Glass panel covering viewfinder & rangefinder windows

<p>In 1960, many rangefinder camera manufactures adopted a new design that placed a single unifying glass panel over the viewfinder and rangefinder windows, where they had previously been separate entities.<br>

Does anyone know who started this ... was there a particular model that did it first and was copied by others? Is there any reason why this might have been done, aside from aesthetics?</p>

<p>Maybe the Leica M3?</p>

<p>Actually, the M3 has separate windows. Perhaps the Nikon SP was the first.</p>

<p>The SP had a separate additional wide angle window, but otherwise seems to fit the bill.</p>

<p>Aires Viscount was the first such from that manufacturer.<br>

But Ricoh did it, Konica did it, it was a pretty common styling fad. Probably also cheaper than gluing in multiple pieces of glass -- glass being pretty cheap.</p>

<p>This could make it easier to clean the external VF/RF window.</p>

<p>One piece less in the count, one operation less in assembling?</p>

<p>You mean one piece of glass, but still two windows?</p>

<p>Otherwise, the combination viewfinder/rangefinder is pretty convenient.</p>

<p>In some cases, the Voigtlander Vitomatic series for one, there's a large selenium cell meter built around the smaller rangefinder window that makes it appear as if it's one continuous window across the face of the camera.</p>

<p><a id="irc_mil" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjmmOXPyP3NAhVEaz4KHajPCOUQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rangefinderforum.com%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D113150&psig=AFQjCNEn5bMvzFXyhCQf9QSh_4cGc1FbMw&ust=1468948995007117" data-ved="0ahUKEwjmmOXPyP3NAhVEaz4KHajPCOUQjRwIBw"><img id="irc_mi" src="http://www.abload.de/img/p10303689cuen.jpg" alt="" width="747" height="560" /></a></p>

<p> </p>

I think I've found the answer to this question (should anyone be interested). Bright Frames! They appear to have become common in 1960, and required a further window to illuminate the projection of frames into the viewfinder, leading to the set of windows being covered with a single piece of glass.

What John says is true, but there may be another factor that plays its role: design. In the sixties 'form follows function' became less the way to go: the design itself became more important. In the thirties, when they needed two windows for a rangefinder to be implemented, they simply made two windows. Later, slicker designs became more popular. This is very well illustrated when you look at the Voigtländer above (compared to a screw-Leica), and also when you think about cars. In the beginning headlights and mudguard were separated. Later on they integrated them.

I think the CZJ Werramatic, circa 1960, had the slickest treatment of all.

 

Werramatic

 

Agreed Allard ... but .... fashion usually follows a trend setter, which begs the question - who did it first?

My own "in" to this riddle is the 1959 Beauty Lightomatic becoming the 1960 Lightomatic II, with the most significant change being the inclusion of a bright frame finder, and all the windows getting covered with a single sheet of glass.

In this particular example, Werra and Beauty made the change at the same time (ahead of Voigtlander). I cannot name them all, but I have seen lots of examples of other cameras where this design change also came in 1960, but I have failed to identify the first (e.g. a model that did it in 1959).

I realise I am being a bit of an anorak, but this was a significant step in the evolution of cameras, and I want to understand it better.

How about the rather lovely Neoca SV of 1959, with it's great Zunow lens?

 

Neoca SV

 

I'll add one of my favorites, the 1960 Ricoh 500

The 1958 Minolta V2 already had a single glass panel covering range and viewfinder windows. From 1960 onwards various other Minolta rangefinders had these, but not all of them. I think it was mostly based on visual design rather than anything technical. I am not sure brightframe finders had anything to do with it, as these were introduced in the mid 50s, e.g., the Aretta Ia had a single piece of glass covering the viewfinder and brigthfinder windows. I also don't think it had anything to do with a single piece vs multiple pieces of glass, as many rangefinders with two windows had only a single piece of glass anyway.

CJ - I acknowledge bright frame finders were not invented in 1959, and I am not trying to suggest there was anything "technical" to the use of a single glass cover. Of course it was primarily a styling issue.

 

However, I have noticed that - in several cases - new models introduced around about 1959/60, which included the addition of a bright frame have also been accompanied by the style change to a single glass panel covering the expanded collection of windows, e.g. 1959 Beauty Lightomatic and 1960 Lightomatic II, the 1959 Minolta A3 and the 1960 A5, the 1958 Ricoh 300 and 1960 300s, pre and post 1959 Mamiyas, the 1958 Yashica 35 and the 1959 35 YL, etc.

 

Unless we accept this was a case of convergent evolution, where each manufacturer independently came-up with the idea, then there must otherwise have been some inspirational factor that drove manufacturers to similarly restyle their models at the turn of the decade. The 1958 Minolta V2 is a great early example, because most Minoltas before this camera had visually distinct rangefinder and viewfinder windows, and lacked a bright frame. Was the V2 the first example?

 

Rather than attempt to research this myself, I am trying to draw on the collective wisdom of this forum's membership to suggest camera models that pre-dated 1959, and which may have inspired a design change. This may bring to light further examples where the style change has coincided with the adoption of a bright frame, or inspire some other logic. From the evidence I can find, the introduction of a bright frame, and the resultant two windows becoming three, was connected to the design imperative to stylistically combine the windows under a single piece of glass.