35mm frame lines + M2, or auxiliary finder + M?

[jmcd]

I am considering an M body, to be used with 2 lense, first a 35mm, and secondly a 50mm. I have used a Canon P, and really enjoyed the visibility of the 50mm frame lines. I could not see all 35mm lines at a glance.

So I am wondering how visible the 35mm frame lines are on the M2. Are they easily visible at once? If not I might prefer to use an auxilary finder, which means that amost any M would work.

I am able to work with a camera without wearing glasses now, but will be needing to wear glasses more and more as time goes by.

Thank you.

 

[VictorM.]

The M2 35mm framelines are much more easily seen with or without glasses because of lower viewfinder magnification. All things considered, I preferred the M2 to the P. I now have an M4-2, but would still choose an M2 because the framelines themselves are better.

 

[Tom A]

I would recommend the M2. It was designed for the 35 lens and works very well with it. I wear glasses and I can see the full set of frame-lines without a problem. Any aux. finder is an "emergency" item, particularly for the more modest wide-angles. With the 21/25/28 they are OK and with extremes like the 12/15/18 they are a necessity. They also a/fall off and b/cost extra (which really irritates you when they fall into street drains!) and c/ are forever tangled up in straps, bags and jacket pockets.
The M2 and the 35/50 combination is natural. You only have the frames for the focal lengths you are using and none of this "multiple" frames that forever have you guessing which frames are you supposed to use.
You can also use the 28 with impunity on a M2. Just put some black tape over the rangefinder illumination window (the one with the corrugations on i) and no frame-lines will appear and by using the whole finder (all the way out to the edges, you get a pretty close approximation of the 28 angle).

2008, not the year of the Rat - its the year of the M2!

 

[bobkonos]

I agree with Tom A.: the M2 with a 35/50 combo is a natural and a joy to use (hence my reasoning to sell some more of my M3 cameras since I do not need 90 and 135 framelines).

 

[jmcd]

Thanks for the helpful replies—now a search for the M2.

 

[payasam]

I now have an M2 and am a happy man; but from 1985 to 2002 I had an M3 with a SBLOO finder permanently mounted for when I wanted to use the 35/3.5 Summaron, and I was not unhappy.

 

[maddoc]

I use my M3 sometimes with an external VF for 35 (and also 21). The VF magnification of the M3 is nice for 50mm FL, which is my main FL, so I preferred the M3 over the M2. My other camera is the M4-P with framelines for 35 but they are not so easy to see wearing glasses...