The incredible V-, VI-series Canon rangefinder 35s:
How Canon crushed Leica with the coolest accessory viewfinder system ever!
By Jason Schneider
The great Leica vs. Nikon vs. Canon rangefinder battle of the ‘50s still reverberates with a lot of passion, along with a momentous amount of malarkey. Nobody disputes the fact that both Nikon and Canon emerged from the ashes of World War II fiercely determined to create high quality 35mm rangefinder cameras to challenge the Leica and Zeiss Contax on the world market. Favorable reviews by Life Magazine photographers gave Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses an early boost, and Canon followed up with the landmark Canon IIB, sporting an ingenious 3-magnification range/viewfinder, which evolved into the hugely successful Canon IVSB introduced in 1952. Then, at Photokina 1954, Leica lowered the boom, shocking the camera world by bringing forth the groundbreaking Leica M3, with a multi-frame parallax-compensating viewfinder, an M bayonet lens mount, a film wind lever, a hinged back, and much more. The engineers at Nikon and Canon were stunned, but to their credit, within 2 years both companies came out with new models designed to compete with the Wetzlar Wunderkind and its successors. Both Nikon and Canon steadily developed their elite rangefinder 35s eventually coming out with models including the Nikon SP of 1957-1960, the Canon 7 (1961-1964) and Canon 7s (1965-1967), all of which had muti-frame camera viewfinders with true projected parallax compensating frame lines that rivaled the Leica M4’s.
Canon VT Deluxe (VTD) showing parallax-compensating pin in accessory shoe that tilted accessory viewfinders as you focused. Brilliant!
For all their conceptual brilliance, technological audacity, and exquisite craftsmanship, no Nikon or Canon rangefinder camera ever equaled the Leica M in terms of its seamlessly integrated functionality, mainly because neither one ever had a modern (fixed, wide diameter) bayonet lens mount. Nikon wisely ditched the complex less reliable vertical roller blind shutter used in the Contax and employed a Leica-style horizontal-travel focal plane shutter (mostly silk cloth, later titanium foil) in all their S-series rangefinder cameras. However, they stuck with a Contax-derived bayonet lens mount, which relies on a focusing helical built into the body. Canon famously soldiered on with the 39mm LTM screw mount, the same one used on all II- and III-series Leicas from 1931 to 1960, eventually adding a supplementary external bayonet to stabilize long teles. As a result, no Nikon or Canon rangefinder camera ever provided auto-indexing frame lines that come into view as you mount a lens. And obviously only the Leica M has a front-mounted spring-loaded frame line preview lever, a convenience lacking on the Nikon or Canin, which require that you turn a ring to change viewfinder frame lines.
The apotheosis of rangefinder Canon's? Many consider this lever wind Canon VI-L with projected parallax-compensating viewfinder frame lines the best of the breed. Canon's superb VI series was the last to include Canon's ingenious parallax-compensating accessory viewfinder system.
The Leica M cameras also score on their super bright, crisply defined rectangular rangefinder patches, which allow you to use the more accurate split-image focusing technique, especially with subjects having distinct vertical lines. Canon mostly used the classic round rangefinder patch, switching to rectangular in the 7-series, and Nikon used a rectangular patch ( \square in earlier models like the Nikon S), but in neither case was the focusing patch as crisply delineated as the one in M-series Leicas. Another plus point for the Leica M is its sleek rounded-ends form factor which Leica aficionados toout as more ergonomic and hand-holdable. I concede that the Leica’s rounded form is esthetically pleasing, but I have never had a problem comfortable hand-holding my vintage rangefinder Canons or Nikons, though I’ve never been a fan of the Nikon’s milled wheel focusing system inherited from the Contax.
Nikon took up the challenge posed by the Leica M3 by bringing forth the Nikon S2 in record time –it was announced in December 1954 and over 56,000 were produced by the end of production in June, 1958, making it the highest production Nikon S-series camera ever. It had a bigger, brighter life size (1.0x) range/viewfinder with a fixed reflected 50mm bright frame line, a single stroke lever wind and folding crank rewind, a standard PC sync terminal with X sync, shutter speeds upped to 1-1/000 sec plus B and T, a totally revised, upgraded shutter mechanism, and, glory be, a standard 24 x 36mm format (its predecessor the Nikon S was 24 x 34mm!). The Nikon S2 is a timeless minimalist classic, a shooter’s delight, and my personal favorite rangefinder Nikon, but it is technically and functionally not in the same league as the mighty Leica M3.
Page from Canon VT Deluxe (VTD) manual showing how to the use shoe-based parallax compensation system with an accessory Zoomfinder.
Canon‘s initial “response” to the Leica M3 was, ironically, easing into production just as the Leica M3 was announced. The Canon IVSB2, unveiled in July 1954 and produced until July 1956, was, in the words of Canon guru Peter Dechert, “surely… the finest bottom- loading 35mm rangefinder camera anyone has ever built.” It had an improved shutter mechanism with slow speed dial split at 1/30 sec, modern geometric speed sequence (a feature not available on the original M3!), speeds to 1/1000 sec with X sync at about 1/45 sec, and provision for setting fast speeds with the shutter cocked or un-cocked. It also featured a larger eyepiece for Canon’s signature 3-mode finder, and provision for fitting a rapid wind baseplate. It took another year for Canon to offer the Canon VT, its first real competitor to the all-conquering Leica M3, and it incorporated one ingenious feature Leica never equaled.
Illustration from the Canon VT Deluxe (VTD) manual showing camera components. Parallax-adjusting pin in shoe is callout number 26.
The landmark Canon VT of April 1956 to February 1957 sure looks like a revolutionary design, but it’s essentially a Canon IVS2B with an enlarged, upgraded version of Canon’s signature 3-mode finder, a PC outlet in place if the funky side flash rail, a hinged back for easier loading, and a trigger wind baseplate. The click-stopped viewfinder lever can be set to provide a minified view or the 35mm field, a 0.7x view of the 50mm field, or a 150% view if the rangefinder for more accurate focusing. No bright frames or parallax correction were built in, but Canon devised a devilishly clever alternative that nether Leica nor Nikon ever offered, namely a small domed pin at the front of the accessory shoe that rises and falls as the lens is focused, thereby tilting any mounted Canon V-type accessory viewfinder to provide automatic parallax compensation. Wow! This automatic parallax-correcting viewfinder pin coupling remained a standard feature in all subsequent Canon rangefinder cameras, including the Canon L1, L2, VT DELUXE, DELUXE VTDZ, and VTDM, Canon VL and VL2, Canon VI-L and VI-T. It was deleted on the broad-spectrum Canon P (which had fixed reflected frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, and 100mm lenses) and the Canon 7, 7s, and 7sZ, all of which had user-selected projected parallax-compensating frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, 85/100 mm and 135mm focal lengths.
Canon Universal Zoomfinder S for 35-50mm lenses. An adapter (not shown) allows it to work with 21-28mm lenses.
Canon Lumi-Field 100mm viewfinder had reflected bright line frame. These were produced in final lengths from 50mm to 135mm.
Canon offered an incredible range of shoe-mount accessory viewfinders for Canon rangefinder cameras—more than Nikon or even Leica. Single focal length versions from 21mm to 135mm with the right linkage for auto parallax compensation are generally available. Those with built in parallax adjusters, or predating Canon’s parallax compensating hot shoe can usually be made work with Canon’s tilting hot shoe when set to infinity. Canon also offered a variety of zoom finders covering lenses from 35-135mm, multi-lens shoe-mount turret-type viewfinders covering lenses from 35-135mm, and a remarkable Twin Turret Varifocal Viewfinder that covers focal lengths from 21mm to 135mm!
Canon's ingeniousd Twin-Turret Varifocal Viewfinder covers focal lengths from 21-135mm!
Accessories page from Canon VT Deluxe (VTD) manual shows Universal Zoom Finder that was available in S (short focal length range) and L (long focal length range) versions and individual Lumi-Field viewfinders that came in 50mm, 85mm, 100mm, and 135mm focal lengths
All provide auto parallax compensation with the previously mentioned shoe-mount finders when mounted on the crowning glory of Canon’s rangefinder cameras, those beginning with the Canon VT and concluding with the glorious Canon VI-T and VI-L both of which had top-mounted single shutter speed dials and bright parallax-compensating projected finder frame lines for 50mm and 100mm lenses. Incidentally, Canon also made a series of black viewfinders with the necessary linkage in 25, 28, 35, 50, 85, 100, and 135 focal lengths. The 50 and longer focal lengths had bright line frames. There were also two universal zoom finders, one for wide angles, the other for telephotos. While using any auxiliary viewfinder mean that viewing and focusing become separate operations, many photographers prefer the quality of the view through separate finders, which is often a tad brighter and clearer than what you see through the camera’s built-in finder. The choice is yours, but one thing is crystal clear: Canon’s brilliant automatic parallax-compensating, shoe-mount auxiliary finder system is the best one ever offered on any 35mm rangefinder camera..
How Canon crushed Leica with the coolest accessory viewfinder system ever!
By Jason Schneider
The great Leica vs. Nikon vs. Canon rangefinder battle of the ‘50s still reverberates with a lot of passion, along with a momentous amount of malarkey. Nobody disputes the fact that both Nikon and Canon emerged from the ashes of World War II fiercely determined to create high quality 35mm rangefinder cameras to challenge the Leica and Zeiss Contax on the world market. Favorable reviews by Life Magazine photographers gave Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses an early boost, and Canon followed up with the landmark Canon IIB, sporting an ingenious 3-magnification range/viewfinder, which evolved into the hugely successful Canon IVSB introduced in 1952. Then, at Photokina 1954, Leica lowered the boom, shocking the camera world by bringing forth the groundbreaking Leica M3, with a multi-frame parallax-compensating viewfinder, an M bayonet lens mount, a film wind lever, a hinged back, and much more. The engineers at Nikon and Canon were stunned, but to their credit, within 2 years both companies came out with new models designed to compete with the Wetzlar Wunderkind and its successors. Both Nikon and Canon steadily developed their elite rangefinder 35s eventually coming out with models including the Nikon SP of 1957-1960, the Canon 7 (1961-1964) and Canon 7s (1965-1967), all of which had muti-frame camera viewfinders with true projected parallax compensating frame lines that rivaled the Leica M4’s.
Canon VT Deluxe (VTD) showing parallax-compensating pin in accessory shoe that tilted accessory viewfinders as you focused. Brilliant!
For all their conceptual brilliance, technological audacity, and exquisite craftsmanship, no Nikon or Canon rangefinder camera ever equaled the Leica M in terms of its seamlessly integrated functionality, mainly because neither one ever had a modern (fixed, wide diameter) bayonet lens mount. Nikon wisely ditched the complex less reliable vertical roller blind shutter used in the Contax and employed a Leica-style horizontal-travel focal plane shutter (mostly silk cloth, later titanium foil) in all their S-series rangefinder cameras. However, they stuck with a Contax-derived bayonet lens mount, which relies on a focusing helical built into the body. Canon famously soldiered on with the 39mm LTM screw mount, the same one used on all II- and III-series Leicas from 1931 to 1960, eventually adding a supplementary external bayonet to stabilize long teles. As a result, no Nikon or Canon rangefinder camera ever provided auto-indexing frame lines that come into view as you mount a lens. And obviously only the Leica M has a front-mounted spring-loaded frame line preview lever, a convenience lacking on the Nikon or Canin, which require that you turn a ring to change viewfinder frame lines.
The apotheosis of rangefinder Canon's? Many consider this lever wind Canon VI-L with projected parallax-compensating viewfinder frame lines the best of the breed. Canon's superb VI series was the last to include Canon's ingenious parallax-compensating accessory viewfinder system.
The Leica M cameras also score on their super bright, crisply defined rectangular rangefinder patches, which allow you to use the more accurate split-image focusing technique, especially with subjects having distinct vertical lines. Canon mostly used the classic round rangefinder patch, switching to rectangular in the 7-series, and Nikon used a rectangular patch ( \square in earlier models like the Nikon S), but in neither case was the focusing patch as crisply delineated as the one in M-series Leicas. Another plus point for the Leica M is its sleek rounded-ends form factor which Leica aficionados toout as more ergonomic and hand-holdable. I concede that the Leica’s rounded form is esthetically pleasing, but I have never had a problem comfortable hand-holding my vintage rangefinder Canons or Nikons, though I’ve never been a fan of the Nikon’s milled wheel focusing system inherited from the Contax.
Nikon took up the challenge posed by the Leica M3 by bringing forth the Nikon S2 in record time –it was announced in December 1954 and over 56,000 were produced by the end of production in June, 1958, making it the highest production Nikon S-series camera ever. It had a bigger, brighter life size (1.0x) range/viewfinder with a fixed reflected 50mm bright frame line, a single stroke lever wind and folding crank rewind, a standard PC sync terminal with X sync, shutter speeds upped to 1-1/000 sec plus B and T, a totally revised, upgraded shutter mechanism, and, glory be, a standard 24 x 36mm format (its predecessor the Nikon S was 24 x 34mm!). The Nikon S2 is a timeless minimalist classic, a shooter’s delight, and my personal favorite rangefinder Nikon, but it is technically and functionally not in the same league as the mighty Leica M3.
Page from Canon VT Deluxe (VTD) manual showing how to the use shoe-based parallax compensation system with an accessory Zoomfinder.
Canon‘s initial “response” to the Leica M3 was, ironically, easing into production just as the Leica M3 was announced. The Canon IVSB2, unveiled in July 1954 and produced until July 1956, was, in the words of Canon guru Peter Dechert, “surely… the finest bottom- loading 35mm rangefinder camera anyone has ever built.” It had an improved shutter mechanism with slow speed dial split at 1/30 sec, modern geometric speed sequence (a feature not available on the original M3!), speeds to 1/1000 sec with X sync at about 1/45 sec, and provision for setting fast speeds with the shutter cocked or un-cocked. It also featured a larger eyepiece for Canon’s signature 3-mode finder, and provision for fitting a rapid wind baseplate. It took another year for Canon to offer the Canon VT, its first real competitor to the all-conquering Leica M3, and it incorporated one ingenious feature Leica never equaled.
Illustration from the Canon VT Deluxe (VTD) manual showing camera components. Parallax-adjusting pin in shoe is callout number 26.
The landmark Canon VT of April 1956 to February 1957 sure looks like a revolutionary design, but it’s essentially a Canon IVS2B with an enlarged, upgraded version of Canon’s signature 3-mode finder, a PC outlet in place if the funky side flash rail, a hinged back for easier loading, and a trigger wind baseplate. The click-stopped viewfinder lever can be set to provide a minified view or the 35mm field, a 0.7x view of the 50mm field, or a 150% view if the rangefinder for more accurate focusing. No bright frames or parallax correction were built in, but Canon devised a devilishly clever alternative that nether Leica nor Nikon ever offered, namely a small domed pin at the front of the accessory shoe that rises and falls as the lens is focused, thereby tilting any mounted Canon V-type accessory viewfinder to provide automatic parallax compensation. Wow! This automatic parallax-correcting viewfinder pin coupling remained a standard feature in all subsequent Canon rangefinder cameras, including the Canon L1, L2, VT DELUXE, DELUXE VTDZ, and VTDM, Canon VL and VL2, Canon VI-L and VI-T. It was deleted on the broad-spectrum Canon P (which had fixed reflected frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, and 100mm lenses) and the Canon 7, 7s, and 7sZ, all of which had user-selected projected parallax-compensating frame lines for 35mm, 50mm, 85/100 mm and 135mm focal lengths.
Canon Universal Zoomfinder S for 35-50mm lenses. An adapter (not shown) allows it to work with 21-28mm lenses.
Canon Lumi-Field 100mm viewfinder had reflected bright line frame. These were produced in final lengths from 50mm to 135mm.
Canon offered an incredible range of shoe-mount accessory viewfinders for Canon rangefinder cameras—more than Nikon or even Leica. Single focal length versions from 21mm to 135mm with the right linkage for auto parallax compensation are generally available. Those with built in parallax adjusters, or predating Canon’s parallax compensating hot shoe can usually be made work with Canon’s tilting hot shoe when set to infinity. Canon also offered a variety of zoom finders covering lenses from 35-135mm, multi-lens shoe-mount turret-type viewfinders covering lenses from 35-135mm, and a remarkable Twin Turret Varifocal Viewfinder that covers focal lengths from 21mm to 135mm!
Canon's ingeniousd Twin-Turret Varifocal Viewfinder covers focal lengths from 21-135mm!
Accessories page from Canon VT Deluxe (VTD) manual shows Universal Zoom Finder that was available in S (short focal length range) and L (long focal length range) versions and individual Lumi-Field viewfinders that came in 50mm, 85mm, 100mm, and 135mm focal lengths
All provide auto parallax compensation with the previously mentioned shoe-mount finders when mounted on the crowning glory of Canon’s rangefinder cameras, those beginning with the Canon VT and concluding with the glorious Canon VI-T and VI-L both of which had top-mounted single shutter speed dials and bright parallax-compensating projected finder frame lines for 50mm and 100mm lenses. Incidentally, Canon also made a series of black viewfinders with the necessary linkage in 25, 28, 35, 50, 85, 100, and 135 focal lengths. The 50 and longer focal lengths had bright line frames. There were also two universal zoom finders, one for wide angles, the other for telephotos. While using any auxiliary viewfinder mean that viewing and focusing become separate operations, many photographers prefer the quality of the view through separate finders, which is often a tad brighter and clearer than what you see through the camera’s built-in finder. The choice is yours, but one thing is crystal clear: Canon’s brilliant automatic parallax-compensating, shoe-mount auxiliary finder system is the best one ever offered on any 35mm rangefinder camera..
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