which 50mm finder-Voitglander vs Leitz SBOOI

[frederic_silberman]

I've decided to get an external finder for my IIIF & was wondering your thoughts which would be more

functional. The SBOOI is 1:1 right? Not sure about the voitlander VF? The Voitglander unit does not seem

to fit flush on the camera top from a picture that was posted.

 

Thanks

[jim nichols]

I don't have the CV 50mm finder, but I do have both the CV 35mm finder and the Leitz 50mm finder. Both fit Leica III cameras fine. The frame lines in the Leitz finder are sharper, but the price goes up accordingly. The CV 35mm finder works just fine on my IIIf RD for use with my Jupiter 12. This is currently my favorite walk-around camera. I must wear glasses, so this may bias my choice.

 

Jim N.

[john_shriver]

Cameraquest says the Voigtlander 50mm finder is 1X.

 

Looks like it has a plastic foot, and the foot is taller than Leica's.

[jkelly04]

You can buy a like-new SBOOI finder for less than a new CV finder if you shop around. I'd rather have a Leitz finder on my IIIf than a CV finder for the aesthetics if nothing else. Personal taste.

[david_clark4]

I use the VC 50mm on my IIF, and I like it, I can recomend it. Mine is all metal and crystal

clear with good lines. I usually walk around with camera on f8 with lens pre-focused with

infinity mark resting on f8 mark. This makes framing street shots very handy.

[love4leica]

I have a CV 50, which works fine with my Leica 111.<div></div>

[frederic_silberman]

Afzal,

 

I like that strap, where did you purchase it?

 

Thanks,

 

Fr餩ric

[love4leica]

Frederic, the strap is Ox Blood in colour with gold ringlets. I get them made 6 at a time by a very talented cobbler.

[paul_neuthaler]

Frederic, if you can, go with the Leitz finder -- if your camera is from the 50's and Leitz classic look & quality, do the same with your finder -- and lens IMHO. Put a delicious 50 Elmar on it.

[Troll]

The old Leica bright-line finder is bad about scratching eyeglasses -- I don't know about the VC.

[frederic_silberman]

Paul,

 

I purchased a nice red scale elmar for it. I was going to order a VC finder, but I am having

second thoughts so I posted to see if one was a clear favorite among users. I'm leaning

towards the leitz finder as I agree, being a nice camera it would complement it well, being

from the same period + it sits lower on the body.

 

It is a drawback it scratches eyeglasses though...

[jkelly04]

Frederic, I wear glasses and use a Leitz SBOOI finder with my IIIa, and I haven't scratched my glasses yet. It's possible to do so if you place your glasses against the rear of the finder, but the image is so big and bright that this isn't necessary. It's not as bad as an M3 finder, and for that I just use one of Aki Asahi's eyeglass patches.

[fjords]

<center><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/210/511678734_de73b79a0d.jpg"></

center>

[ronald_moravec1]

I have a CV 75 which looks just like the CV 50 and a Leitz 50. Feet are both metal and except for angle of view, both are almost the same.

[lester_hawksby1]

I have the CV 50. Bright, clear, sharp, 1:1, all metal, a very solid and lovely little thing. I've used the Leitz one and it might be a little better, but there is not very much in it. The Leitz one is a slightly better style match, but when I bought my CV the price difference overrode that consideration.

[paul_neuthaler]

I love this debate: I think I'll buy another Leitz 50 Briteline so I can have a finder for each eye! I can mount them on a CV double mount and have a stereo view! Maybe I can find a Leitz double mount.

[steve salmons]

SBOOI remains a good buy as it is common, reasonably priced and well made giving a very nice bright image<br>

I am using a CV chrome all metal finder for my 35mm lenses though, as the Leitz version is much more expensive. The CV is also very nice to use and very neat. I am totally happy with this too

[jean_moxhet]

For people who like to keep both eyes open, I suggest a Kontur viewfinder. Here is mine (coming with first serious camera, my beloved barn-door Vitessa) and mounted on my mother's IIIf.

I like it and use it a lot ... I have both versions, the 24x36 50mm lens (used on my IIIf, Vitessa, Bessa T, Prominent), 6X6 (Perkeo but also TLRs), 6x9 (Bessa I).

 

Off it works only if you can have both eyes working. And no stress of scratched glasses.<div></div>

[jean_moxhet]

Next solution... quite bulky but same viewfinder for 3 lenses (or 4 with rare 150mm mask), the Voigtlander Turnit 3 usable with 35, 50 and 100mm.

Pro: versatile, parallax correction, beautifully made

 

Cons: bulky and heavy, not so great if you have glasses (tiny and scratching)

 

Here the same IIIf with the Turnit 3 beloging to my Prominent set.<div></div>

[jean_moxhet]

As final, a rear view of both Turnit 3 and Kontur.

 

You can notice:

 

- on the Kontur, the huge eyepiece

 

- on the Turnit 3, the tiny eyepiece and the parallax correction system.<div></div>

[frederic_silberman]

One last finder question!

I got to try the VC finder on my IIIF & it fits very tight. So tight, it appears to scuff the chrome

a bit. Does the Leitz finder fit very tight as well.

The VC finder looks very nice & the lines look good though.

[james_baker6]

I,like Jean, use a Kontur on my "barn door" Vitessa. I like it a lot as it is easy and fast to use and you get a huge image. However--it looks quite out of place on Leicas. To bad really as it is a great finder.

[paul_neuthaler]

Jean, with all due respect, it's almost as big as the IIIF!

[ruben_bittermann2]

<p>After purchasing a SBOOI, and looking for some info, 7 years later after this discussion, I would like to contribute with a response somewhat out of the box, but directly related at the same time.<br />I am not a Leica user, nor a Voight user. Nevertheless it seems to me problematic to use any viewfinder with several marks inside for different lenses. A camera changing viewfinder lines with a different lens is ideal, but marking two different focal lengths in the same window, I do not think it is better than a single frame line for each lens. In my view it is not better but bad, bad. The inner frame line makes the subject very small, therefore every gain for having two or three (!) marked focal lengths inside the viewfinder, goes to the basket. The more lines inside the viewfinder, the more the mess.<br />I know I am talking against a tradition, but tradition is not necessarily a good habit. All these speak in favor of the single focal length finder, like the Sbooi, but not in favor of every other accessory finder with more than one focal length mark.<br />I assume the Leica folk, like its Voight counterpart, is used to this style of multiple lines.</p>