External Viewfinders... super important, or waste of time and money?

[PatrickCheung]

Wow a whole lot of info has been offered while I was gone packing for the day 🙂

Spavinaw, I'll totally look for one of those kodak finders! I'm also glad you mentioned the Nikon and Tewe because those seem like they're viable options to me! I wear glasses though so I'm not too sure if a Kodak finder will give me the 28mm... but I'll be sure to try one out if I can find one!

Roger, thanks for the link to your article, it was a pretty good read... especially with views from both you and Frances 🙂 Maybe Hillary and I can start something like that!

If anyone else has info about finders (especiall zoom/varifocal finders), their preferences, and interests, I'd love to hear them!

 

[Keith]

For me they are a way of avoiding the current trend of composing entirely with an LCD with these modern mirrorless cameras ... not all of them obviously.

Both of my DPMs have accesory finders mounted permanently.

 

[philcycles]

Hey RFF!

So I've never been one to consider an external viewfinder... I've never even used one! I started off my rangefinder saga with an M3 and a 35mm lens... I guessed framing and got comfortable with it, so I figured "pssshtt! Viewfinder shmiewfinder!"

But then the lenses started getting wider and a few bodies got switched around. I used to use a 28mm on my M5 and was perfectly happy.... but then I donated the M5 (it was a gift to me, and when I had enough to buy my own camera I passed it on to another friend in need) and replaced it with a CL and a Nikon S2... both of which have no 28mm framelines! I also shoot an M8, but the viewfinder on the M8 is probably the least reliable of the cameras I own.

Then I got a J12 35mm for my S2 and a VC 15mm for my M bodies! AND I have to worry about cropping for digital!

I'm happy with guessing 35mm, but 28mm behaves a little differently... it's wider, the compression effect is larger (at least to my eyes). 15mm is a crap shoot. It was the 15mm that made me consider viewfinders.

I've decided to acquire a viewfinder for the 15mm (I was told the VC 21mm finder is just the 15mm one with framelines... can be used on digital and film), but I'm wondering if the 28mm and 35mm ones are worth it. I've got a whole bunch of questions...

What's the difference between a Nikon, Canon, Leica, or even FED/Zorki viewfinder?

And what about a turret finder? It seems like the Zorki/Kiev ones would work for both my 28mm and 35mm needs... but are they accurate? And does it matter which side it leans to?

Will a viewfinder made for LTM work for M?!?

My biggest concern is innaccurate framing, something I absolutely hate about the M8. I don't want to spend $100+ on a viewfinder and have misframed photos! I don't really know what to do, maybe this is just viewfinder GAS, or maybe this could benefit me alot! I don't know!

Thanks for all the advice!
Patrick

The entire viewfinder on an M3 is very close to a 35mm frame so shoot away.
I like external viewfinders. I use Leitz finders and like them a lot. I also have a Nikon zoom finder that's nice but not as bright as the Leitz.

 

[telenous]

My biggest concern is innaccurate framing, something I absolutely hate about the M8. I don't want to spend $100+ on a viewfinder and have misframed photos! I don't really know what to do, maybe this is just viewfinder GAS, or maybe this could benefit me alot! I don't know!

Thanks for all the advice!
Patrick

Bear in mind different manufacturers make their viewfinders for the specifications of the camera bodies they make. (There are exceptions.) I've used the Leica 21 (12008), Voigtlander 28 and Voigtlander 40, and in my experience the 21 and 40 were very accurate (and for this reason I found them indispensable), but the 28 less so. Apparently the Leica 21 and the Voigtlander 40 (the 40 being the only Voigtlander made specifically for use on M cameras) have an offset foot that corrects for inaccuracies introduced by the position of the flash shoe on a Leica M.

Links with discussions on this topic you may find useful:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=79597

http://nemeng.com/leica/027ba.shtml (see in particular the section near the bottom 'Framing accuracy - generally)

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/customer-forum/168679-21mm-viewfinder-leica-zeiss-3.html

.

 

[Godfrey]

...My biggest concern is innaccurate framing, something I absolutely hate about the M8. I don't want to spend $100+ on a viewfinder and have misframed photos! ...

Hi Patrick,

Frankly, if accurate framing is your thing, RF cameras are not the greatest tools. Framelines and external optical finders can be pretty good, but they're all always approximate. I've been happy enough with the M9's framing accuracy, and with the external viewfinders, but when I want accurate framing I pick a 100% coverage SLR or a TTL-electronic camera ... which are the most accurate tools for framing with any lens. This is one of the advantages to the new M, which has both the rangefinder and Live View.

G

 

[Rob-F]

I used to use a 28mm on my M5 and was perfectly happy.... but then I donated the M5 (it was a gift to me, and when I had enough to buy my own camera I passed it on to another friend in need) and replaced it with a CL and a Nikon S2... both of which have no 28mm framelines!

Funny, the M5 has no 28mm framelines, either.

 

[rbsinto]

"Everybody does what they do."
RBSinTo's Law

Me? With rangefinders, I almost always use the 21 and 25mm external finders for critical composition, but if guessing works for you, who am I to tell you to do otherwise?

 

[Gary Sandhu]

The 50mm 1:1 leica viewfinder (Vboom or something or other) is amazing: with both eyes open its as if magic frame likes are floating in real space.

 

[Vickko]

SBOOI, the 5cm finder. It is the best of the breed. Other than the SBOOI, I find the Leica brightline finders large.

Cosina made an identical finder, but I think they've been discontinued for a while.

Nikon RF has brightline finders too, and they are the only ones that I have found that match the Leica quality and performance (and exceed Leica prices due to rarity).

I see that Zeiss makes brightline finders too, but they are as expensive as Leica.

The 50mm 1:1 leica viewfinder (Vboom or something or other) is amazing: with both eyes open its as if magic frame likes are floating in real space.

 

[cz23]

For me they are a way of avoiding the current trend of composing entirely with an LCD with these modern mirrorless cameras ... not all of them obviously.

Both of my DPMs have accesory finders mounted permanently.

I'm torn on this point. I've grown to value LCD framing. Mainly because I'm quite tall and shoot in close with a 28mm. I can hold the camera at chest or even waist height and avoid perspective issues. But even good LCDs are a poor way to judge anything but rough framing. Gestures, expressions, and other subtle details are pretty much a chance undertaking.

So now I often frame through the LCD, and then watch the subject without looking at the camera. But I agree that it's hard to beat a good optical finder for really seeing the subject.

John