Rangefinder viewfinders suitable for glasss wearers

I am looking for a rangefinder camera in which I (wearing glasses - far sighted)

can see the whole frame, or most of it;.

 

I have tried the M6, 0.72, but I need to move my eye around to even make out all

edges of the 50mm frame line. I get a larger view through the Bessa 3, and a

smaller window of the world ahead of me is seen through the Bessa 2, but

definitely not the whole frame at all.

 

I am comfortable with the Contax G cameras: I see the whole frame in one blow.

Great, but a bit small (0.57 mag) and a bit dark.

 

Does anyone who is far sighted and wears glasses day in day out have any success

with the Zeiss Ikon?

Ideally i would like to know of a rangefinder camera with a high eyepoint (ca

20mm, such as my F100) that allows me to see the full viewfinder frame out to

the edges (without shifting my head/eye), representing the field of view of a 28

or 25 mm lens.

 

Any suggestions, experiences, thoughts?

 

AND, I do not care to equip the viewfinder with a diopter lens and leave my

glasses "at home". How would I move around space, not seeing where I am going in

a blur ...

 

ok? And thanks!

Hi, if you can live with a large camera then the Fuji g690bl or newer versions will give you loads of eye relief and a very big pice of film. The old Fuji g690bl has interchangable lenses, sorry I sold mine now.

 

Cheers.

How about contact lenses? I hated mine but they do solve that problem.

Leica M6 TTL with 0.58 viewfinder -- I wear glasses and it's perfect. 28mm frame can be seen and 35mm is excellent. 50mm is a bit small but OK and since I don't use longer than 50mm with a rangefinder the other frames are not a problem. I tried the 0.72 before purchase and found the same problem as you.

Hexar RF is great with glasses and a 50 (0.60 viewfinder). I now have M6 0.85, and I prefer the hexar (but I threw it hard into the floor - so it is no longer with us...and yes it was an accident). The 0.85 is great with a 90.

"I have tried the M6, 0.72, but I need to move my eye around to even make out all edges of the 50mm frame line."

 

That's severe. Most people who wear glasses have a little trouble with the 35mm frames. You must have either deep orbits, thick lenses, unyielding frames or any combination thereof. You can't change the first but perhaps one or more of the latter two would help a little.

Frank, I can only speak to the M bodies. I have a .58 M body and it's really wonderful if you wear eyeglasses since you can see outside the frame lines with glasses with the 35 frames. Another bonus is that with a 35 it's the only frame lines that is visible. The downside is that with a 50mm the lower magnification is not as nice a view as on a .72 body.

 

You might consider a different pair of glasses. I have flexible titanium frames that allow me to get my eye very close to the eyepiece. Another factor is that I have to use my left eye to do this since I cannot get my right eye as close without crooking my neck in an awkward position.

I also use and can also recommend titanium frames with high index anti glare and anti abrasion coating. Really work well. Just push in close so you can see the framing, you can't hurt the lens or frame. Otherwise you may have to start looking for a corrective diopter so you don't need glasses at all.

I have an M6 and an M7 (both 0.72). I can see the 50mm with no trouble but I do have to scan around to see the 35 mm frame-lines. 28mm, forget about it!

 

I also have a Mamiya 7 and I think it has the best rangefinder for eye galss wearers. With this rangefinder I can see the 65mm frameline just as well as I can see the 50mm on my Leica. The mamiya rangefinder is just as bright as the Leica and doesn't ever flare out for me.

 

The Mamiya 7 with the 65mm weighs about the same as an M/35 Summilux although its volume is much larger.

Frank -

 

Have you considered using the diopter correction screw-in lenses?

 

George (The Old Fud)

The Leica CL and Minolta CLE have been fine for me. If you wouldn't mind lugging a medium format body that's about as heavy as a pro-level SLR, the Bronica RF645 has superb lenses in the 65 and 45 (40mm and 28mm 35 equiv) and very nice eye relief and available finder diopters.

You do not look around blind with the diopter and no glasses. Buy a + correction set for what you need to see 3 feet. You may need to put the glasses on to see distance depending on how farsighted you are. Off, on off, on, I gave on them myself and move around to see corners. Fortunately in later years my nearsightedness has inproved to better than 20/40 from 20/400 and I go without glasses.

 

Glasses make the eye relief too great to see edges. The only way around is the .58 or other small VF like the one in your contax. This will make focusing lenses more difficult.

 

Nikon solved the problem with the Hi Eyepoint finder. It is simply a smaller image.

I own the MP, which is adequate, but with the 28mm lens I much prefer my Zeiss Ikon. The Zeiss has the best viewfinder I've ever used.

If you are far-sighted, I am having trouble understanding why you cannot just take your glasses off when shooting. Perhaps you also need an astigmatism correction to see properly at a distance?

 

Also, I'm not sure why you can't see the 50mm frame in a .72 M6. I have to peek around a bit to see the 35mm frame. But the 50 frame is undersized to begin with in the M6, with a lot of room around it. I can even see the whole 50mm frame in an M3 with my glasses on. I wonder why you are having a problem with that. You didn't by any chance mean the 35mm frame?

Guys, please believe the original poster when he says that seeing the entire frame for the 50mm lens is difficult with a .72 viewfinder. I wear glasses and I'm in the same boat -- even with relatively thin lenses and a reasonably flexible eyeglass frame. And, no, I don't have freakishly deep-set eye sockets. It's all well and good to say that YOU can see the entire frame...but he (and I) can't!

 

Frank, facing the same situation as you, I opted for a .58 viewfinder and a viewfinder magnifier. I always use the magnifier with the 90mm lens and sometimes even with the 50, when accuracy of focus is more important than framing. For the 35mm lens and the 50 in most situations, the .58 is a pleasure to use.

 

(By the way, it's even harder to see the entire frame on the earlier M cameras because the old frame was intended to show coverage at 1m rather than .7m, but that's another story...)

The most practical solution to the problem is learning to compose your image in your mind and knowing the fields of your lenses you relegate the viewfinder to just an aiming device. I learned to do so many years ago when dedicated VF's were not always available and it has freed me from the tyranny of multiple VF's cluttering up the camera or rattling around in the kit. The cost of dedicated finders has escalated to more than you can buy a good lens for -- or in some instances, a camera. If you are inclined to be perfectionist, a couple of dots near the frames of your glasses can identify the field of critical lenses. It so happens that my frames are just right for the 25mm Snapshot Skopar and present a damnsight better view than can ever be experienced through a viewfinder.

<a href="http://www.1point4photography.com/hexarrf.php">Hexar RF</a>. I wear glasses, and I can still see the 28mm lines without doing eyeball gymnastics. VF mag is .6, so it's a lot like the leica .58 VF.

For me the VF isn't the problem. If I don't wear glasses I cant read the figures fo focus or set aperture. If I wear glasses the VF is inconsequential; I''ve already composed my pic before I mount the camera. Highly recommended, saves time and contemplation!

My Epson R-D1 and Canonet and XA all work fine with glasses. It can be a little difficult to

see the 28mm framelines on the R-D1 but it's workable.

So far noone has commented on the Zeiss Ikon viewfinder with glasses.

 

Thanks to all for pointing me to .58 or .6 mag viewfinders. That is what the Contax G uses.

I mentioned the Zeiss Ikon in my previous post and took it to be understood that I wear eyglasses. The Zeiss works for me, but I must get really close to the camera with the 28mm lens. Best wishes, Bill