1:1 finder battle

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^^^ External finder

A few months back I picked-up a Diax 35mm external finder. A few weeks back, I grabbed a Topcor 35/50 finder from the RFF classifieds (cheers, Patrick James). I have various reasons for wanting them, mostly wrapped up in my desire for a digital Canon P. In any case, upon receiving the Topcor tonight, some things are immediately evident.

The Diax:
* 1:1
* 35 lines (a nearly solid rectangle) with no parallax markings
* rotatable parallax adjustment at rear in m and ft
* a hair over 3cm in height (a touch larger than the CV finder)
* in practice, slightly obstructed view at the edges (must have both eyes open)
* brighter than Topcor in low light
* silver tint
* German

The Topcor:
* 1:1
* 35 and 50 lines. 35 lines are rounded like the 50 lines on a Leica M3. 50 lines are more akin to the lines on a M2, but with markings for parallax.
* 5 cm tall (like mounting a 35/2 on the shoe)
* clear view across the board
* relatively bright
* gold tint
* Japanese

I will mess around more and update this post in the coming weeks. Some pics to come. Cheers.

 

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Some comparisons. I do not have the means to amply demonstrate the relative view in use.

It may be that the Diax is the more practical (smaller, brighter), but the Topcor is certainly a gorgeous little accessory (and maybe quicker to use). I do like the Diax on the Hexar AF. It's my ideal AF film setup for social situations.