Framelines in the ZI

[froyd]

I cannot find anywhere a picture of the framlines in the ZI viewfinder.

Is it correct that the 28 and 85 are displayed together, and the 35 and 50 are stand alone?

Is the 50 still a decent size for composing vs an M2, M4, or Bessa 50 VF frame?

Do 90mm lenses work well with the 85mm frame lines? Are those frame lines too small to use regularly? My definition of too small are the 135mm framelines on 0.72 Leica Ms. OK ina pinch, but would buy a magnifier or an M3 for regular use.

 

[kxl]

yes on the framelines - 28/85, 35 on its own, 50 on its own

yes, 50 has more than enough area to compose (esp. with the ZI's bright VF)

yes, 90 works well with the 85 framelines, as long as you don't compose to the edge of the framelines, esp at min. distances.

 

[white.elephant]

How hard are the 28 frame lines to see with glasses? Anyone comment?

 

[Joakim Målare]

How hard are the 28 frame lines to see with glasses? Anyone comment?

Hard. Most likely not possible.

 

[Archlich]

My experience is the 28mm frame line is hard to see with glasses, but still way much better than the .72 Leicas'. A .58 Leica is only marginally better - quite a feat for the ZI consider its finder is a .74.

 

[froyd]

Kinda like 35 frame lines on a .85 VF, if you have ever seen that. Not a lot of room around the corners and kinda spread wide apart so it's hard to see them all at once.

 

[Pioneer]

I wear glasses and I use the ZI. I shoot the 28 but I cannot see the framelines all at the same time. I never worry about it too much because I have never noticed that any rangefinder's framelines are terribly accurate anyway. My Nikon F and my Pentax K5iis are the only two cameras I own with 100% viewfinders and even those aren't dead on when I wear glasses. As long as everything I want is visible I figure I can crop what I may not want anyway.

 

[kossi008]

I use the ZI and wear glasses. To me, the 28 mm framelines are also not visible simultaneously, but almost.

I tried a friend's M7 with the .72 finder, and found the 28 mm lines there impossible to use, while the 35 mm lines were just as visible as the 28 mm lines on the ZI...

 

[mfogiel]

For 28mm frames to be well visible for a glass wearer, you need a Bessa R4x. Then comes the Leica 0.58x - which is ok, but has little relief, then the ZI, which I would rate well usable.

 

[Archlich]

Don't forget the CLE (.58, better relief than the Leicas) and the Hexar RF (.6)!

 

[white.elephant]

I'm considering a new RF for use with a 28mm lens and my glasses, and you guys are saying, if I could summarize...

Best Bessa R4
Next best Leica .58
Next Best ZI

And the Leica is only slightly better than the ZI. I own a R2a, used it for years, but always have a hankering to try the ZI, and was leaning that way over the .58 Leica.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Regarding visibility of the 28mm frame line, the Leica 0.58 is marginally better than the Zeiss Ikon, but not by much because the Zeiss Ikon's finder eye piece is huge compared to a Leica eye piece.

Zeiss Ikon eye piece on the left, Leica eye piece on the right:

 

[white.elephant]

Gonna get me an Ikon. Anyone have a black one they're interested in parting with?