Which one? Viewfinder length questions

[MacDaddy]

Never did get an answer from the membership vis-a-vis landscape camera/lens recommendations, so we'll try to get your response to THIS instead: I wear glasses, if that is a consideration, and really don't understand the advantage/disadvantage of the different viewfinder lengths between say, the Bessa R3M and the R2M. I'll be shooting mostly wide (50mm and wider; say, down to 21mm) if that is a consideration as well. Anyone care to tackle this one and explain why one camera over the other?
Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[yoyo22]

I think you are refering to the viewfinder magnification. The difference between the R2x/R3x/R4x is this viewfinder magnification.
It's just very simple. The more broad your view shall be, the less magnification you need.
The R3x got a magnification which is great for >50mm (1.0x), while the R2x (0.7x) is great for 35-90mm. The R4x got the least magnification, making it possible to see those wide framelines up to 21mm.
Now imagine the tiny framelines of 90mm showing up an a viewfinder that covers 21mm in total. They would be so small, that focusing and/or framing would become virtually impossible.

Coming to your glasses: wearing glasses makes everything worse, since most likely you will not be able to see the widest framelines, no matter what viewfinder magnification you have. On my M2 I hardly see all the 35mm framelines, on my M6 the 28mm framelines are so far out of sight...

For your use of wide angles mostly I would suggest an R4x. Perhaps with an additional 21mm addon viewfinder in case you have a hard time to see those lines in the built-in one.

 

[MacDaddy]

Hmm! I suspect I'll need auxiliary viewfinders to see the lines with any of the Rfs. So it sounds like from a versatility standpoint, if I want the widest lens "support" an R2M would be the logical choice, while if I stick with really wide lenses, the R4M is best. What about using 50mm down to 21mm on the R4M? I want to use fast lenses because my favorite way to shoot is available light and usually at the "golden hours" for landscape and architecture. My thoughts are to get a R2M with both the 35/f1.4 and the new 28/f2. Am I off here?

 

[mfogiel]

R4A for the 21,25, and the best of all - 28mm
R2A for the 35mm
R3A for the 50mm (just). 75mm and 90mm

I also wear glasses, and so I have to use various bodies.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

I wear glasses. Before I needed them I wore sunglasses. Anyway, this is how I shoot (non-professional): One camera, one lens. Look in the viewfinder...determine your angle of view & try to memorize it for the that day. You will only focus in the center on the patch. I personally find the 90mm more difficult to concentrate on than the 28. With a 28 you a grabbing a whole lot but you can crop but with the 28 you could be too tight & you can't expand. You asked about landscapes: Two things to consider angle of view: I find the 24mm on an SLR to be better than the 28mm on a rangefinder. The extra 4 is good for large buildings in enclosed spaces. Also, for large prints the medium format is better. & I personally do not like external viewfinders on my camera. I have enough problems loosing cheapo eyecups and lens caps.

 

[MacDaddy]

To give an idea how wide I go digitally, I use a Sigma 10-20mm and a Nikkor 18-135mm on a Nikon D300. This gives me anywhere from 15mm to 27mm wide to roughly 205/6mm telephoto. Most of the time, I shoot the zoom at close to its widest, between 27 and 35mm equivalent when using it for landscape (all on a tripod). I use the Sigma for architectural and use the whole range of the lens from 15-30mm equivalent. Both are very slow lenses, require a tripod for best results and frustrate me with their size and bulk.
So I'm heading back to RF, especially for B & W shots and more creative control (film recommendations would be appreciated as well! I'm thinking Ilford HP 5+ or ??). I've pretty well decided that the new 28/f2 and the 35/f1.4 SC will be the two lenses of choice, unless CV really does come up with a faster, wider lens or three (maybe at Photokina next month?) and now need to figure out which camera to go with both. (alas, if I DO get both lenses, I can only afford ONE body for now!)
So, your thoughts, comments, raspberries please? 8o)