Helios 35/85/135 finder - any experience ??

<p>Hi Guys, I'm looking for a cheap 35 (or 40) mm finder, and came across the Helios 35/85/135 finder in various online shops. It's not a big, rotating one, but pretty much like the Leica SBOOI 50 mm finder, just with three permanent sets of frame lines. Here's a picture:<br>

http://www.tg004b3325.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/HeliosFinder.jpg<br /><br />My primary concern is that I wear glasses and usually have problems seeing the corners of frame lines. Although I use the 50 in an M3 without problems.<br /><br />So: Has anyone got any experience with this, especially concerning wearing glasses and the accuracy of the frame lines ?? If they are "too tight", it might be a perfect fit for my Summicron 40/2 on the M3, even :-)<br /><br />I am not interested in the 85 and 135 lines, but expect that that I could learn to see "past" them.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Soeren</p>

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<p>The frames lines are not sharply defined with this finder (very low contrast). I do not find it good to use. If your interest is in 35mm focal length, a dedicated 35mm Russian finder would be better and hopefully not expensive.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Viewfinder-35mm-for-FED-Contax-Leica-Zorki-Kiev-EXC-/140609916961?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20bd011021">http://www.ebay.com/itm/Viewfinder-35mm-for-FED-Contax-Leica-Zorki-Kiev-EXC-/140609916961?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20bd011021</a></p>

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<p>Frame lines are more likely to be loose than tight. I'd say you're all right with that VIOOH. It's accurate and has adjustment for parallax.</p>

<p>Hi, I have a couple of the Helios finders, I wear glasses and find some limitations looking through the finder but they are better than the viewfinder on my Fed and Kodak Retinas for just general point and shoot withot being too fussy on tight framelines, I hav'nt done any testing to see how accurate they are I just use them as a general guide.</p>

<p>I tried to get a Helios finder to use with my old Soviet cameras, but I was forced to get a Leitz finder since they were selling for much less than the Soviet copies.<br>

It works fine. Many of these were also made here in the USA, even through the WWII years, so they seem to be fairly common.</p><div></div>

<p><em>I tried to get a Helios finder to use with my old Soviet cameras, but I was forced to get a Leitz finder since they were selling for much less than the Soviet copies.</em><br /><em> It works fine. Many of these were also made here in the USA, even through the WWII years, so they seem to be fairly common.</em><br>

What I and Jacques were talking about is a plastic-body viewfinder for 35mm only - examples are available from the Ukraine for $35 and up plus shipping. Soviet multifocal finders are of course much more expensive, since they also cover 28mm, but they are something completely different!</p>

<p>I have a Helios finder which I use on a Canon G9. I have no problems with it.<br>

It is quite cheap (about £20 I think) but for an even cheaper solution, take apart a single use camera, put the viewfinder optics in some sort of housing and mount it on an old flash shoe or hotshoe to PC sync adaptor.<br>

I have done this and it works quite well.</p>