Quick Leitz Brightline Finder 50mm questions

<p>I picked up a SBOOI a year ago at the Doesburg Photographica Fair and I've love it! But over the last few days I've been wondering about a few things about it.<br>

One of the first things I did after I bought it was level out the horizon (via the little grub screw on the bottom), but on some samples online I see that the horizon is off by a few degrees.<br>

Now I'm starting to wonder if this was done on purpose to correct some kind of offset between the lens/film plane and the Brightline finder. Can someone confirm this or tell me that I'm way overthinking this?</p>

<p>Also I've read the parallex correction should be done with the horizontal frame lines at the top of the viewfinder image. Can someone confirm that the close-focus line is the dotted one and the infinity line is the solid line?</p>

<p>Any help appreciated,<br>

Rick</p>

<p>On all external viewfinders, the close-up lines are the dotted, lower ones. Ideally, you should imagine that you also get something below the bottom, solid line, when you are close. This picture should illustrate it nicely:<br /><br />http://www.marriottworld.com/stock_pics/pictures/kontur3504x.JPG<br /><br />Don't know about the leveling problem, though.<br /><br />Soeren</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks Soeren,<br>

The early SBOOI I have only has the frame lines and no range indicators and no interrupted line underneath the bottom solid line. <br>

<br />I'll see about testing the horizon with a tripod and a bubble level one of these days.</p>

<p>Rick, there is no dotted line at the bottom. Soeren means that you should <em>imagine</em> it. I think the levelling arrangement is because the SBOOI is round. The 35mm SBLOO, rectangular, does not need it as its lenses cannot rotate. A simple way to test for horizontality is to place the camera with finder on a table and look at the top of a far wall (at right angles to it). Of course this assumes that the carpenters and architects and masons involved didn't mess up or get imaginative: and that the ceiling is flat and horizontal.</p>

Actually, Mukul, the Kontur finder that I linked to has the lower, dotted lines. Much to my surprise, since I have only

ever seen finders with the upper dotted lines - probably because not chopping heads off seemed more important than

avoiding too much grass in front if their feet :-) I have three CV finders with just the upper lines, and I know the leitz

50. But as an illustration, I found the Kontur image better. Good luck, Rick :-)

<p>Soeren, I stand by what I said. Read what you wrote and remember that the SBOOI is being discussed.</p>

<p>For a 50 mm it may just be that the lower line stays more or less the same due to the field of view shrinkage at closer distances. But then the sides of course will come closer to each other, too.</p>

<p>Interesting. I've started taking some notes on distances and orientation for the roll of film I'm currently putting though a Leica I on which I am using the SBOOI at the moment.</p>

<p>Mukul, I understand Soeren's example was from a different VF, but it definitely clarified which distances the frame lines are for.</p>