Altix finder on FSU RF?

[Eugen Mezei]

What do you think, would the Altix finder do a good job on a russian RF? I mean ofcourse compared to the turret finder or the separate 35 and 90 mm finders.
I don't own the Altix or the russian ones either, but am I correct assuming that on the Altix you have the same optics and simply obstruct part of the finder with the masks you put in front of it and the russian finders have separate optics for every focal being superior? The question is how much superior? (In terms of dimmness, usability, etc.)

Eugen

 

[rbiemer]

Eugen,
I don't have the Altix, I do have and use an FSU turret finder.
The turret finder is not too dim, for me anyway, but is not as bright as, for example, the finder for my CV21 lens. A more direct comparison would be between the Komura finder I use for the J-11 lens. That finder and the 135 setting on the turret finder are about the same for brightness. The turret finder is a bit better for me because it shows me some of what is outside the 135 frame. The masking type of finders don't do that.
With the turret finder, you get an image that is about the same size for each of the five lenses but the field of view is different--wider for the 28mm and narrower for the 135mm lens--with a finder like the Altix, the image is going to get smaller as you use the different masks for the longer lenses.
Which one is better for you? You'll need to try them to decide, I guess. I like the turret finder and by using that, I can carry two finders--the finder for the CV21 and the turret finder--and cover all my lenses which is very useful for me.
Rob

 

[Eugen Mezei]

With the turret finder, you get an image that is about the same size for each of the five lenses but the field of view is different--wider for the 28mm and narrower for the 135mm lens--with a finder like the Altix, the image is going to get smaller as you use the different masks for the longer lenses.

Yes, exactly that is what I'm afraid of.
I just thought to get it as a not so good solution but better than nothing. The turret finders tend to go a bit to pricey for me, besides that I need only the 35, 90 and 135 mm viewers. No need for the 28 one.

Do anybody know of such a turret finder? I never will buy a 28 mm lens for my LTM or Kiev-Contax cameras.

Eugen

 

[rbiemer]

I have seen turret type finders with fewer settings. Not sure just which lenses and likely the different manufacturers made different combinations.
There are also "zoom" finders that cover--generally--35 to 135 lenses. Not sure what prices are like for those and I think most of those types offer the same image size but different FOV as the turret finders do. Not positive about that, though.
A quick search on ebay using "turret finder" as my search term turned up a bunch of different finders--most fairly pricey but you might look for one like this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Steiheil-Turret-Finder-Tower_W0QQitemZ7605510009QQihZ005QQcategoryZ29965QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247
I've seen other brands and a more thoroughsearch ought to turn up some more and less expensive options.
Rob