Leica and eyeglasses wearers

[gwilburn]

Over Christmas break a friend and I did a "cultural exchange" -- he

borrowed my Rollei 3.5F TLR and I borrowed his Leica M3 with a few

lenses. It was my first Leica experience and I loved it, except for

one thing. I found the Leica hard to use while wearing my glasses (I

wear tri-focals which probably complicates things). Except for that,

the camera was a treat to use and the negatives look great.

 

I'm now seriously considering purchasing a Leica but I'm a little

concerned about the eyeglasses thing. For those who wear eyeglasses,

could you tell me what you think is the best over all

viewfinder: .58, .72 or .85? My main lens is 35mm followed by 50mm

(based on my Olympus OM-1 shooting -- and I should add that I don't

have much trouble with my eyeglasses when using the Olympus).

 

What's your advice? Choose a specific viewfinder based on eyeglasses

needs, or maybe just stick with the Olympus?

[jay_.]

All my M's are 0.72x, and I wear glasses (progressive-focal). I have no trouble seeing the 35mm frame as long as 1)I press my glasses into the eyepiece (I have fairly flexible wire-rim frames with smallish lenses); and 2)I keep my gaze fixed straight ahead and "preceive" the entire frame with peripheral vision (any glancing off-center and the opposite side of the frame disappears from view). Everyone's face and glasses are different so I would suggest trying one out in a store or get a trial-period with mbg before buying. I don't really care about the 28 frame because it doesn't "look" like a 28 anyway, so I prefer the accessory finder--and did so even with the 0.6 Hexar RF where I could easily see the 28 frame in the finder.

 

My gripes with the 0.58 body are 1)the lack of a frame for the 135 which is a frequently-used lens for me; and 2)my "trick" for framing the 50mm at distances past 1m doesn't work. On an 0.72 if I *don't* press my glasses hard into the eyepiece, and frame by "perceiving* the black outer border caused by the rectangular baffle in the eyepiece, it almost exactly corresponds to what gets put on film at distances over 1-2m with the 50.

[gwilburn]

Further to this topic, has anyone wearing eyeglasses tried using a Bessa R2? How does it compare to Leica in terms of viewing when wearing glasses?

[norman_mayersohn]

As you know, only the M6TTL and later bodies offer all three of those viewfinder choices (the M6 "classic" can be found in 0.85). Based on my own experience and your lens preferences, I think you'd be happiest with a 0.58. The 35mm frameline is a standalone and you should be able to see it all with glasses. (One note of caution regarding wider lenses: don't figure you'll be able to see all of the 28mm frame in one take, regardless of what the Leica materials imply. My glasses are not overly thick and I can't see it all.) You lose the 135mm frameline with this model, of course, but your OM-1 may be a better choice for that focal length anyway.

[jake_tauber]

Primarily, I shoot with a 35mm lens with the .58 viewfinder and it works great for me. Unlike Jay, I don't have to press my glasses into the eyepiece which seems like a recipe for a scratched eyeglass lens.

[gary_ferguson1]

Gene, the "cultural exchange" sounds a great idea, how did your friend find the Rollei after his M3?

 

Looking through your posted portfolio it's noticeable that you have several images where you've used a vertical format and carefully composed to avoid converging verticles, with what looks like a moderate wide angle lens. If this is representative of your work then I suggest you'd be more comfortable with a 0.58 magnification viewfinder. The 0.58 has the benefit of a completely uncluttered 35mm viewfinder as the 135mm frame lines that normally accompany the 35mm frame are omitted on this model, it would also be the only practical way you could use the tri-elmar, if that were to be of interest to you.

[jay_.]

<<Unlike Jay, I don't have to press my glasses into the eyepiece which seems like a recipe for a scratched eyeglass lens.>>

 

Currently my glasses are plastic (Varilux, $300/pair, so I'm not cavalier about how I treat them)and the only scratches I've got on them are from when I missed a couple grains of grit before wiping them (same way I ruined a 180/3.4 APO-Telyt-R back when I believed in not using UV filters). The rubber M eyepiece is virtually incapable of scratching glasses. If it were, you'd scratch them with the 0.58 too, as you can't see the 35 frame or hold the camera steady unless you at least rest your glasses against the eyepiece.

[gwilburn]

<p><i>Gene, the "cultural exchange" sounds a great idea, how did your friend find the Rollei after his M3?</i></p>

 

<p>Gary, my friend's M3 came to him from his father's estate. He has just had it CLA'd and is starting to use it. He and his wife both found the Rollei disorienting (left-right mirror) but they got some really nice shots.</p>

 

<p>You have to do this kind of exchange with someone you trust, but it's a great way to try out a different kind of camera. Using a Leica showed me why folks find them so attractive. There's a quality about it that just whispers to you: become a Leica owner, become a Leica owner :) Not good for my budget but, heck, it's been almost thirty years since I purcased my OM-1's. I'm about due for a major new purchase ...</p>

[george_b1]

I've worn bifocals for years and decided to go the "diopter correction lens" route. I find it's much easier to focus and to compose wirthout having my glasses intrude into the process. If you have severe astigmatism, the diopter lenses aren't too useful; however, even with mild to moderate astigmatism, IMHO, the diopter correction lenses are noticeably better than having to look into the viewfinder while wearing glasses.

[jay_.]

Not if you're blind as a bat without glasses like I am. I would have to push the glasses up on my forehead to view, drop them back down if I need to check the shutter speed and aperture numbers, push them back up again to view, drop them back down to see how to walk to change my position, push them back up...not much chance the shot would still be there. Where diopter lenses *are* a good thing is if neither your distance or reading parts of the bifocal let you see the view clearly, so you add a diopter but sill wear the glasses. This is really more critical with an SLR because you need perfect acuity to focus...and in fact is precisely why I only use SLR's with adjustable eyepiece diopters.

[dale_griffith]

I wear glasses and have a .72 version. The 35mm is my most commonly used focal length and I can see that frame "OK" by using peripheral vision and/or very slightly shifting my eye around. It's at least no more bother than SLR finders that don't have high eyepoint viewing, and on an SLR I have to shift my viewing for ALL lenses. At least on the Leica I don't have to for the 50, 90 and 135mm lengths. The 28mm frame is another story. It's very difficult to use with glasses. A separate viewfinder would help, but not Leica's 21-24-28mm. Using that viewfinder is also difficult with glasses. (I got it to use with a 24mm Elmarit.)

 

For all these reasons I went and got measured for contact lenses. I have progessive lens glasses, but with my distance prescription I can see sharply from infinity down to about 3 ft, or 1 meter. This works for anything I'm going to shoot with a Leica. As I hold the camera at about 18" from my eyes the setting are fuzzy, but I can see them well enough to use them. This also helps with with my SLR viewfinders too. This may or may not work for you depending on your prescription.

 

I don't have any Leica dealers within 150 miles nor any Leica shooting friends, so I bought the .72 since it seemed the most versatile magnification. My second body will definitely be a .58. It's probably the best choice to use with glasses. You can use a separate finder for 135mm and get the 1.25 viewfinder magnifier to help focus if you use that focal length.

[vic_.]

I wear glasses and am blind as bat without them.

 

I bought all the three magnifications in the M6TTL, the 0.58, 0.72 and 0.85, since I don't live near any legitimate dealers and wanted to try them out before selling the one I don't use. This might appear foolish but is cheaper than renting the equipment! I wanted to keep two fully mechanical bodies, just in case one is in the shop for repairs.

 

The 0.58 goes perfectly with the 35mm f2 Asph, as one can see enough of what's going on outside the frame lines and make the necessary adjustments to get the shot that one wants. (I'm not into eye gymnastics to see the 35mm frameline in the 0.72, but if given no choice it will work.)

 

The 0.72 fits perfectly with the 50mm, and the 0.85 with the 90mm (or anything 75mm and higher). I rarely use the 90mm so it and the 0.85 body are out the door as soon as I can find a buyer. I bought all my stuff on Leica Days with full USA warranty. The end of an era.

 

You can also check the following viewpoint:

 

http://imx.nl/photosite/leica/mseries/choosem.html

 

about two-thirds down the page.

 

http://www.nemeng.com/leica/index.shtml

 

http://www.nemeng.com/leica/002ba.shtml

 

is also a good site, and so is Gandy:

 

http://www.cameraquest.com/mguide.htm

 

Best of luck!

[jschweigl]

When I started using Leica M's I soon felt the need to get contact lenses. Pressing the eyeglasses against the finder always left them with grease from skin or eyebrows which was a major nuisance. Since I have the contacts I've been perfectly happy and also started to use my OM4 again which I gave up years ago in favour of Nikon AF cameras.

 

Acquiring a 0.85 M6 and later a M3 added a lot to my positive feelings about the M line. If you don't need anything wider then 35 I'd go for a 0.85 M6 or M7 which has 0.35 framelines or even an M3 and guess the picture content with the 35mm lens. If 35mm is your main focal length get a 0.72 or 0.85 and contacts.

[jay_.]

Contact lenses are fine for those who can wear them (I can't) and those who don't need bifocals (or at least not very strong ones). If I could wear contacts for my nearsightedness I'd still need glasses to see the shutter speeds and apertures and DOF scales. My arms aren't long enough to hold the camera that far from my eyes, and the strap would need to be so long the camera would be down below my knees ;>)

[michael_kastner]

Gene, your question is okay. Your wearing tri-focals may possibly complicate things but my "multifocals" aren't any better. I see no difference when looking through a 0.58, 0.72 or 0.85. Maybe it's only me. In your case, I'd simply try them all out first before buying and then I'd see no problem. If no stores have what you need, then find somebody here on the site in your vincinity.

[gerry_szarek]

Gene,

I have an M4-P, am near sighted 2.5 prescription, can see everything easily, except the 28mm. I use the squish the glasses against the camera / forehead method. I would go for the 0.72 or 0.58 mag since 0.85 is useless for the 28. If you need more magnification for a 50 F1.0 or F1.4 ditto any of the faster tele's get the new viewfinder magnifiers.

Gerry

[james_.1]

I wear glasses, and found the .72/35mm combo offered too little eye relief. Then I bought the .58- perfection with the 35mm! The .72 with the 75mm works well too, and even better with the 1.25x magnifier. But, the .58/75mm combo is doable, so the .58/50mm is even more so, and add on the 1.25x and I'll bet the combo would probably be ideal (but test it out yourself). Go with the .58, since you mainly will use a 35mm (and I too mainly use the 35mm lens).

[jack_lo_..._t_o]

What worked for me was my own Rube Goldberg contraption. I couldn't see the entire 50mm frame with my glasses and my M3, which has NO rubber around the eyepiece, unless I pressed hard. So I took a pair of drugstore reading glasses(+2.5 in my case), popped out the lenses, ground them down to an 11/16" diameter circle, and siliconed them onto the eyepiece. In the morning when it had hardened I used a black magic marker to "paint" the edge of the plastic to keep stray light out. When I shoot I have to put my glasses up on my head first, but I don't mind that(when I mentioned this in another forum someone said the silicone be hard to remove, but persistent rubbing with your thumb gets rid of it). Coincidentally I also have the same problem with my OM-2s, so I made 7/16" x9/16" pieces out of the same specs, which are a pressure fit inside the eyepiece. For some reason the OM-2s Program doesn't require anything.

[albert knapp md]

I wear glasses for distance only and have simply bought the

appropriate diopter corrector from Leica, scewed it in and voila!

No more glasses...

[lee_shively]

I use progressives with a .72x viewfinder and it works okay. Leica framelines are not as precise as brain surgery anyway. After a while, you know where the framelines are even if you don't see them. It's a matter of you adapting to the equipment or, by buying the .58x model, adapting the equipment to you.

[andy_piper2]

I wear (and shoot with) glasses.

 

Plain and simple, for the 35mm lens I prefer the .72 viewfinder (M6 classic).

 

Seeing the 35mm frame in the .85x does require some "gymnastics" as Vic calls it, but I find it usable - and oddly, it becomes easier to see the 35 frame if I shoot with both eyes open (which is a treat with the almost-life-size image). Opening both eyes must do something psychological that improves our peripheral perception. (?) But I wouldn't recommend it. Nice big view of the 50 frame, though.

 

The .58x viewfinder just makes me itch. I really dislike the long gap in the bottom of the 35mm frame - makes me think of a kid with 4 teeth missing (!). The 'cleaness' of the view with no 135 frame is certainly true, but I never find the 135 frame distracting in the larger finders. At this magnification I much prefer the Konica Hexar RF's layout - all 4 sides of the 35 frame are there, and it has a less claustrophobic 'tunnel' to look through. But it isn't, obviously, a Leica.

 

Clearly, this all depends on your glasses, your peripheral vision, and even your taste and personality. So it's a good thin we have some choiecs.

 

But for one camera/one lens with a 35? Give me the .72x (preferably in an M2/4/6) every time.

[mark_wilhelm]

Hello Gene

I wear glasses and have both an M6ttl 0.72 and an M7 0.58. If 35mm is your primary lens, my view is that the 0.58 finder is MUCH easier to use than the 0.72. This notion of pressing ones glasses against the viewfinder window makes little sense to me with the option of the 0.58. If you do get a 0.58 body and plan to use either a 75 or 90, then I'd suggest getting the 1.25x screw in viewfinder magnifier. Good luck.

[larry_kincaid1]

I bought the .58 because I wear glasses. While wearing your glasses with this one, you are able to see the full 35mm lens frame without struggling. To me this means the .58 is perfect for the 35mm lens, and the 50mm lens appears as an inset. So, the .58 is perfect for these two lenses. By adding the 1.5X magnfier, the .58 becomes like the .72 which means the 50mm lens now fills the entire visible frame with glasses. To me this means that I would have trouble seeing the whole frame on the .72 with a 50mm lens. Since you want to use both a 35mm and 50mm lens, you should get the .58. If you were only planning to use a 35mm lens, then the .72 would be fine.

[stefano_ferrando1]

Gene,

 

I wear eyeglasses too and have some problems with my eyes.

 

Since I've got a kind of "fobia" for contact lenses (Jay bless me please, but they remind me a scene from Bunuel...) first of all I use diopter lenses on my two M6TTL.

 

But without diopter I can use my 0.72 with 50mm with no problems and my 0.58 with 28mm/35mm as well.

 

The lines for 50mm on 0.58 aren't so big, but with my Summicron I have no problems of focusing accurance and a thing I love is that I can see a lot of thing out of the frame.

 

If you will use wide lenses and a standard lens I think 0.58 mag is a good choiche for you.

 

If you need further informations fell free to email me.

 

Enjoy your passion,

 

Stefano.

[david_cuttler]

If you decide to continue to use your glasses, www.cameraquest.com sells thin black plastic rings that stick on the eyepiece of the Leica to protect your glasses. They are cheap, and work well. They are even textured in black to look like camera leather.