35mm frame, glasses wearer

[pklein]

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I wear bifocal glasses. I have a +0.5 diopter correction lens in my Leica M eyepieces, and can see the RF patch well. Actually, my visual acuity at distance is good without glasses, but I see double beyond about 2-3m. My glasses have prisms to correct this. To make matters worse, even without glasses, I can just barely see the entire 35mm frame. But then I can't read the camera controls. With glasses, I can just barely see the 50mm frame.

Despite all this, I still prefer rangefinder focusing, the Leica M viewfinder, the  low shutter delay and the ability to see the subject at the instant the exposure is made. So I just make do. But particularly with a 35mm lens, it is a royal pain sometimes. Taking my glasses on and off is annoying and wastes time, and then, where do I put them? Sometimes in my shirt pocket. That wastes time. Sometimes on a neck cord. That gets tangled up with the camera strap.

Does anybody have any better solutions? I'm 72 and have had cataract surgery, and my eye doctor says contact lenses are not a good idea. I even thought about getting a reading monocle for indoor shooting. But I suspect strutting around like a 19th-centrury dragoon would attract to much attention.

[TomB_tx]

You could try the M3 version of the Summicron / Summarom with goggles that shrink the 35mm view to fit the 50mm framelines.

I don't have that issue, but I went with multifocal lenses when I replaced my cataracts. and my dominant right eye now has issues that make the view sometimes hazy, so I'm learning to use the left eye, which is much clearer for me. Overall still glad I did the replacements - after 62 years of full time glasses I don't need them now.

[spydrxx]

At 82 I've been around the bend on most "solutions" and found none which were ideal. Finally I've accepted that there is oft times an inconvenience, but after all, the end result is usually worth it. So these days I just suck it up and am grateful I'm still able to use my rangefinder cameras. Hopefully you'll find an acceptable solution which works for you.

[250swb]

I use varifocals and agree taking glasses off and putting them on again is a pain. I can see the 35mm easily wearing them but not the 28mm without 'scanning' around the edges quickly. But years ago I noticed an improvement when I changed to flexible wire frameless glasses which got me closer to the viewfinder, they also help with peripheral vision.

[Jeff S]

At 75, I’ve long worn glasses for distance and astigmatism (prescription sunglasses in daylight), always on when shooting, also adding a +.5 diopter more recently. Thin, flexible frames have always allowed me to see the 35mm frame lines (eyes pressed firmly); only the 28 lines require scanning.  The 50mm lines are easily seen (even with space around), so I wonder if your eyeglass frame and/or lens design/materials can be modified to assist your viewing.

Edited Wednesday at 03:45 PM by Jeff S