Rangefinders and glasses

[john_mass]

Greetings, i am shortsighted and wear glasses with ~2 dioptries, i've been reading around and found out there is a

problem with rangefinders and glass wearing people and i dont understand if it is because of the glasses lens

interfearing with the viewfinder or the glasses dont let you too near the viewfinder, im considering buying a voigtlander

r2m or r3m and would like to know if anybody here is shortsighted (~2 dioptries) and what frame lines can they see

and general problems.

 

Thanks ins advance

[ronald_moravec1]

It has to do with not being able to get close enough to the viewfinder and how deeply your eyes are recessed in your head. The power of the glasses has little to do with field of vision. Problems will occure if you require bifocals as the image is at an apparent distance of 3 feet..

 

With a .91 mag finder like the M3, 50mm lines are hard to see. With a .72 finder like a M4 the 50mm lines are easy to see, and the 35 lines are more difficult . I am not familiar with CV cameras , but have looked through a few and the problem is similar. Get the model that has a moderate wide frame set like 35mm.

[lousapienza]

I'm a -1.5 diopter and have no problem.....plus diopters are available for the Leicas. I've used these very successfully putting my glasses on one of those cords around my neck and just dropping the glasses down as I lift the camera to my eye with or with out the diopter on the camera. No sweat (I'm 55...)

[leicaglow]

You can buy eyepiece correction lenses for that. I think they're in the $75 range and made by Leica... depending on the camera you have.

[s_j_goffredi]

I have the R3a and sometimes wear glasses (sadly -4.0 diopters, so blinder than you) and contact the rest of the time. With contacts I can see the 40mm framelines without a problem, but with glasses on the best I can see is the 50mm framelines. The 75mm and 90mm are obviously no issue either way. If you intend using the Bessa R3 with a 50mm or longer then I don't think you will have a problem, but if you want a 40 or 35mm then the R2 might be better with glasses. Best thing though is get into a store and try one to see what you can see though the finder with glasses. The other slternative is external finders, which I find are easier with glasses for wider lenses (just use the rangefinder patch in the finder to focus).

[thomas_w_chapaman]

I think its different for most people who wear glasses so you shoul try your prefrered camera first. I am

-3 and can see the 28mm frame line in my leica mp .72 wearing glasses.

[john_wayne4]

I don't know about Bessas, but I use a -2 diopter on all my Ms. Also, I like using the 1.25x magnification eyepiece as well for 50mm (it really helps, especially on my M5). I think you can easily see 28mm with a diopter on and maybe down to 25mm, if you want to leave some eye marks on the eyepiece. Definitely get a diopter, unless you really feel comfortable with glasses on and except you're loosing some viewing area. Good luck.

[Robin Smith]

I'm pretty short sighted (now with varifocals) and I use the 0.72. I can see as wide as the 35mm frame with no

problem (although perhaps it is not exactly enjoyable with the 35mm). I can also use the 28mm frame although I

can't see the whole frame in one look. When I anticipate doing a lot of shooting with a 28mm I use an external finder.

It is not really a problem.

 

The trouble with using a diopter is that you end up not seeing well when you remove the camera from you eye. Of

course, there is absolutely no difficulty focussing the rangefinder as long as you can focus on the 3ft aerial

rangefinder patch, which most people can.

[john_shriver]

The reasons for diopter correction on a rangefinder and SLR are very different.

 

A normal SLR presents the focusing screen as a virtual image about 1 meter away. No matter how far the subject is, it's always 1 meter away in the SLR. So if your presbyopia is such that you can't focus comfortably at 1 meter with the glasses you would use with the SLR, you would want a diopter lens to change that. Otherwise, you would need to use your reading glasses with the camera.

 

In a rangefinder, the virtual image isn't at a set distance. Your eyes need to focus far away for distant objects, they need to focus close for near objects. The viewfinder isn't 0 diopters, it is slightly non-zero. I don't know about the Bessa cameras, but the Leica M viewfinder is -0.5 diopters. That lets your eyes not have to focus as close. It just makes your glasses a bit more "distance" glasses.

 

If you can see the frame lines with your glasses on, and don't face any limitations with presbyopia, you won't need a diopter lens. That's convenient, since you don't need to remove your glasses to see through the finder.

 

If you can't see the widest frame lines well enough, you can get a diopter lens for the camera, and then use it without your glasses on. That lets your eye get much closer.

 

Alternately, since there are three finder magnifications of the Bessa cameras, use the one that you can see the widest angle framelines that you want to see.

[john_shriver]

http://www.nemeng.com/leica/038b.shtml

[neilambrose]

<p>Lots of good answers, but they overlook one important fact that affects rangefinder users. The right solution depends if you

have astigmatism.</p>

 

<p>If you do, then there's no diopter correction available to you and you'll have to either keep your glasses on, or use contact

lenses. I have a mild prescription that could easily be corrected with a diopter, but also have astigmatism that can't... and

obviously, the problem with astigmatism is you can't get a correctly focused image with a rangefinder because you can't judge

straight lines.</p>

 

<p>So I wear my glasses. Never been a problem for me and I can see all the framelines available in a 0.72 viewfinder. And my

focusing accuracy is very good.</p>

[stuart_richardson]

I don't think anyone mentions this, but if you can spring for the Zeiss Ikon, it has by far the best viewfinder for eyeglass

users -- very sharp, crisp, and a much larger viewing area than any of the other M mount cameras.

[pc_b]

I hated wearing my glasses, regulary got dried-out-and-shifting contact lenses and settled for diopter lenses. But that's only me.

 

I believe I read somewhere (here on photo.net?) that the diopter lenses for the F3 HP finders fit the Voigtlanders. They are only between 15 and 20USD a piece.

 

The Zeiss finder is truly great, works even with SUNglasses on as it is so bright (and blue-ish). Consider a second hand Zeiss instead of a new Voigtlander. Also, I *think* they got the Nikon diameter for diopter lenses.

 

Some opticians cut/shape lenses with your prescription to camera sizes.

A Leica SL user I met while travelling had a diopter lens holder made by a watchmaker where he could turn the diopter lens 90degrees when doing portraits (he must have had one of those complicated prescriptions). For taking pictures he wore his prescription (sun)glasses on a string around the neck.

[rjpillers]

John,

I use a Bessa R3a and have a -5 nearsightedness. But no problem! The diopter lenses that Nikon make for their FM camera bodies (the models with the round eyepiece) fit the Bessa perfectly. Reason.... both the FM bodies and the Bessa bodies are made by Cosina in Japan. :-) My -5 diopter lens cost me around $30. Now I can see the 40mm frameline without my glasses perfectly.