Which M has the best VF?

Which M has the best VF?

  • M3 VF 0.91

    Votes: 88 33.2%

  • 0.58

    Votes: 16 6.0%

  • 0.72

    Votes: 43 16.2%

  • 0.85

    Votes: 7 2.6%

  • New MP/M7 0.58

    Votes: 10 3.8%

  • New MP/M7 0.72

    Votes: 45 17.0%

  • New MP/M7 0.85

    Votes: 15 5.7%

  • M8/M9 VF 0.62

    Votes: 4 1.5%

  • Do not like the Leica M VF. Like the Zeiss VF

    Votes: 29 10.9%

  • Do not like the Leica M VF. Like the Bessa R3 VF

    Votes: 3 1.1%

  • Do not like the Leica M VF. Like the Bessa R4 VF

    Votes: 4 1.5%

  • Do not like the Leica M VF. Like the Bessa R2 VF

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • Total voters
    265
M3 viewfinder easily, I like Bessa R3 viewfinder too. For wide stuff, I prefer my M4-P VF (after internal cleaning to remove gassing) over the M6 VF. Though the .85 MP viewfinder is probably better from 35mm and up IMO, but my standard wide is a 28mm so it's M4-P for me.
 
M5 of course. Match needle meter readout which allows simple exposure compensation and shutter speeds displayed in the VF while in manual mode. There is no contest.
 
BTMarcais said:
There's no linkage between the aperture on the lens and the camera body on M-mount rangefinders (or even on the Contax G's for that matter), so there's no way for the camera to know what aperture you're set at, and no way to really display aperture in the VF.


FWIW, even with glasses I prefer the finder of my M3. The M6TTL .85x I have is nice, but the occasional flaring is annoying, and never happens on the M3.

-Brian
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It intrigues me that a camera that was introduced in 1954 had a flare free finder and the M6 that followed it thirty years later had an occasional flaring problem to the point where some won't own it because of this issue!
 
I share your sentiments Keith. I still have trouble with my M6TTL with the .85 finder flare...it just shouldn't be, as new as it is.
 
MP-3

Uncluttered like the M2 but brighter. If you need more framelines there is nothing better than the MP 0.72 IMO as an all rounder. If you shoot shorter, the 0.58 is incredible and has single 35 lines and the 0.85 is great for 50mm and longer.
 
Keith said:
It intrigues me that a camera that was introduced in 1954 had a flare free finder and the M6 that followed it thirty years later had an occasional flaring problem to the point where some won't own it because of this issue!
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If you look at diagrams of Leica RF's, looking specifically at the light path in the M3 vs. that of the .72 cameras, the differences and the reason for the flare in the .72 finders starts to look more obvious. I don't know if Leitz had to do some fancy engineering to get the lower magnification finder appropriate to use with wider angle lenses into a finder with the same size front window, but they certainly took a straight-forward design using only 90 degree turns in light path and made the whole mechanism far more complex. To get a wider angle of view seems to have necessitated the compromised finder (unless they changed the whole architecture of the top and front of the camera, which they clearly didn't want to do).

Anyway, as one who uses primarily a 50mm lens, I'm so happy with my M3's and their lovely finders that I sold all my other M cameras and haven't looked back. I'd like to add an M2, as I understand it doesn't flare as much as the M6, but I'm not in any rush. I've looked through a new Zeiss Ikon, though, and that camera looks like it has a really great viewfinder too.
 
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Keith said:
It intrigues me that a camera that was introduced in 1954 had a flare free finder and the M6 that followed it thirty years later had an occasional flaring problem to the point where some won't own it because of this issue!
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Why are you intrigued?
After the M3 Leica started to produce simpler and cheaper. They had to. The VF was only one of a few other things where they cut costs.
Family member of mine worked there for 40 years, I heard all about it.

A 1959 300SL was never produced the same way again either.
 
I have eye glasses, so for 35mm I love my 0,58 on the M7. For 50mm I have the 0,72 (M7) and also the M3, but this one is bit pain in the ass to recognize the frame at once. For 90mm I use a magnifier 1,4 on the 0,72.

In terms of contrast is my M3 the king, but I use the most my 0,58 or 0,72 M7. I think it depends on you sight (glasses or not) and the lenses you use.
 
Leica M3, Elmar-M 50mm f/2.8, Tmax400 printed on Ilford MGIV fb.

Erik.

4283554598_ae7c5eb56f_b.jpg
 
Not so sure why the M3 has won the rating. Maybe because it's the cheapest and most available out there? Sure the 0.91 is nice to open both eyes but the round 50mm frameline is awefully vintage (or nicely vintage)! Lack of 35mm is a deal breaker for 35mm users...
 
Penzes said:
I have eye glasses, so for 35mm I love my 0,58 on the M7. For 50mm I have the 0,72 (M7) and also the M3, but this one is bit pain in the ass to recognize the frame at once. For 90mm I use a magnifier 1,4 on the 0,72.

In terms of contrast is my M3 the king, but I use the most my 0,58 or 0,72 M7. I think it depends on you sight (glasses or not) and the lenses you use.
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I am looking at getting a 28/2 and 50/1.5 for a ZI or M6ttl.... But If I decide on the M6ttl, I may want a .58 VF...But I cant find any info on what frames are in the .58 VF... I'm guessing 25/28/35/50?
Or something with a wider than 28mm.
Can someone list the frames in a .58 vf please.
Thanks.

Edit...
Found it.... 28/35/50/90
But, how about with f/1.5 lens... is this not a Wide enough base line?
 
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edodo said:
Not so sure why the M3 has won the rating. Maybe because it's the cheapest and most available out there? Sure the 0.91 is nice to open both eyes but the round 50mm frameline is awefully vintage (or nicely vintage)! Lack of 35mm is a deal breaker for 35mm users...
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Exactly. Which is why, although I've owned (I think) 3x M3, I don't have any M3s any more.

It may seem odd to forget how many M3s you've had but I bought my first in about 1974 and sold my last in the 1990s.

Cheers,

R.
 
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How come the M4 isn't a choice? I wouldn't have voted the M4 first and the .58 M7 second. The .58 is accurate enough for the 50 Summilux and a pure joy with the 28mm.
 
oldoc is swinging with the sweet tunes; the MP 0,85x VF is the best all-round VF for 35-50-75-90 RF shooters with the perfect balance of accuracy and frameline spacing and lack of distracting flare. For pure 50 or 90 shooting, hard to beat the M3; but it is lame for any 35 shooting.
 
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