KMZ Turret Finder... any good???

[Disaster_Area]

I'm looking to pick up a finder so I can use a 35mm on my R3A and was thinking about getting one of the KMZ Turret finders as an added bonus it will open up 28mm as well... any experience with these? or would I be better off with a modern 35mm finder?

 

[ferider]

They are quite good. But big, and framelines are on the small side.

If you just need 35, the CV metal finder is as good as it gets.
If you want to try something a bit cheaper, I just got an Olympus
VF-1, not bad at all and maybe half the price.

If you want both 28 and 35, nothing beats the CV mini-finder.

Roland.

 

[KenD]

I have 2. I am happy with them. They have a very retro look. They have the flexibility of shooting the standard lenses off one viewfinder. Optics are reasonable.

I find it a little slow to acquire the image compared to a "modern" style, and they are high over the camera so some parallax error is likely shooting close.

 

[Santafecino]

The KMZ finder is good for wide angles. For longer lenses, you need to test the parallax correction. On my Kiev 2, the finder overcorrects for parallax. I need to test it on the Kiev 3a, which has a higher accessory shoe because of the meter. It will probably be okay.

On accessory finders, remember that there is no way, generally, to use a diopter correction lens. The Voigtlander finders are very good, but most have a minus 1.0 factor built in. Since I'm farsighted, that is not workable for me.

 

[brachal]

I love mine. Not as bright as a modern, dedicated 35mm finder, but more than adequate and very versatile. I much prefer mine to the Leica VIOOH.

 

[colyn]

They are great when used with the Russian cameras but on my Leica screw mount cameras parallax is off enough to make a big difference so I just used the VIOOH or Imarect finders..

 

[payasam]

I use one these days with a FED-2 camera and manage well enough. However, I have used the Leitz VIOOH and consider its design superior. It does give a smaller image, but its parallax correction arrangement is better. For my M3 I have bought a Nikon 35mm finder. On the M3 I had earlier, a SBLOO was permanently mounted.

 

[biomed]

I have a pair of them - one left and one right offset. They work very well for 50mm and wider lenses. Mine seem to fit loosely in the accessory shoe, so i usually use a card stock shim to tighten the fit. If you wear glasses, you will want to glue an O-ring or other soft material around the eyepiece to prevent scratches on your glasses.

 

[Roger Hicks]

They're excellent, but as Biomed says, can be a loose fit in the accessory shoe. I fixed a permanent shim to mine.

Cheers,

R.

 

[rbiemer]

I like mine quite a bit. As Biomed suggests, an O-ring around the eye piece is very beneficial for us glasses wearers.
You may find this thread helpful:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75716

Rob
EDIT:
One of the major reasons I like the KMZ turret finder is that the view for each of the different focal lengths is not a smaller and smaller crop of the widest fov. Each length has it's own and you can also see a bit of what is outside the frame.
Rob

 

[xxloverxx]

Not to change the topic or anything, but how much should someone expect to pay for a clean turret finder?
I'm looking to get one too, as well as a J12 to go on my Kiev 4a

 

[ZeissFan]

For the Soviet version that's a knockoff of the Carl Zeiss Jena finder, they seem to go for about $80. For the actual Carl Zeiss Jena finder, probably at least $125.

If I was looking for a wide angle finder, I'd look for something else. There are a lot of Japanese finders from the 1950s and 1960s out there for a small amount of cash -- $15 or less.

 

[rbiemer]

For the Soviet version that's a knockoff of the Carl Zeiss Jena finder, they seem to go for about $80. For the actual Carl Zeiss Jena finder, probably at least $125.

If I was looking for a wide angle finder, I'd look for something else. There are a lot of Japanese finders from the 1950s and 1960s out there for a small amount of cash -- $15 or less.

I would agree with this with one minor edit: "If I was looking only for a wide angle finder..." In other words, if I wanted a single focal length finder, you're right. For a variable finder, I've seen better but not for the typical price of the KMZ finder.
Rob

 

[colyn]

My favorite overall finder has to be the VIDOM. I also use the VIOOH and Imarect..

The VIDOM magnifies which makes it easier to use throughout the focal range of 35-135mm..

 

[xxloverxx]

For the Soviet version that's a knockoff of the Carl Zeiss Jena finder, they seem to go for about $80. For the actual Carl Zeiss Jena finder, probably at least $125.

If I was looking for a wide angle finder, I'd look for something else. There are a lot of Japanese finders from the 1950s and 1960s out there for a small amount of cash -- $15 or less.

Thanks! Any specific names I should be on the look out for (the Japanese finders)?