24mm Lens on M8/M8.2 with eyeglasses

[Rob-F]

My M8.2 with a 28mm lens is a dream machine. And I can use my 21mm with my Leitz 28mm external finder with virtually perfect framing. You would think that would be good enough for me--and as a matter of fact, it is.

But I'm wondering what solution there might be for shooting my 24mm. My 35mm Leitz finder significantly under-indicates what I get on the sensor. And the 28mm finder, being perfect with a 21mm, is overinclusive with the 24mm. I can't use the camera's 24mm framelines because, as an eyeglass wearer, I can only see them if I take too much time to shift my eye position left and right. That's definitely out!

Does anyone know of a finder that shows the 32mm equivalent view? Perhaps a CV finder that might include a little wider view than the Leitz finder? The latter is fairly conservative.

 

[Jeff S]

I can't use the camera's 24mm framelines because, as an eyeglass wearer, I can only see them if I take too much time to shift my eye position left and right. That's definitely out!

If you practiced for a awhile, I bet that soon you would become a good judge of the resultant framing. Toward this end, you might consider some flexible glass frames that allow you 'crunch' up to the screen better. But, even without, it should become second nature.

Jeff
...biased against external finders

 

[Rob-F]

If you practiced for a awhile, I bet that soon you would become a good judge of the resultant framing. Toward this end, you might consider some flexible glass frames that allow you 'crunch' up to the screen better. But, even without, it should become second nature.

Jeff
...biased against external finders

I can do this with a 35mm lens and .72 finder. But there, I can see most of the framelines, and only have to intuit where the corners are. I've been doing that for 50 years. With the M8.2, I can't see any of the framelines when my eye is centered.

My eyeglass frames are about as flexible and crunchable as it gets. I supposeI could have a diopter made, but then I'd have to take off my glasses every time I need to take a photo.

It's not a huge problem, as the 21mm with 28mm finder is so perfect. It just seems the right finder for the 24mm must be out there someplace.

 

[Jeff S]

With the M8.2, I can't see any of the framelines when my eye is centered.

Guess you have some very thick glasses. I have 2 M8.2s and, with glasses, I still can roughly see the 24 lines. But, even if I couldn't, the lines are just about the same as what I see in the whole viewfinder, so I know what to expect.

I responded based on MY actual experience with the same camera. Just shows how individuals differ.

Good luck.

Jeff

 

[Rob-F]

I'll just illustrate this for the archives. First, the 21mm lens with 28mm Leitz finder. What you see is exactly what I saw in the finder. This is the targeted image width.

 

[Rob-F]

Next, staying with the 28mm Leitz finder, but shooting with the 24mm ASPH. The picture is still framed in the finder for the exact same width as before, but the 24mm lens (of course) covers less width. The result may be OK for casual shooting, but risks losing significant picture at the edges.

 

[Rob-F]

Finally, the 24mm lens using the 35mm Leitz accessory finder. Though the finder is supposed to show a 35mm field, and difference between it and the 32mm field of the 24mm lens is, on paper, trivial, we find that a lot more is included in the shot than was seen in the finder (the shot was once again framed to look the same as the first one).

 

[Ronald M]

Leica made a 21/35 continuously variable zoom finder 10/15 years ago. No bright lines. I bought one and it was on the camera 2 times and now resides somewhere.

 

[Rob-F]

In the RFF tradition of never being satisfied with anything, why could they not have made the M8 finder magnification about .62, or even .58, so that more of us could see the 24mm framelines? They could have saved money by using the .58 optics, and not had to develop yet another magnification.

Well, it's too hot out to take pictures. I needed something to do.

 

[jaapv]

It is a telescope system, and the body is too thick to get a wider angle of view with the given dimensions of the viewfinder window...🙁