40mm brightline finder coverage

[Chuck A]

Does anyone have a Voit 40mm brightline finder? I am interested in what the actual coverage is. Is it more like an actual 38mm lens or a 42mm lens or does it cover an actual 40mm?

 

[Andrew Touchon]

Does anyone have a Voit 40mm brightline finder. I am interested in what the actual coverage is. Is it more like an actual 38mm lens or a 42mm lens or does it cover an actual 40mm?

I just compared the 40mm field of view between my Leitz-Minolta CL, Bessa R3A and the VC 40mm finder. The CL and Bessa R3A appeared identical. The VC 40mm external finder displays a significantly larger field of view.

 

[Palaeoboy]

The answer to this question gets confusing as the field of view between the framelines is never 100%. The view in a CL/CLE for example are only 85% for their 40mm framelines. As Andrew has pointed out when you look the VC 40mm finder it looks noticably wider but thats because it has a 92% coverage for 40mm lenses. So you therefore get a closer representation of the focal length with the VC finder but will probably find some slight problems with paralax with certain shots cropped close to the edges. So in the best way to answer your question, if you want a similar 85% coverage to the finder of a CL/CLE with a 40mm lens, the VC finder would be close to that with a 38mm lens.

 

[Chuck A]

Let me explain a bit. I have a digicam (an Olympus C7000) that takes very nice files but has an abysmal optical viewfinder. The lens on it is 38mm at its widest and I want to use an external viewfinder to match that as closely as possible, ala the Ricoh GR-D.

I know that the brightline viewfinders are not totally accurate and I wasn't sure whether I needed a 35mm viewfinder or a 40mm viefinder to match that focal length. Thanks for any help.

 

[Captain]

Chuck, the viewfinder would have the correct angle of view for what you require in that case BUT you have to take into consideration shoe placement where the viewfinder is to clip into. The 40mm finder is unique among Voigtlander finders in that its shoe is specifically offset to cater for Leica M's who have their flash shoes slightly to one side and not directly over the lens like a CL/CLE, so when you use this finder on CL's and CLE's the image is askewed slighly to one side. (Not that you need to as they have 40mm framelines but I have tested the finder on these cameras and that was the result.) So the angle will work for you its more will the finder be in the correct position to give you acurate framing.

 

[Chuck A]

Interesting. This camera has no accessory shoe so I will have to add one or devise another method of attachment. I was thinking of finding an old broken camera and glueing the shoe from it on the C7000. I could take care of the angle with that. That way I can remove the viewfinder when I want to.

I know it seems like alot of trouble but I really hate using the LCD for taking photos and the optical viewfinder is bad. The LCD is actually very fine grained at about 206,000 pixels. But I have to wear reading glasses to see it and it is a pain. Plus I have been photographing for 30 years and I much prefer to have my eye up to the camera when I photograph. I feel much more a part of the process that way. I nice large clear optical finder is what I want.

I have been looking for a smallish pocketable digital to carry daily. I really want one with a good viewfinder. The R-D1 is the only camera with a great viewfinder but it is too large. The C7000 is small and takes great quality photos. Very often it gives me close to DSLR quality. The lack of a hot shoe is a problem but so far it is the best that I have found.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Captain]

Let us know how you get on with it ok?

 

[Chuck A]

Will do. I am still debating how I will do it.

I wish someone would take my Oly RC and put a sensor in it, a 40-45mm equivalent lens and a 2.5 in LCD on the back. That would be a great digital.