aoresteen
Well-known
Did Zeiss make a + Diopter lens for the IIa/IIIa? I noticed that the eyepiece is threaded.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Contax IIa/IIIa Diopter lens
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aoresteen
Well-known
I dropped Henry Scherer a note and here is his reply:
"Zeiss did make a diopter correction lens accessory for the Contax. Unfortunately it was not very popular and is extraordinarily rare and impossible to find. There were a couple of them that were sold on Ebay a few years ago but since then I've seen none of them.
In actual practice these correction lenses are more of a curse than a blessing. They require a person to remove his glasses to use the camera, then put them back on when not using the camera. This is a lot of trouble. I wear glasses and have experience with a camera with a diopter on it in actual practice and I've dropped my glasses or had to shove them into a pocket with keys and other things. Modern plastic lenses are so easily scratched I have found that overall it's better to learn to use the camera with glasses on."
Henry went to say he can make one for $195 plus the cost of the lens,
I had an idea. Since I have Leica +2 diopters for my M camers, why not make an adapter to use Leica M diopters on a Contax IIa? The Leica M diopters screw in. I am going to contact SK Grimes to see what they would change to make one.
"Zeiss did make a diopter correction lens accessory for the Contax. Unfortunately it was not very popular and is extraordinarily rare and impossible to find. There were a couple of them that were sold on Ebay a few years ago but since then I've seen none of them.
In actual practice these correction lenses are more of a curse than a blessing. They require a person to remove his glasses to use the camera, then put them back on when not using the camera. This is a lot of trouble. I wear glasses and have experience with a camera with a diopter on it in actual practice and I've dropped my glasses or had to shove them into a pocket with keys and other things. Modern plastic lenses are so easily scratched I have found that overall it's better to learn to use the camera with glasses on."
Henry went to say he can make one for $195 plus the cost of the lens,
I had an idea. Since I have Leica +2 diopters for my M camers, why not make an adapter to use Leica M diopters on a Contax IIa? The Leica M diopters screw in. I am going to contact SK Grimes to see what they would change to make one.
Dralowid
Michael
I agree that correction lenses are more trouble than they are worth. Having spent ££££s on one for my M6 I, like Tony didn't know what to do with my glasses, susbesquently leaving them on the car roof and driving away......
A couple of months later I lost the correction lens too....
So the moral is that if you have got used to wearing glasses, persevere with the camera or buy a SLR or something unmentionable with diopter adjustment!
Michael
A couple of months later I lost the correction lens too....
So the moral is that if you have got used to wearing glasses, persevere with the camera or buy a SLR or something unmentionable with diopter adjustment!
Michael
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
I have a dioptre lens on one of my Kievs, whose dioptre holder will fit the Contax II/III, not the IIa/IIIa - the Kiev/II has a female thread where the IIa has a bigger male one.
As has been pointed out, a dioptre has the disadvantage of being mutually exclusive with glasses - so it is debatable whether you should really want one. I paid a little less than twenty € (the bulk for shipping), plus a few minutes to trim down a glass from some old broken glasses, for the privilege/handicap to take off my glasses on one Kiev. But that is about all it is worth for me, I positively would not pay the sixty I've seen asked for Contax IIa dioptres...
As has been pointed out, a dioptre has the disadvantage of being mutually exclusive with glasses - so it is debatable whether you should really want one. I paid a little less than twenty € (the bulk for shipping), plus a few minutes to trim down a glass from some old broken glasses, for the privilege/handicap to take off my glasses on one Kiev. But that is about all it is worth for me, I positively would not pay the sixty I've seen asked for Contax IIa dioptres...
aoresteen
Well-known
I use a diopter lens with my M3 and my M4-P. I also use them in the WLF of my Hasselblads and Mamiya M645 cameras. I prefer to use them.
I have a +2 diopter that fits the prism of my M645 and it also fits my Spotmatic SL and Yashica FX-D cameras.
I sent my Contax IIa & a Leica M diopter lens to SK Grimes. I'll let you know what they say about making an adapter.
I have a +2 diopter that fits the prism of my M645 and it also fits my Spotmatic SL and Yashica FX-D cameras.
I sent my Contax IIa & a Leica M diopter lens to SK Grimes. I'll let you know what they say about making an adapter.
aoresteen
Well-known
UPDATE - Photos
UPDATE - Photos
I got my IIa back from SK Grimes and they were able to make a nice adapter so I can now use Leica M diopter lenses on my Contax IIa. I can SEE again!!!!!!!! Cheers to the lads at SK Grimes!
Here's the IIa eyepiece:
Here are the adapter and the Leica diopter M 1.5:
Here's the adapter in place:
Here's the diopter mounted on the IIa:
A side view of the adapter:
The cost was a very resonable $65 from SK Grimes.
www.skgrimes.com
Leica M diopters are $100 new from B&H.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/30071-REG/Leica_14353_2_0_M_Diopter.html
They pop up on eBay once in a while.
Overal this is a great mod if you need diopter correction for your IIa or IIIa cameras.
I can really see clearly now!
UPDATE - Photos
I got my IIa back from SK Grimes and they were able to make a nice adapter so I can now use Leica M diopter lenses on my Contax IIa. I can SEE again!!!!!!!! Cheers to the lads at SK Grimes!
Here's the IIa eyepiece:
Here are the adapter and the Leica diopter M 1.5:
Here's the adapter in place:
Here's the diopter mounted on the IIa:
A side view of the adapter:
The cost was a very resonable $65 from SK Grimes.
www.skgrimes.com
Leica M diopters are $100 new from B&H.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/30071-REG/Leica_14353_2_0_M_Diopter.html
They pop up on eBay once in a while.
Overal this is a great mod if you need diopter correction for your IIa or IIIa cameras.
I can really see clearly now!
farlymac
PF McFarland
Congrats on an elegant solution to your problem. Now you need a pair of those glasses with the flip-up lens so you don't have to take them off when shooting the camera.
PF
PF
skymay1314
Established
Good job...
peterm1
Veteran
This is good to know although I no longer have a Contax myself.
In general, diopters are a bit of an issue, particularly given their price and the difficulty of ensuring that you get one that works for you - when you are not in a location where they can be bought over the counter. (I did make good use of my Pharmacy to try a range of non prescription reading glasses to find the diopter that works best for me with a Leica.)
(Incdentally how did you work this out with the contax? The Leica M has a finder that is set to - 0.5 diopters and is also set up to give an equivalent image distance of 2-3 metres. You need to know this if you are to get an optometrists advice on what diopter you need although you could use trial and error as I did. I had a lot of trouble finding the info on the Leica M - you must have hunted high and low to find the settings for the Contax.)
My big issue when looking to buy was that Leica diopter correction lenses go for about a hundred bucks. But some sellers in the US also want at least half this amount on top of that for postage and handling to Australia. For something that is this tiny thats a bloody liberty considering the actual cost of mailing is a fraction of this. As a result I just refuse to deal with these companies as I regard it as a rip off. So its been a bit of a chore to find a suitable supplier.
In the end I was fortunate enough to find an eyepiece magnifier with inbuilt infinite diopter adjustment from -3 to +1 diopters from Japan Exposures Webshop in Japan. I read some web reviews and they sound terrific. These go for around $200 AUD including postage and handling and offer much greater flexibility. The Leica ones come in 1.15 and 1.35 magnification too. I ended up opting for the 1.15 which should work well both at the wide and the long end of the lens focal length spectrum.
In general, diopters are a bit of an issue, particularly given their price and the difficulty of ensuring that you get one that works for you - when you are not in a location where they can be bought over the counter. (I did make good use of my Pharmacy to try a range of non prescription reading glasses to find the diopter that works best for me with a Leica.)
(Incdentally how did you work this out with the contax? The Leica M has a finder that is set to - 0.5 diopters and is also set up to give an equivalent image distance of 2-3 metres. You need to know this if you are to get an optometrists advice on what diopter you need although you could use trial and error as I did. I had a lot of trouble finding the info on the Leica M - you must have hunted high and low to find the settings for the Contax.)
My big issue when looking to buy was that Leica diopter correction lenses go for about a hundred bucks. But some sellers in the US also want at least half this amount on top of that for postage and handling to Australia. For something that is this tiny thats a bloody liberty considering the actual cost of mailing is a fraction of this. As a result I just refuse to deal with these companies as I regard it as a rip off. So its been a bit of a chore to find a suitable supplier.
In the end I was fortunate enough to find an eyepiece magnifier with inbuilt infinite diopter adjustment from -3 to +1 diopters from Japan Exposures Webshop in Japan. I read some web reviews and they sound terrific. These go for around $200 AUD including postage and handling and offer much greater flexibility. The Leica ones come in 1.15 and 1.35 magnification too. I ended up opting for the 1.15 which should work well both at the wide and the long end of the lens focal length spectrum.
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aoresteen
Well-known
Peter,
I thought the M has a +.5 diopter viewfinder not a -.5. I need a +2 so I have two +1.5 dioters (one for my M3 the other for my M4-P) and they work well for me. So far the +1.5 seems to work well with the Contax IIa. I haven't been able to figure out just what the Contax IIa view finder really is. My playnis to buy a +2 Leica diopter and see how it works. If It's too strong I will return it for another +1.5 dioter.
If you want to get a Leica diopter PM me and I'll get it from B&H when I order mine and I will post it to you. Shouldn't cost too much to send as they are really small.
I thought the M has a +.5 diopter viewfinder not a -.5. I need a +2 so I have two +1.5 dioters (one for my M3 the other for my M4-P) and they work well for me. So far the +1.5 seems to work well with the Contax IIa. I haven't been able to figure out just what the Contax IIa view finder really is. My playnis to buy a +2 Leica diopter and see how it works. If It's too strong I will return it for another +1.5 dioter.
If you want to get a Leica diopter PM me and I'll get it from B&H when I order mine and I will post it to you. Shouldn't cost too much to send as they are really small.
paapoopa
Established
does the leica diopter fits the contax?
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
No. Tony had S.K. Grimes make an adapter - there are pictures of it some posts up the thread.
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peterm1
Veteran
aoresteen I had read here or on another forum the Leicas were -0.5 but I cannot be sure. I was just basing it on that. But your comment about +0.5 would explain something if correct. I asked my optometrist when I was last having my eyes checked and she said that +1.5 is perfect for me based on her calculations. But when I tried using reading glasses from the pharmacist to look through my Leica's finder, by trial and error I found that the best glasses were +1.0. (Add +1.0 and +0.5 and there is the optometrists calculated figure of +1.5.) So I guess +0.5 for Leica's base setting seems correct and you are right.
Thanks for your kind offer to help by sending me one but I have just had a suitable magnifier / diopter delivered from Japan Exposures (megaperls) Arrived this afternoon.
http://www.japanexposures.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=110
Peter
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