Best M body for 75mm?

[macmx]

Hi everyone,

I have had my MP a la carte since 2007. I ordered it without 75mm framelines, so I could have a completely unobstructed viewfinder when shooting on a 50mm, my 50 Lux is on the camera almost 95% of the time. Today, I regret that I did not order it with the 0.85x viewfinder.

In the past few years, I have become increasingly fond of short tele lenses when shooting medium format (approx 75mm equivalents), and I want to get an M body to accommodate a 75mm lens, and sometimes a 90. I rarely shoot wider than a 50, so I would really love a 0.85x viewfinder.

Does anyone have suggestions what body I should be looking at?

It seems to me that a 0.85x M6 would be the best option, or perhaps a 0.85x MP, if I can find one, but I would love to hear any other suggestions?
I am assuming that: it would be impossible to get the viewfinder on any a 0.72x body upgraded to 0.85x today; it would be impossible to add 75mm framelines to my M3?

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Freakscene]

Any M with a 0.85 finder and no 50mm frame lines is the best M body for film for a 75mm lens.

 

[Harry the K]

The magnification loupe 1,25x works quite well for me. I don´t use it very often, but with a 75 or 90mm lens the vf frames look much more usable. So any .72 finder could do.

 

[Rob-F]

The magnification loupe 1,25x works quite well for me. I don´t use it very often, but with a 75 or 90mm lens the vf frames look much more usable. So any .72 finder could do.

It's just that the 75mm framelines have evidently been removed from the O.P.'s MP, so they will framelines. If those were available, then the higher magnification would certainly be a benefit with 75mm lens (though not essential for a 75/2).

I believe it may be possible to restore the 75mm frame lines, though, if the O.P. wishes to have it done. Sherry Krauter or DAG might be helpful.

 

[Harry the K]

It's just that the 75mm framelines have evidently been removed from the O.P.'s MP, so they will framelines. If those were available, then the higher magnification would certainly be a benefit with 75mm lens (though not essential for a 75/2).

I believe it may be possible to restore the 75mm frame lines, though, if the O.P. wishes to have it done. Sherry Krauter or DAG might be helpful.

macmx is open to different solutions for his vf- problem. If it should be another M-body, the .85 option is more expensive than an "ordinary" .72 body.
I own an M3, an MP.85 and an MP.72. The loupe lifts the .72- vf up to the other vfs. For me it is not the added focussing precision of the bigger magnification which is important, but the bigger field of view.
I also believe that it is possible to add the 75mm framelines to the existing vf.

After more than half a year, may I ask how the O.P. decided?

 

[jaredangle]

Not sure if my response is appropriate because it’s not a Leica body, but the Voigtländer R3A/R3M has very nice 75mm framelines. The rangefinder base length is less than the M6 or MP, but I find that getting reliable focus on a 50mm f/1.1 at full aperture is easily achievable as long as the rangefinder is properly calibrated, so many 75mm lenses with moderate apertures should work well too. I’d be skeptical about the 75mm Noctilux and perhaps the f/1.4 offerings from Leica/Voigtlander/Thypoch, but getting sharp focus with the 75mm Summicron or Summarit should be no problem.

 

[Godfrey]

The M6TTL 0.85x seems near perfect for use with 50 and 75mm lenses.

G