M10 Eyepiece Mod

[lebanese blonde]

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Hey everyone,
I just stumbled upon a thread:

As someone who wears glasses, I can't see the entire 35mm framelines of my M10 because my eye is too far from the viewfinder.
In the first photo, you can see that the part where the eyepiece is attached is screwed on with 3 screws.
Would it be possible to remove this and replace it with, for example, a thin rubber cover? That way, i might gain a few millimeters which could be crucial in the end.

Or is this not possible because of dust that could enter the viewfinder? Would this possibly not work anyway because the distance from the eye to the viewfinder is too close?

 

Thanks in advance!

[jaapv]

Leica provides screw-in diopters that enable you to use the camera  without glasses. WalterLeica provides more sophisticated solutions.

[lebanese blonde]

unfortunately a diopter is not practical for me, because i would have to constantly switch between glasses / no glasses  

[Jeff S]

I wear glasses for distance and astigmatism correction (prescription sunglasses in daylight for light sensitivity), AND add a +.5 diopter for optimal focusing due to aging eyes. I don’t need to take glasses on and off.  I can still see 35 frame lines, assisted by using thin and flexible frames, which allow for tight pressing against the eyepiece, and scratch resistant lenses. 
 

Jeff

[TomB_tx]

I had strong nearsightedness and astigmatism and wore glasses full time for 62 years, and never felt using my Leica M4 & such was a problem, in fact could focus better than with an SLR. Of course, never using a camera without glasses my holding & viewing techniques adapted to the situation, with the way my head turned and the glasses were against the eyepiece. And I didn't have a problem with not seeing the whole frame for 35 & 28 at one glance - shifted my eye around to check the edges. I used Barnack and Canon RFs also, and just had to take what I could get with their tiny eyepieces. 

Now after cataract lens replacement surgery a couple years ago (with multifocal lenses that also correct astigmatism) I see nearly 20/20 without glasses. Camera use is more enjoyable, and I'd probably notice the viewing issue now if I had to wear glasses again. The glasses viewing issue is something you can learn to live with, but if you are considering cataract or corrective eye surgery it can work wonders.

[mujk]

I also use glasses all the time and have the same problem, although I have become used to managing it like @TomB_txdescribes above. The problem is also smaller with the M9 and M10 than with the M6TTL because of different magnification and/or larger eyepiece.

Regarding the original question, I dont know what happens when the screws are removed. They may also hold someting important in place, in addition the ring. If I were to experiment with this I would remove the top plate first so that anything happening (e.g. coming loose) on the inside would be detected immediately.

There must also be a reason why Leica doesn't produce an M with a high eyepoint (larger eyepiece) finder. It could be because of space restrictions or have someting to do with rangefinder accuracy. Leica did have a sort of solution in a few film M models, which were available with a smaller magnification (0.58) finder (standard 0.72). This made the outer 28mm and 35mm framelines more easy to see for people with glasses but also reduced rangefinder accuracy.