1.4x Magnifier with glasses

[johnstonnorth]

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Hello

I've just moved from a Q2 to a Leica M11 with a 50mm Summilux. I'm very much enjoying the rangefinder experience but I wear glasses and am left-eye-dominant so when looking through the viewfinder the 50mm frame-lines are just slightly wider than the area that I can see comfortably - with my face firmly squashed up against the LCD.

I was wondering if getting a 1.4x Magnifier (with the thread adapter) would improve this as my face would be less pressed up against the LCD potentially meaning my eye a bit closer the to magnified viewfinder... or would it actually make it worse because of the magnification?

I'm not particularly interested in the diopters as I don't want to have to remove my glasses every time I want to take a photo.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Stuart

[Ornello]

I use contacts. Today's contacts are very comfortable. That's really the best answer.

I wear Coopervision Biofinity lenses.

https://coopervision.com/

https://coopervision.com/contact-lenses

On weekends, I wear B&L Ultra:

https://www.expectultracomfort.com/ecp/products/spherical/

https://www.bausch.com/ecp/our-products/contact-lenses

Edited April 29, 2022 by Ornello

[wda]

2 hours ago, johnstonnorth said:

Hello

I've just moved from a Q2 to a Leica M11 with a 50mm Summilux. I'm very much enjoying the rangefinder experience but I wear glasses and am left-eye-dominant so when looking through the viewfinder the 50mm frame-lines are just slightly wider than the area that I can see comfortably - with my face firmly squashed up against the LCD.

I was wondering if getting a 1.4x Magnifier (with the thread adapter) would improve this as my face would be less pressed up against the LCD potentially meaning my eye a bit closer the to magnified viewfinder... or would it actually make it worse because of the magnification?

I'm not particularly interested in the diopters as I don't want to have to remove my glasses every time I want to take a photo.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Stuart

A magnifier will make the situation worse for you.

[johnstonnorth]

@Ornello I've never tried contacts but will give it some thought and investigate. Thanks for the links too.

@wda Thank you, I suspected that but great to have someone confirm  it - that saves an unnecessary purchase.

[wda]

It is great as a focusing aid, but not for framing.

[Kl@usW.]

As @wda  writes correctly, a magnifier will help you to focus, but make your framing problem worse. Wearing contacts will  only help you if you are not (yet) presbyopic.  I see two solutions : a  correcting lens, screwed on the ocular or an external 5cm finder. Third solution is the cheapest: after some time your experience will let you do the framing correctly without seeing the actual frame-lines.......

I have the same problem, but not with the 50mm frame lines, but with the 28. The problem in principle is the same. I have an external finder, but use it rarely and just shoot.... works fine.   

Edited April 29, 2022 by Kl@usW.

[Ornello]

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5 minutes ago, Kl@usW. said:

As @wda  writes correctly, a magnifier will help you to focus, but make your framing problem worse. Wearing contacts will  only help you if you are not (yet) presbyopic.  I see two solutions : a  correcting lens, screwed on the ocular or an external 5cm finder. Third solution is the cheapest: after some time your experience will let you do the framing correctly without seeing the actual frame-lines.......

I wear contacts, but have a +0.5 diopter on my Leicaflex cameras. Perfect solution!

[250swb]

6 hours ago, johnstonnorth said:

I'm not particularly interested in the diopters as I don't want to have to remove my glasses every time I want to take a photo.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Stuart

The 1.4 magnifier isn't good for spectacle wearers but as has been said is good for basic focusing. I assume when you say 'face firmly squashed up against the LCD' you mean the viewfinder, but the magnifier makes it worse and also is unpleasant because you feel divorced from the viewfinder window. It is unusual for a glasses wearer to only just see the edges of the 50mm framelines, many can even see the edges of the 28mm framelines if they have spectacle frames that can flex. But I think you are right not to want to remove your glasses because it is inconvenient. The key with the M viewfinder is to make sure you are looking through it square on with your eye centred and not at an angle, and maybe this is something you have to practice if you are left eye biased, but if you can do that maybe you'll see far more in the viewfinder. The other option would be to use a Visoflex and do all your framing and focusing with the EVF.

Edited April 29, 2022 by 250swb

[Jeff S]

I wear glasses AND use a +.5 diopter due to aging eyes, and can still comfortably see the 35mm frame lines, and do ok even with 28mm lines. I agree with above comment to get thin, flexible frames if possible given your prescription, and be sure to center your eye.  
 

I bought a 1.25x magnifier decades ago (before I knew better) and it has been sitting in a drawer since. I find it makes viewing worse by reducing contrast, plus it only magnifies any uncorrected vision issues, especially  astigmatism.

Jeff

[wda]

On 4/29/2022 at 4:07 PM, johnstonnorth said:

Hello

I've just moved from a Q2 to a Leica M11 with a 50mm Summilux. I'm very much enjoying the rangefinder experience but I wear glasses and am left-eye-dominant so when looking through the viewfinder the 50mm frame-lines are just slightly wider than the area that I can see comfortably - with my face firmly squashed up against the LCD.

I was wondering if getting a 1.4x Magnifier (with the thread adapter) would improve this as my face would be less pressed up against the LCD potentially meaning my eye a bit closer the to magnified viewfinder... or would it actually make it worse because of the magnification?

I'm not particularly interested in the diopters as I don't want to have to remove my glasses every time I want to take a photo.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

Stuart

I have been trying my MP240 plus 135 mm Tele-Elmar with the 1.4x VF magnifier. It makes a perfect combination. I then switched lenses to my 75 mm, using the same magnifier,  and discovered that not only in focusing easier, but with glasses I can see the whole 75 mm frame lines, very much larger.

[MarkPS]

On 4/29/2022 at 8:25 PM, Jeff S said:

I wear glasses AND use a +.5 diopter due to aging eyes, and can still comfortably see the 35mm frame lines, and do ok even with 28mm lines. I agree with above comment to get thin, flexible frames if possible given your prescription, and be sure to center your eye.  
 

I bought a 1.25x magnifier decades ago (before I knew better) and it has been sitting in a drawer since. I find it makes viewing worse by reducing contrast, plus it only magnifies any uncorrected vision issues, especially  astigmatism.

Jeff

 

On 4/29/2022 at 8:25 PM, Jeff S said:

I wear glasses AND use a +.5 diopter due to aging eyes, and can still comfortably see the 35mm frame lines, and do ok even with 28mm lines. I agree with above comment to get thin, flexible frames if possible given your prescription, and be sure to center your eye.  
 

I bought a 1.25x magnifier decades ago (before I knew better) and it has been sitting in a drawer since. I find it makes viewing worse by reducing contrast, plus it only magnifies any uncorrected vision issues, especially  astigmatism.

Jeff

I use the same setup on an M10r but I wear contacts.   The +0.5 diopter helped but, obviously, it depends on your vision.  I tried various corrections at the Leica store and settled on this corrections for use primarily with my 35 Summicron. Since these are $200 new, it might be best to get some advice from an optician as well.