Diopters: Help me understand

[Bobonli]

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There is another thread on the M forum about magnifiers to attach to the back of the camera. I understand how they work. Please help me understand diopters a little better.

My situation: I have a RX for reading glasses and one for distance, which I need while driving to see signs etc. I shoot an M4-P and notice that without any glasses I'm missing focus on occasion. It's better with either pair of glasses but---perhaps for vanity purposes---I prefer shooting without the glasses. I think that adding a diopter might improve things for when I'm shooting without the glasses. I don't think I need additional VF magnification so much as additional sharpness. 

I have my eyeglass RX script. Do I take the numbers off that and select a diopter?  I might happen to be near a Leica shop this weekend. Should I expect them to know how to assist me, or am I on my own in terms of figuring out what "power" diopter?

Thanks

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[BruceRH]

I went into a Leica store in London and they were very helpful. It only took a couple of tries to find one that worked for my eyes. Definitely go to the Leica shop and try until you find the one that works best for you. 

[Daniel.S]

In ein Leica-Store gehen und verschiedene Dioptrie-Stärken ausprobieren. Die sind sehr hilfsbereit. So habe Ich meine richtige gefunden.

[spydrxx]

Definitely your best option is to go to the Leica store, where you can try out the different strengths to see what works best for you in your preferred shooting situation (with/without glasses).

[Bobonli]

Update for anyone who might stumble upon this thread looking for answers about diopters. As the others said, you have to go and try them!

I went to a Leica store yesterday with my eyeglass prescription. We tried a number of  (+) and (-) diopters. Most made matters noticeably worse; only one improved matters and it's diopter power had no relationship to my written prescription. The salesperson who helped me said that there is a difference between the film and digital Ms. So, go there and try them out in person.

[davidmknoble]

To begin in the right place, I think you can try the following.  I can see up close well, but not distance. The film cameras start off with a -0.5 diopter built-in.  I use the -3.0 diopter on top of that and things are perfect.  

Going negative adds on more negative diopter.  Going positive is less than the stated diopter.  So, a +2.0 diopter is really a +1.5. (I’m pretty sure that is correct).

Your eye doctor can convert your prescription to a diopter for you, but it is good to try one, or at least be able to return it. If you are not near a leica store, they will likely allow you to buy a couple and return the ones not needed if careful with the boxes, etc.

Now, my vision is so bad, that on the digital cameras I rotate the diopter all the way negative and it works perfectly there to, but the EVF is a screen, like a TV in front of you.  The rangefinder has the full distance - patch and frame lines to infinity.