Voigtlander isn't in the same league, but it's a good finder - small, less expensive than the Zeiss and Leica alternatives, and good brightlines. If I hadn't compared it side-by-side with the Zeiss, I would have been quite happy with the Voigtlander. Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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