Leica LTM Viooh

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
brachal

brachal

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Can anybody shed any light on the different versions of the VIOOH finder? Is there any real difference between the "lyre" and the "straight" versions? The VIOOH appeals to me because of the accessory shoe on top ... I'm thinking I could fit my VC2 meter in there, something I can't do with my KMZ turret finder.

Thanks!
 
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There is no functional difference between the lyre-shaped and the straight-sided VIOOH. They both have a neat parallax-correcting lever at the bottom. The only difference I can see is that the lyre-shaped finder tends to be more expensive, so it's probably rarer. The thing to watch out for is how clear the glass is. I've heard they're not difficult to take apart and clean, but I wouldn't like to try it.
 
And you can't fit a VC2 meter on it. The frame-selection ring is in the way. :(
Same problem with the VIDOM.

the meter doesn't clear the ring when you want to slide it on. If you can add some height to the foot, with some shims perhaps, you could make it fit. But that does not take away from the fact that it would look ridiculous ;)
 
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Mr_Flibble said:
And you can't fit a VC2 meter on it. The frame-selection ring is in the way. :(
Same problem with the VIDOM.

the meter doesn't clear the ring when you want to slide it on. If you can add some height to the foot, with some shims perhaps, you could make it fit. But that does not take away from the fact that it would look ridiculous ;)
Click to expand...

Ridiculous and I are old friends. :D

Thanks for the information.
 
I wouldn't have known if I had not tried it myself ;)

I guess you need to add about 1.5mm to 2mm of material between the foot and the underside of the meter. If the 3 little screws in the foot of the VC2 are long enough this should not be a difficult modification.

I've also had my Lyre-Shaped VIOOH apart, because the optics were dim, I've cleaned the prisms but the improvement was negligible. Not a big deal considering I paid very little for it.
 
My VIOOH should be arriving today. I'll see how dim it is when I get home from work. If I decide to shim the meter's foot, I'll be sure to post and let you know how it works out. I agree it would look pretty silly, but I've never let that stop me before.
 
Of course some of the big differences with the various VIOOH's are the focal lengths that are marked. Earlier ones (I think!) had 35-50-73-90-135, and later ones had 35-50-85-90-135, and E. Leitz NY ones had 35-50-73-90-127-135. And I guess some of the parallax corrections are in metres, and some are in feet.

And you could get the desirable TUVOO adapter for 28mm! :eek:
 
Vince Lupo said:
Of course some of the big differences with the various VIOOH's are the focal lengths that are marked. Earlier ones (I think!) had 35-50-73-90-135, and later ones had 35-50-85-90-135, and E. Leitz NY ones had 35-50-73-90-127-135. And I guess some of the parallax corrections are in metres, and some are in feet.

And you could get the desirable TUVOO adapter for 28mm! :eek:
Click to expand...

I think the one I have coming is an earlier model, but I'm not certain. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a TUVOO ... 28mm is a length I use. Eventually the stuff on top of the camera will be bigger than the camera. :)
 
brachal said:
I think the one I have coming is an earlier model, but I'm not certain. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a TUVOO ... 28mm is a length I use. Eventually the stuff on top of the camera will be bigger than the camera. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I regularly keep my eyes out for a TUVOO as well, but they're usually out of my price range - I think you could buy a few VIOOH's for the price of one TUVOO.
 
Just be aware that some versions of this finder have a 73mm field of view instead of 90mm (from memory) I have one of each - well just because. But it does make a difference if you intend using it with a 90mm lens. Of course the 73 is just about ideal for the Voightlander 75mm.
 
Silly-ridiculous is of no consequence, Bill: but you'll need to be careful, as the VIOOH and the meter mounted together would make for a delicate assembly.
 
One of those double-accessory shoe gadgets might be the easiest answer to this meter/viewfinder 'problem'.


So when exactly did the shapes of the VIOOHs change from Round to Lyre-shaped to Straight-edged?

Will a Leitz N.Y. VIOAD 28mm attachment fit on a Wetzlar VIOOH? And are they any easier to source then a TUVOO?
 
I could write a book on how many different VIOOH`s there are out there.....at least 10+ differnet types, Pre War non thread nose, Postwar black nose and late 1940`s dual range are some of the rarest versions.

Tom
 
payasam said:
Silly-ridiculous is of no consequence, Bill: but you'll need to be careful, as the VIOOH and the meter mounted together would make for a delicate assembly.
Click to expand...

Don't worry, I'm very careful with my cameras. I won't hurt anything.;)
 
FWIW, I got a Straight-side VIOOH couple years back when I was putting together my first screw-mount Leica kit.

While it's nice to have in the kit-bag for show & tell, I find it challenging to use, particularly at the 90 & 135 settings (very "squinty").

My user finders are either a Nikon Varifocal or Tewe Poly-focal... with either one, the image does NOT shrink as you dial more "telephoto"...

There are other Leica goodies I will use more, so another VIOOH or VIDOM are way down on my "need list"... (actually, a nice black / nickel VIDOM would be great with my black Leicae...)


Luddite Frank
 
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