Zorki 4k best Russian RF for specs wearer?

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ImpMan71

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Hi,
I have a Fed1 & Zorki 2 (I think) & struggle to see through the view finder when wearing my specs (same with my Leica II & III).
I wonder if a 4K is any better when wearing glasses?
It's not focusing, it's framing at the outer extremities I struggle with.
I have a voigtlander R2 which is great - but no good to use my J2 or Russar 20 on!!
I know I have to use finders for both these lenses, but it would be good to see through the camera well with a 50mm lens on.
Any advice gratefully accepted.
Cheers,
Colin
 
I had a Zorki 4 for one week and got rid of it for just that reason.

Now I'm itching for another LTM camera, but I dare not, again for this same reason ....
 
Thank you both for that!
It sounds like I need to find a 50mm finder, I know Cameraquest do a Voigtlander one for $128 ish, anyone know what these are like or if there are any others out there, old or new?
Cheers,
Colin
 
You might want to get the KMZ turret finder, which has 28-135 frames.

By the way, for a Kiev, glasses-wearers need to buy the stick-on donuts from Aki-Asahi to save their glasses from abrasion.
 
I found a Russian turret finder on ebay for about $40. Looked new and came with a passport and one of those black, hard-plastic, screw top containers.

431866562_8c0d03c8e2.jpg
 
Hi Colin,

I manage a kind of portracted guerilla warfare with this issue too. But because of your young age (36), I do understand your particular problem is not due to aging, meaning the closer the blurrer, but other.

Now, let's start with some issues, surrounding the problem. First I am no expert, therefore you can expect some margins for error in my postings. Now, if I understand correctly the Fed and Zorki line, after their first model, they provide a built in mechanism for image correction, both for farsighted and shortsighted corrections.

So I don't understand leicasniper first post, nor the subsequent speeches, interesting by themselves, about the Soviet Turret Finder.

Since I am not using either Feds or Zorkis, I cannot enter into detail. But I strongly advice you to search RFF for more info, and contact accordingly via PM some folks with knowledge.
So far this thread has been very poor answer for your quest.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
leicasniper said:
Ruben, I don't think his problem was with a fuzzy view through the finder, but seeing the entire frame of the finder while wearing glasses. ......
Click to expand...


You are making here a good point. So the microphone is waiting for Colin.

Cheers,
Ruben

It seems to me that a leica mount FSU rangefinder was mentioned featured with bright lines: the Droug.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If I understand (easy to do if one can read 🙂) the issues here correctly I'd say that Leicasniper's intial comment is very valid.

Impman71 wanted to know which FSU RF gave the easiest full-frame viewing for one who wears glasses. Full-frame viewing means getting to see the entire field without moving the eye around to see what's going on at the sides and/or corners of the frame.
Leicasniper provided a rather accurate description of what the various FED/Zorki finders showed.

I would say too, that the best full-frame views for the 50mm field are from the FED-1/Zorki-1, Zorki C/C2, FED-2, and Zorki-5 and 6. All these have relatively small, squinty finders. The other FED and Zorki increased the finder size/ view magnification. The Zorki-4 even does this life-size.

Unfortunately, increasing the magnification alone without altering anything else in the viewing system compromised the finder's abiilty to show the entire field in "one glance".
It's already a struggle for a non-eyeglass user to see the full field even with his eye close to the finder. For one with an eyeglass lens between his eye and the eyepiece, the view seen would even be less.

Some of the FED and Zorki had diopter controls, but these don't improve on the extent of what is seen through the finder even if the eyeglasses came off. So suggestions like the use of an accessory finder are very relevant to this topic. Accessory finders allow the entire field to be seen easier than the built- in finders of many cameras.

Edit: On the contrary, this thread is not " a poor answer to Colin's quest"..well, except for maybe one of the replies.
 
Last edited:
Hi Gene,

Do you use this finder while wearing glasses ? Does it mark your glasses ?

Cheers,
Ruben
 
I think Rubin was asking about the CV finder, not the camera's. The felt protector things do work on my Fed 2's and Kiev 4AM, I bought some, but a couple already fell off/rubbed off.
 
Colin,
I have a similar issue with cameras and my glasses. I really wanted to like the FED2, for example, but just couldn't get past the VF.
Even the Zorki 3m with its 1:1 viewfinder isn't quite perfect. What I have done with mine is to take a fine point Sharpie marker and out line the VF window on the front of the camera. This is not entirely satisfactory to me but is workable.
And I was surprised that the FED5 I have has enough diopter adjustment to enable me to see about 99% of the VF without having to mash my eye-glasses against the metal surround.
For 50mm lenses I have learned to work with the camera VF. There are certainly lots of bright line or other auxiliary finders that you could try. I like the FSU turret finder and the Voigtlander finders I have for other lenses are very good; I haven't used their 50mm finder but would expect it to be good as well.
And I also like the J-12 well enough to keep the FSU cameras to compliment my Bessa R.
Rob
 
Ruben, I don't wear glasses when I'm shooting so I'm not in a position to say whether or not the finder might scratch them. Perhaps a glasses wearer could jump in with their experience?

Gene
 
rbiemer said:
...... What I have done with mine is to take a fine point Sharpie marker and out line the VF window on the front of the camera. This is not entirely satisfactory to me but is workable.......
Rob
Click to expand...


Hi Rob,
I am not sure I am following here. Could you elaborate in a more detailed description ?

Cheers,
Ruben
 
Ruben,
Seeing the edges of the VF frame is not so easy for me with out moving my eye, which affects my composition some times.
So what I did was to hold the camera with the lens facing me and simply draw with the marker on the outside of the front VF window along the edge. This put a thin line on the glass and also on the metal edge of the VF window. Just highlights where the edge is for me a bit better.
Rob
ruben said:
Hi Rob,
I am not sure I am following here. Could you elaborate in a more detailed description ?

Cheers,
Ruben
Click to expand...
 
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this topic - sorry it has taken me a couple of days to get back to you.
I took my LII out yesterday with a Leitz turret finder (I think this is what it's generic name is - can't remember the Leitz code!) & it makes using it with specs much more bearable with a 50mm lens.
It's fine from 50mm to 135mm, but it's difficult on 35mm when wearing glasses, but luckily I have a Jupiter 35mm finder, which is quite good.
I do fancy the look of the Voigtlander 50mm finder when funds allow & it would be interesting to hear from anyone who uses one with glasses.
With the Leica's I have used, I find that the dioptre adjustment only adjusts the range finder window & not the view finder!
I put a roll of film through my mum's IIIG last weekend & am also borrowing her IIIF for a little while. I have to say that out of all the LTM cameras I have looked through the IIIF is definitely the easiest to see the edge of the frame with when wearing glasses.
Thanks again,
Colin
 
ImpMan71 said:
me a couple of days to get back to you.
I took my LII out yesterday with a Leitz turret finder (I think this is what it's generic name is - can't remember the Leitz code!)Colin
Click to expand...


Hi Colin

That would be the VIOOH or Imarect finder. Or if its older, the VIDOM.
Neither is a turret, because there's only one objective in front involved. 🙂
Both use cropping windows within the finder to show the different lens fields. Clones from Canon, Walz etc are, and work the same.

A turret finder on the other hand would have more than one optical objective in front, usually one for each focal length which the finder will accomodate. The Russian multi-FL finder is an example of a 'turret': it has several objectives in front for each of the lenses between 28mm-135mm it covers. The objectives shift by turning on a central pivot, hence it's called a turret finder 🙂

Jay
 
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