Leica LTM viewfinder for IIIf

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
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letvet

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I recently purchased a IIIf with 50 summitar and I am having a real hard time with the tiny viewfinder. Any recommendations on which viewfinder to look for (SBOOI vs universal etc). I also intend to purchase a 35 ltm lens at some point. The CV 25 snapshot lens with it's viewfinder is working fine. Thx.
 
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The SBOOI gives a nice, large view, whereas the Imarect just masks off the viewing area as the FL is increased. I have both, and find, with my glasses, the SBOOI is much more useful. With my Jupiter 12, I use the CV metal 35mm finder, and, while not quite up to the quality of the Leica finders, it does a good job at a much more reasonable cost.

Jim N.
 
The Soviet universal turret finder works well. Not the brightest, but it can cover 28, 35, 50, 85, and 135mm. They've gotten more expensive, but are still a pretty good deal.
 
I second the SBOOI. Great clear 1:1 finder. Keep both eyes open and experience the wonderful floating mask. The similar Leica finder for 35mm is prohibitively expensive, but with a bit of luck you can find a nice SBOOI for approx. 80-90 US$
 
The Imarect is a "must try" in my humble opinion:
pros: I really like the masking frame, the SHARP edges and the accuracy of the fov. Parallax too. Composition is EASY and with or without Imarect we are talking of two different photography: accurate and conscious composition (the good of SLR) vs. guessing a composition.
cons: it's big, not bigger than the russian, but big.

If you can, pick a imarect on ebay, you can always sell it....

I think I will try the old vidom (tinyer) to discover if the left-right is a problem for me. I assume not, TLR's way of viewing, they call it...
ciao
Andrea
 
Soviet Finder

Soviet Finder

brachal said:
The Soviet universal turret finder works well. Not the brightest, but it can cover 28, 35, 50, 85, and 135mm. They've gotten more expensive, but are still a pretty good deal.
Click to expand...

I know it is a stretch, but many readers seem to be from Europe, and these finders have always seemed a bit pricey here, but they have generally been reasonable in Prague, so I kind of made sure I have one for several cases.

A lot of bang for the buck, some had bad paint, but you can look at that another way, it will be even cheaper and you do not have to worry about banging it someplace.

I thought them quite decent. If you happen to be in Brno, they will be even less, well, it is close to Vienna.
 
Just this morning I bought a Voigtlander Kontur viewfinder. Quite unusual in that you don't look through it like a conventional finder, it just supplies the frame lines and your brain does the rest. In use you hold it up to your right eye while keeping the left eye open. You see the frame lines floating in your field of vision with both eyes open. Sort of like those HUD (head up display) units used in fighter planes. They look very simple to make, wonder why they aren't more popular. The one I have is marked 35mm, but shows a 50mm field of view. It's going to get used on a little 3f and should overcome squinting with the tiny built in finder.

Stephen Gandy has some comments on various finders including the Kontur here.... http://cameraquest.com/leicafin.htm

Glenn
 
I really like my SBOOI. Never tried any of the "universal-types" on my Leica IIf. The very bright and 1:1 view makes it a joy to shoot with both eyes open.

Price of the SBOOI seems to be on the rise since I bought mine about 6 months ago.

Good luck finding one!🙂
rt

 
Another vote for the SBOOI. I used to have the Imarect, which is certainly handy if you own more than one lens, but sold it to get the SBOOI. It gives you more of a rangefinder feel, since you can see outside the framelines. And IMHO, it looks more cool on the camera too.
 
The Imarect is certainly more versatile and in my experience the most accurate with regards to framing, but give me a SBOOI any day. The 1:1 advantage can't be beat.
 
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