Difficulty focusing Leitz Visoflex III. Split image focus available?

[Jodad]

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I have a beautiful clear Visoflex III and a few lens for it now but have real difficulty getting good focus when using the normal plain focus screen (with the tiny circle in the middle). Used 2 different digital cameras and a film camera.
 

Even when using the widest aperture to focus, still difficult. Also, regardless of the fact that the whole set, lenses, prism Visoflex gg, all crystal clear, it’s still not that bright and high res to see clearly (I have 20/20) and focus easily at all. 
 

Mind you, I have always had difficulty focusing on cameras with a plain screen which is why I loved the RF focus of a Leica or any camera with a split image focus screen. 
 

two questions then:

 

1) has anyone managed to install a split image focus screen on their Visoflex III? If so, please give details 😬

 

2) How do you manage to get good focus when using one of the Visoflexs? 

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[UliWer]

Here is an old thread which might help:

 

[TomB_tx]

Curious - I always found a plain ground glass screen like my Visoflex III easier to detect focus than the "brightscreens" used in more modern SLRs - it's why I still like my old Pentax H1a (it has a microprism center, but groundglass outside). Maybe it's because I learned to focus with ground glass first. I was taught to focus quickly and watch for the contrast snap as you pass the sharpest focus, then back up to it. (Unlike RF focus where you try not to go back & forth.)

[dpitt]

1 hour ago, Jodad said:

...

2) How do you manage to get good focus when using one of the Visoflexs? 

Never saw a split focus for Visoflexes. But there is a magnified 'chimney' eyepiece for visoflexes which can be useful for static objects
https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/LVFOO

and

https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/OTVXO

19 minutes ago, TomB_tx said:

Curious - I always found a plain ground glass screen like my Visoflex III easier to detect focus than the "brightscreens" used in more modern SLRs - it's why I still like my old Pentax H1a (it has a microprism center, but groundglass outside). Maybe it's because I learned to focus with ground glass first. I was taught to focus quickly and watch for the contrast snap as you pass the sharpest focus, then back up to it. (Unlike RF focus where you try not to go back & forth.)

You are right. When I used a Canon 5D with my R primes, I found out that its VF was optimised for F4.0 lenses. That made it useless to accurately focus F1.4 or F2.0 lenses manually.  I eventually bought a special ground glass screen for fast lenses, and that fixed it but then the viewer was very dark with zoom lenses with apertures F5.6 and up.

I still prefer an old manual focus screen with split screen, micro prisms and ground glass in that order, just like my good old Nikon FE. But the half moons in the center turn black at anything above F5.6, so its useless for a lot of AF zooms.

Edited May 20, 2024 by dpitt

[spydrxx]

Not sure when or where I found it, but I do have a split focus screen in one of my Visoflex finders. It is not as good IMHO as those in SLRs of the era, and I do prefer the regular finder for most purposes. I've tried one of Rick Oleson's "brightscreens" he made for the Visoflex, but basically wasn't impressed.

[Jodad]

On 5/20/2024 at 4:17 PM, UliWer said:

Here is an old thread which might help:

 

Thank you so very much for this! Just what I needed!

[ArnoG]

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This is now a bit old, but I placed a Katzeye screen with a split into the visoflex 3 and the difference is stunning. Any old Nikon screen (K-series) would work just as well.

RE: Canon and DSLR screens optimized for slow lenses: The Canon EGs screen is the only one that is optimized for, and accurately shows, the DOF for fast lenses. I purchased one, modified (widened) it, and stuck it in my Df. I can now detect closing the aperture on my 55/1.2 seeing the screen clearly darken already from 1.2-1.8, indicating it correctly sees the full lens opening.

[pippy]

On 5/20/2024 at 2:40 PM, Jodad said:

...has anyone managed to install a split image focus screen on their Visoflex III? If so, please give details...

Not that this info will be in time to be of much use to the OP but recently I saw this pretty neat little gem being advertised by one of the well-known dealers here in the UK. Apparently it's a "Rare Micro Visoflex III with Interchangeable Screens";

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Philip.

[sandro]

I have one of those with interchangeable screens, but I only have the regular plain focus screen and a blank one, which is unsuited for focusing. Having used Visoflexes for many years I have got used to focusing with it and I now prefer not to have a split screen.

Lex