.85 viewfinder and the 35mm lens

I used to have an .85 finder MP that I thought was really great. I had to sell

it before I could try a 35 mm lens on it. I aleays thought that using a 35 on

with this type of finder would make it seem like a reflex camera because the

WHOLE screen would be the equivalent of what you get on film. Might be good for

shooting from the hip. What do you think? Has anybody tried a 35mm lens with

the .85 finder and what do you think? Is it convenient? Fast? Thanks in advance

for relating any experiences. Cheers, Alex.

Alex,

 

There mut be thousands of Leica M2 users who used 35mm lenses. Over the years, I have had four set up that way. Best combination ever

Think of it this way: The .85 finder is to a 35mm lens as a .72 finder is to a 28mm lens.

 

If you don't wear glasses you'll be in RF heaven. But if you wear glasses the 35mm framelines (in a .85 finder) are very tight, so plan on looking around in the finder for framing.

I have a .85 MP and use 35mm. on it with no problems. I don't need glasses and I like the

way the finder almost fills the screen as you say. I might learn to like the .72 with this lens

but I can't stand the small framelines with the 50 and 90 on the .72. One could use the

very expensive 1.25 magnifier on these but one would have to be removing it when using

the 35mm. not to mention the issues with it fitting in the bag or sticking in the eye.

Me too. M6TTL .85 + 35 ASPH; I don`t wear glasses, I`m in that RF heaven. Just see through the VF, if you see the subject, all is right. Cannot be faster.

 

If you have a 50mm, the .85 is also the most convenient.

 

Something near to Bill`s thought: IMO the .72 is only for those who prefer 28mm over 35mm lenses.

M6 TTL .85 and 35 mm lens. When I bought the camera i was a heavy glass user, and i couldnt get to see the hole image in the viewfinder. This was the perfect excuse for something I was at that moment afraid of: laser surgery. So i went trough laser surgery and my life changed, all because of the .85 viewfinder. Seen in perspective, Leica changed my life.

And the .85 is a dream with 35mm lens.You just seem more involved with the image you are framing, like you where in the middle of the scene. I love that.

cheer

Jorge

It works fine for me, but to be honest, I like to see a little more around the framelines. If you

are happy just to see what's in the framelines, get the .85. If you want to be able to have

some breathing room, get the .72. If you have glasses, get the .72.

As to whether a .72 is appropriate for a glasses-wearer wishing to see more than just the 35 mm. framelines is highly dependent on the type/degree of correction. I recently acquired a .58 M6 so as to be able to see the 35 mm. framelines without having to jog my eye horizontally while wearing my progressive bifocals -- the result was that I could just make-out the 28 mm. framelines viewing straight-on.

 

As an experiment I tried my old single vision glasses, and the view on my MP .72 corresponded to that provided by the latter combination noted above. The corresponding diopter difference in respect of my glasses is -7.75 vs -7.50 -- not much difference normally but it was significant in this instance.

It works ok, but you really have to look around in the VF. With a .72 or .58 it is much easier to see your whole frame. I feel like i can compose better with a 50 on it (but I like 50's anyway). If i had to choose between a .72 or a .85 with a 35 and 50mm lens I'd take the .85 because the 50 fits so good. If you have a 90 or 75 I'd definetely choose the .85.

I chose the 0.85 because to me a 50mm is the main lens intended for rangefinder use.

 

Raid

Thanks for the responses. Looks like my hunch was right. The .85 and the 35mm are quite workable