Guess: Which camera has the brightest viewfinder?

[sevo]

Talking about SMALL viewfinders: If you call the finder of the Epic tiny, you have never looked through the finder of a Leica Minilux...😀

Or a Leica II/III, or indeed most cameras of that vintage. Finders are tiny telescopes, where size must always be put in a relation to the magnification and FOV.

Sevo

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

I voted Accessory Finder. I think/hope the Ikon will test well.

I wish you had a Rollei 35 to measure. I have an old (defective) 35B, and i've always marveled at its finder. It's like a window. I wish there had been a Minilux/CM with a view like that.

 

[MRohlfing]

Or a Leica II/III, or indeed most cameras of that vintage.

Maybe Leica wanted to invoke that "vintage feeling" by combining a vintage viewfinder and a modern camera of the 1990's?? 😕

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

based on the list, it'll be the CV 25mm viewfinder

 

[ferider]

It will be nice to know the outcome.

However, I would be more interested in patch contrast than viewfinder brightness. Because that has been the limiting factor for me ....

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[Arvay]

The most strange poll I've seen here...

 

[Chris101]

Has it been 3 days yet?

 

[MRohlfing]

The most strange poll I've seen here...

Wait, wait....

This is my first poll... I will try to think out even stranger polls 😀

By the way, I do not think this poll is stranger than a lot of the others - just look at the titles!

 

[MRohlfing]

However, I would be more interested in patch contrast than viewfinder brightness.

Yes, that would indeed be very interesting. But I have no idea how I could measure this. I guess, this would need some special equipment?

Well, I could try to measure the brightness of the patch and compare it to the surrounding area. But is that all we need? Very much the focusing depends on how clearly the two overlaying pictures are distinguishable within the patch. Can this be measured?

Is it really enough to darken the viewfinder, thus making the patch better visible, to make focusing easier? (Ruben, help me!)

And then, for a great viewfinder, it has to be taken into account whether the patch flares under certain lighting conditions and makes focusing impossible (e.g. Bessa does, Leica M2 does not).

 

[ferider]

How about measuring first with the patch and framelines, and 2nd by taking both out (with masking tape) ? The difference would be the contrast.

I used to love my Bessa R3a, that does have a brighter viewfinder than the typical M. But in restaurants and such, when it's dark, I can not focus the Bessa anymore. No problem with the M though ...

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

The most strange poll I've seen here...

They get stranger each week!, It's surprising - how much spare time some folks have! 🙄

 

[MRohlfing]

Has it been 3 days yet?

Still more than a day!

You can see it above the poll:
"This poll will close on 03-18-2009 at 22:40" (which is middle european time)

 

[Arvay]

Wait, wait....

This is my first poll... I will try to think out even stranger polls 😀

By the way, I do not think this poll is stranger than a lot of the others - just look at the titles!

It's like a "what kind of picture seen do you like best:

- when you are in peep-show
- when you are looking into spyhole of your door
- when you are looking into the keyhole
- when you are looking into the Leica viewfinder M for 18 mm"

😕
How do you suppose people should compare uncomparable things?

 

[aizan]

doh, can i change my answer to the accessory viewfinder?

 

[MRohlfing]

How about measuring first with the patch and framelines, and 2nd by taking both out (with masking tape) ? The difference would be the contrast.

I will try, as soon as this poll is finished!

 

[MRohlfing]

- when you are in peep-show
- when you are looking into spyhole of your door
- when you are looking into the keyhole
- when you are looking into the Leica viewfinder M for 18 mm

The answer would be clear for me - I would take option 1 and option 4....

.... and take my Leica to the peepshow 😀

 

[aad]

I have several CV accessory finders. I can't imagine a camera finder being brighter.

 

[ChrisN]

The answer would be clear for me - I would take option 1 and option 4....

.... and take my Leica to the peepshow 😀

I haven't handled an Ikon, but I do have a Nikonos IV-A.

And I have owned a CV 25mm accessory finder. That's my vote.

 

[Sam N]

I just tried the ZI, R3A, and Voigtlander 25mm finder side by side.

Obviously, the finder is far brighter. The ZI noticeably brighter than the R3a. I'm talking about the area outside of the RF patch on the cameras.

This is a silly question since accessory finders don't have focusing patches.

 

[januaryman]

Are we there yet? 😀