M6 eyesight correction lenses?

[david_craig2]

Do Leica still supply 'eyesight correction viewfinder lenses' for

the M6?

 

If not, what are the alternatives. I am in the UK. Thanks.

[sandy.]

David, Leica do supply correction lenses for people wearing eye glasses. The diopter change is from + / - 0.5 to + / - 3.0. Half a diopter each step. It's a little piece of glass that you screw into the eyepiece, very simple.

 

Ask you doctor or optomtrist about which one you need. Dealers normally do not stock them and they have to special order one for you. You need to tell them exactly which one you are looking for. Regards.

[sandy.]

...optomtrist = optometrist...(sic)

[david_craig2]

Sandy: Thanks, do you know if they are obtainable in the UK?

[james cartwright]

The Classic Camera (www.theclassiccamera.com) in London will order you a correction lens. I recall mine cost £50.

 

Deciding on the correct dioptre isn't as straightforward as you would think (www.nemeng.com/leica/038b.shtml) so I would second the advice to speak to an optomo...ophtol...eye doctor first!

 

Apologies for the lack of clickable links...

[h._p.]

I'm not sure that asking an optician is entirely helpful because there's quite a big mismatch between the way that Leica (and other camera manufacturers) describe correction lenses and the way that opticians describe your prescription.

 

As an example, my opticians (who are very good, by the way) defined my right eye as requiring a +4.75 correction which is way beyond what Leica claim to supply. I was pretty glum about this, thinking I was doomed to use my left eye and squash my nose. However, a +3 correction lens came up on eBay and I took a flyer. At £22 I reckoned I could always sell it again. Well, I'm not going to - it works perfectly and I can use both eyes open with my M3 which is great.

 

Moral: Go to somewhere like The Classic Camera or Robert White (in Dorset, near Poole) who has the lenses in stock and try them out (or get a money back guarantee).

[albert knapp md]

Harvey is dead on! You must try them yourself as Leica does

seem to march to the beat of a different drummer (sound

familiar?) It usually comes down to two that are close and you

will then spend time agonizing over teh correct one. BTW, when

you try them, pretend they are miniature glasses and try reading

a newspaper with them if you are farsighted OR looking at the

distance/distant signs if you are nearsighted.

[fotografz]

A word of caution, I use a Leica +1.5 diopter and you need to

check they are screwed in tight every so often. I once lost one

and they are not cheap. Last time I went to shoot I discovered a

loose one again.

[ken_reither1]

I'm farsighted, wear glasses, and just went through the process of figuring out what correction lens to buy for my M6TTL. Here is what I found and recommend.

 

Leica Technical Data says, "The viewfinder eyepiece is calibrated for -0.5 diopters. Screw-in correction lenses are available."

 

In my case, I bought a +1.0 correction lens. The net result was +0.5 (-0.5 plus +1.0 = +0.5), but what worked for me will probably not work for you. These numbers bear no direct relationship to my eyeglass prescription numbers.

 

I bought mine from an on-line seller that stocks them and has a good return policy. My initial order was a guess that turned out to be wrong. I had ordered a +1.5. The box that came said +1.5, but the lens inside was actually a +1.0. Lucky for me, the +1.0 worked great.

 

My recommendation: Go to a seller that stocks them and try them out till you find the one that works best for you.

[h._p.]

At £50 a time, losing that lens must have really hurt, Marc.

 

The one I got has a rubber surround that locks up tight into the eyepiece. As it was second hand I have no way of knowing if this is a new style or not. Perhaps someone else knows?