Canon/nikon/leica accessory viewfinders

[Jungle Jim]

Hello All !

I'm looking at getting a 135mm accessory viewfinder for my M6ttl. Do the other brands fit the flash shoe of the M6 or am I restricted on only buying a Leica viewfinder?

Any recommendations between the Canon/Nikon/Leica? Any special likes or dislikes between the brands?

Thanks very much!

 

[rbiemer]

Hello All !
I'm looking at getting a 135mm accessory viewfinder for my M6ttl. Do the other brands fit the flash shoe of the M6 or am I restricted on only buying a Leica viewfinder?
Any recommendations between the Canon/Nikon/Leica? Any special likes or dislikes between the brands?
Thanks very much!

Jim,
You are not restricted to only Leica VFs. the flash/hot/accessory shoe has been a standard size for a lot of years now and so there should be little worry about that part of your question.
But, there are different kinds(styles) of auxiliary VFs available. And that will be something you will need to think about.
I use two different VFs for my 135 lens--depending on what else I'm carrying--either a Komura brightline finder specifically made for 135mm lenses or a Russian turret( or universal) finder. Both are pretty inexpensive compared to their Leica counterparts but they work well.
The Komura finder has better parallax adjustment and is much smaller and lighter, the turret finder has a slightly better view(it is like a small telescope--the view of the 135mm field is nice and big; effectively the entire field of view.)
Rob

 

[harry01562]

As mentioned, you can use almost all the finders on your camera. The Canon 135 bright line is an excellent, bright finder. If you can find one at a good price, it will compare with almost anything else you might consider.
I don't like many of the multi-turret finders for use at 135mm. Most of them work by reducing the FOV, so you are left with a very small image to frame.
That's why my preference for the bright line type. The earlier Canon finders, in chrome, are small and squinty by comparison.

Harry

 

[Bill58]

The late, black Canon is a good one, but you'll probably have to clean it--easy w/ windex and a cotton swab (Q-tip). For all other focal lengths, the current Cosinas can't be beaten.

 

[Jungle Jim]

Thanks for all of your kind suggestions. Will start looking for a late Canon black viewfinder.

 

[dexdog]

One word of caution on the black Canon viewfinders- make sure that you get one with a manually-set parallax compensation device. Many of the late Canon finders were made to be used the automatic ball-detent feature built into the 5 and 6 series cameras.

I have a few of the Canon black brightlines, and they are almost as bright and clear as the new CV finders. In other words, really good