Best Canon body to use with 35mm lenses.

[Photon-hunter]

What, in your opinion, would be the best canon body to use with a 35 mm lens and accurately focus very fast 50mm lenses? (we are talking viewfinder here...). Can I assume that using a 40mm lens with the 35 framelines should give pretty accurate results?

While I am at it, where could I find information regarding viewfinder magnification and EBL for the different Canon bodies?

Thanks in adavance for your kind replies.

Regards, E.

 

[photobizzz]

I sent you some info via email.

 

[Bingley]

This is a v. interesting question, and I'm interested in other responses. I will say that the Canon 7 has great, easy-to-see framelines for 35mm.

 

[Photon-hunter]

I sent you some info via email.

Thanks for the info photobizzz. You have PM.

will say that the Canon 7 has great, easy-to-see framelines for 35mm.

Bingley, corect me if I am wrong (never hadled any of the Canon bodies), the 7 has a 1x magnification for 35 lenses? Does it have all the framelines shown somultaneously or do you change them manually?

Between the P and the 7 (I think I would narrow my choice to those two), which one should be better to focus?

I am stillm most interested in getting info regarding magnification and EBL meassures.

Thanks.

E.

 

[Didier]

What, in your opinion, would be the best canon body to use with a 35 mm lens and accurately focus very fast 50mm lenses?.

The Canon VT and VT DeLuxe, definitely.

This model has a 3 position viewfinder with three rotating prisms showing 3 different finder magnifications. One 50mm, one 35mm, once close-up/strongly magnified (don't know the factor) for accurate focusing fast lenses wide open (might also be used for approximately 135mm framing). This camera was explicitely conceived to handle the fast 50/1.2 and 35/1.5 Canon LTM lenses. Another ingenious feature is the parallax correction for external finders, something Leica, Nikon, Contax and Voigtlander never managed to implement. Another nice feature is the inbuilt rapid winder.
Didier

 

[mjflory]

I find the Canon 7 very comfortable with a 35mm lens, though the 35mm framelines are almost too far out toward the edges for me. (I wear glasses.) The viewfinder magnification is less than 1:1. Several sites say it's .8, but subjectively it seems a little more than that, more like .9. It's a nice finder, in any case.

The framelines are selected using a dial on the top of the camera: 35 or 50 or 85+100 or 135. They are bright and the frameline is labeled in the viewfinder.

Here and here are a couple of additional threads dealing with the 7.

 

[Bingley]

Bingley, corect me if I am wrong (never hadled any of the Canon bodies), the 7 has a 1x magnification for 35 lenses? Does it have all the framelines shown somultaneously or do you change them manually?

Between the P and the 7 (I think I would narrow my choice to those two), which one should be better to focus?

I am stillm most interested in getting info regarding magnification and EBL meassures.

Thanks.

E.

E -- The Canon 7 rangefinder magnification is .85, and (as mjflory pointed out) you switch framelines by rotating a dial on the top plate, The 7 has framelines for 35, 50, 85/100 (combined), and 135. These are projected framelines that are easy to see. I wear glasses, and have no trouble using the 35mm framelines on the 7.

The P, in contrast, has framelines for 35, 50 and 100 visible all the time, and has 1:1 viewfinder magnification, which makes it easier to shoot w/ both eyes open. The 35mm framelines are way out on edge of the viewfinder, however, and I find them more difficult to see while wearing glasses. Nevertheless, it's possible to make do, b/c the P is such a nice camera in other respects. It's a wonderful camera to use w/ a 50 or 100mm lens, and is somewhat more compact than the 7, although it's still a solid, sturdy camera.

I don't know the ebl's for the P and 7, but my impression is that they are longer than on a bessa r -- more likely they're closer to Leica M. You should have no trouble focusing a fast lens wide open; the fabled 50/.95 canon lens was designed for the 7, and canon made other fast 50s (f1.2, 1.4, 1.5) which are still marvelous lenses for low light shooting today on either the P or the 7. If you're primarily interested in 35mm, there shouldn't be any problem.

Which is easier to focus? That may depend on sample condition. Also, the rangefinder patch on the P and the 7 is not as sharply defined as on a Leica M2, say. That said, I've found both cameras easy to focus; framing w/ the 35mm lens is somewhat easier on the 7 b/c the framelines are easier to see.

 

[JTK]

The main drawbacks to 7 Vs P are:

1) 7 meter is either dead and not repairable or soon will be dead and that selenium meter probably isn't what you want anyway.

2) 7 is bigger than P.

The main drawbacks to CV Vs P are:

1) CV has shorter rangefinder base (better finder othewise)

2) CV is vastly more bulky.

3) CV isn't as rugged as a P.

4) CV has a meter, will get in the way of learning to guess exposures 😉 ...and it's not an incident meter (with dome), which would make more sense for people pics.

 

[Bingley]

JTK --

I largely agree w/ your comments, but I'm puzzled by your point that the "CV is vastly more bulky" than a Canon P." I assume you're refering to "Cosina Voigtlander." The Bessa R and variants R[2,3,4] are not bulkier than a Canon P; in fact, the P is slightly larger than either the Bessa R or the R4m, and, for that matter, the Leica Ms (other than M5). The attached shot, from the "Cameras and Beer" thread, shows a Canon P (on the far right, next to the Pilsner) next to Bessa R, R4m, M2, and M4. The P has a slightly larger body (it's a little wider and taller) than the other camera bodies, although it's not a large camera as rangefinders go.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=766796#post766796