diopter Canon P viewfinder

[djon]

Canon P viewfinder bright lines would be fine for 35mm lenses IF I didn't wear glasses...but I need heavy corrected glasses...so....

Where can I get diopter lenses for a pair of lovely Ps?

I'd have laser surgery except I don't want my eyes falling into bits after a few years... 🙄

 

[back alley]

i've never seen or heard of any made.

i'm curious to see if anyone has an answer also.

joe

 

[John Shriver]

Oh, Canon made them, they're in the P service manual. The entire eyepiece exchanges, including the black surround.

The standard one (diopter unspecified) was part number C9199. The +1.5 diopter one was C9220. The -1 diopter one was C9221. The -2.5 diopter one was C9222.

Fat chance of Canon having any in stock. But maybe some the repair experts (Sherry or DAG) do?

Same thing applies to the VI-T and VI-L. There the rear eyepiece lens unscrews from the rear of the camera. The standard one (diopter unspecified) was part number C9139. The +1.5 diopter one wais C9215. The -2.5 diopter one was C9216. The -3.5 diopter one was C9217. The 0 diopter one was C9218.

Someone with these cameras and an SLR could figure out what the native diopter is, by focusing a telephoto lens through the eyepiece, and reporting the focus distance to the "infinity" virtual image in meters.

So, I suppose one approach is to try cameras until you find a camera that's already had the diopter you need installed? But that's mighty slow. A good optometrist should be able to read the focal length of the eyepeice lens, and have a lens of the right length made for you. Then it's a matter of filing the (presumably plastic) lens to the right shape to mount it with the little screw on the back of the P.

 

[back alley]

wearing my glasses seems much easier.
besides they're already scratched in the right places.

joe

 

[djon]

The problem with glasses is that they prevent appreciation of the best in the viewfinder's design...

John, thanks for your suggestions...all I need to do is find out if a local one-hour optometrist ever has fun with his techology 🙂

 

[ChrisN]

I asked my optometrist about making a stronger diopter lens to replace the one inside my Mir (Zorki 4). He has a machine that can read the strength of the existing lens, but the machinery that grinds the basic lenses to shape to fit the frames can only work down to a certain size and shape, about twice the size of the lens I need. If you can find someone that still grinds lenses to shape manually, you might have a chance.

 

[back alley]

i'm lucky in that i can still shoot with my glasses off. i can view and focus just fine but i can't see the settings on the camera.
so, if i want to view more of the finder image with my 35 on the camera i just stick my glasses somewhere and shoot till i need to change settings.

joe

 

[djon]

Chris, one might have a local lens grinder make a conventional oversized plastic lens...then take it home and cut it to size with one's mighty Dremel.

OTOH...BETTER IDEA... :angel: Cheapie drugstore "reading glasses"plastic lens cut to size for the Canon might do the trick...reading glasses only cost a few $$ and they come in various specified diopters...like 1.5, 2, etc. Tiny money risk, I've never tried cutting this kind of plastic with my Dremel, but there's not much to lose.... 😉

.... FAR better idea: maybe I could cut slices out of my old prescription lenses..... 😀

 

[back alley]

i use tri focals, that could be tricky for me.

but i like the reading glasses idea.

joe

 

[djon]

...just a test: removing the rear window and pressing an old precription lens against it doesn't produce a better image than does simply wearing glasses..no surprise...guess that means a diopter is necessary...gotta' check the Walgreens racks!

 

[back alley]

keep us posted.
and maybe a few digi pics along the way...

joe

 

[djon]

Joe..just got back from a little cruise to CA and back to NM...I'm processing some Neopan and will probably post something here. Got some decent color negs and chromes too. We'll see. The hardest part is figuring out how to post!

John (sometimes Djon)

 

[back alley]

cool, but i was meaning pics of the glasses to camera diopter process.

i'm a total klutz when it comes to being handy and pics help if i can see the process.

joe

 

[ChrisN]

John - I'm like Joe, multi-focals, but I'm basically shortsighted, so the cheapie reading glasses won't do it for me. It sounds like you might be on the right track, though for folks who are mostly far-sighted.

Be careful with the ground glass and the Dremel - I've heard that ground glass is nasty stuff.

 

[djon]

Chris, I'm near sighted...if I can make/find a diopter lens I'll have to lift my glasses out of the way to shoot.

I do wear bifocals...the distance-viewing correction is my photographic correction...the close-viewing/reading correction is no good for shooting. You raise a good point...maybe the diopter will only be useful for close photos...I'll have to wander down to the pharmacy and play with some of their reading glasses....maybe this is a lost cause...

The cheapie reading glasses have plastic lenses...Dremel's problem will have to do with melting plastic.

 

[djon]

Mr Hound (?), that's a good hole saw suggestion, but the viewfinder window in the P is rectangular, not circular (not like the L1, for example)...I think the challenge is going to be to hold the Dremel and the lens in solid relationship, like a table saw would. I happen to have a primative wooden table-saw-sorta' jig for the Dremel (an othewise goofy Ebay $15).