How good is the Canon 35mm finder?

[wallace]

Hi folks,

befor I make my decision to buy a 35mm finder for my Canon P,
I need to know how good the original Canon finder is. I wear spectacles, will it be a problem? I know that the CV finder is the best, but it is also much more expensive . Any advice highly appreciated!

Wallace

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

The 35 finder in the P is hard to see with glasses, at least for me. I actually got contact lenses specifically for photography, because of the P and the R3M. If you have vision insurance, some disposable contacts that you only wear while taking pictures will actually be much cheaper than an accessory finder!

The finder itself, by the way, is pretty great. it's 1:1! The framelines are not as bright as on a Bessa or a Leica (the latter I only know by reputation), both of which have a separate window to illuminate them. But they're plenty visible and are actually marked with a little number, reminding you what focal length you're working with.

 

[rover]

I have had 2 Canon 35mm finders. Both had dimmed with age. They were/are usable, but are not big and bright. The Canon is also very squinty compared to the CV finder.

Honetly, I have but don't use the Canon finder I currently have because of the small view and dimness.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Oh, I'm sorry, you have a P! You meant the Canon accessory finder. My apologies.

 

[Bill58]

Whichever one you buy, be sure to secure it some way w/ a cord or it will inevitably fall off. I didn't and lost mine. Ouch!

 

[xayraa33]

My FSU 35mm viewfinder is brighter than my Canon 35mm viewfinder.

 

[dberger]

IIRC, later Canon finders (black) had brightlines, but were made to be used w/Canon bodies that had a parallax adjustment pin in the accessory shoe (e.g., Canon V), not models like the P that lack the pin.

Mostly correct. The black Canon finders had brightlines, except for the 28mm and 35mm (the 25mm, which did not come in all-chrome, does not have brightlines either). Also, most, if not all, black Canon finders came in 2 flavors: 1 with the parallax pin and 1 with a parallax lever, the latter for use on Barnack-like bodies, the P, and 7/7s.

If you find a clean Canon finder, it will be bright. I have a chrome Canon 35mm finder that is very bright (and very clean); I had a black one that was dim because of dirt/haze build-up. If you do not want to risk getting a dim one on ebay, go for a new one, perhaps a Voightländer.

Cheers,

David

 

[wallace]

Many thanks to all of you! That was really the information I needed...I will not risk to get a dim Canon but wait for a second hand Voigtländer.
There is one more choice to be made: Which 35mm lens to keep? I just got a Skopar 35/2.5 classic with a Bessa R. I already own the Canon 35/2.0 which is fantastic. But on the Voigtländer I enjoy the focus lever and 0.7m for nearest distance. Has anybody already compared those lenses performance?

Wallace

P.S.: mabelsound: no need to apologize! you're welcome.

 

[furcafe]

My bad (as the kids say). I stand corrected re: the later Canon finders. I've only seen the ones meant to be used w/the parallax-pin camera models, i.e., without a parallax lever, on eBay, etc., so I guess I extrapolated too much.

As far as the brightness of the chrome models (Canon or Nikon), it's actually very easy to clean them as the entire front of the finder screws off, giving you access to the interior (that's also how you fix the alignment of the rectangular frame mask). My point was that even when clean, they aren't as bright as the modern CV finders & have less eye relief.

Mostly correct. The black Canon finders had brightlines, except for the 28mm and 35mm (the 25mm, which did not come in all-chrome, does not have brightlines either). Also, most, if not all, black Canon finders came in 2 flavors: 1 with the parallax pin and 1 with a parallax lever, the latter for use on Barnack-like bodies, the P, and 7/7s.

If you find a clean Canon finder, it will be bright. I have a chrome Canon 35mm finder that is very bright (and very clean); I had a black one that was dim because of dirt/haze build-up. If you do not want to risk getting a dim one on ebay, go for a new one, perhaps a Voightländer.

Cheers,

David

 

[januaryman]

Skopar is more contrasty and images will look more "modern." I borrowed a Canon 35 and gave it back, as I didn't care for the results. The Skopar is very small, though. I therefore bought an Ultron 35. Bigger in size. Faster. Love it. YMMV.

 

[wallace]

Jim,
I like the size and weight of the Canon and the Skopar. Do you find the Skopar sharper than the Canon?

 

[Highway 61]

As far as the brightness of the chrome models (Canon or Nikon), it's actually very easy to clean them as the entire front of the finder screws off, giving you access to the interior (that's also how you fix the alignment of the rectangular frame mask). My point was that even when clean, they aren't as bright as the modern CV finders & have less eye relief.

Those Nikon and Canon finders are Galilean 'tunnel' finders. Yes once cleaned they're more than acceptable and yes they're easy to clean.

Yet the problem is that seeing the entire FOV through them while wearing glasses is impossible (the Canon is a bit better than the Nikon in that respect but yet, it's a big issue).

The modern CV 35mm finder is a mirrored etched brightlines finder, like the Leitz SBLOO was. Its eyepoint is high enough for the composing frame (bright, contrasty, dreamy...) to be seen with no problem with one's glasses on.

I just bought one here from the Classifieds and it's been resting on my Canon P since. I rediscovered my Canon 35/1.8 lens thanks to this wonderful finder. I couldn't just see the least bit of the 35mm frame off my Canon P viewfinder with my glasses on. And I can't see nuffin' if I don't have them on. 🙄

 

[wallace]

Alright, that's the answer I've been waiting for. So it has to be a Voigtländer finder. Do you know about the 28/35 mini finder? How good is it compared to the 35 ???

Those Nikon and Canon finders are Galilean 'tunnel' finders. Yes once cleaned they're more than acceptable and yes they're easy to clean.

Yet the problem is that seeing the entire FOV through them while wearing glasses is impossible (the Canon is a bit better than the Nikon in that respect but yet, it's a big issue).

The modern CV 35mm finder is a mirrored etched brightlines finder, like the Leitz SBLOO was. Its eyepoint is high enough for the composing frame (bright, contrasty, dreamy...) to be seen with no problem with one's glasses on.



I just bought one here from the Classifieds and it's been resting on my Canon P since. I rediscovered my Canon 35/1.8 lens thanks to this wonderful finder. I couldn't just see the least bit of the 35mm frame off my Canon P viewfinder with my glasses on. And I can't see nuffin' if I don't have them on. 🙄

 

[John Shriver]

I just got a used CV 28/35 mini-finder. The 28mm bright line works well, and eye relief is the same as the chrome Canon 28mm finder, as is the magnification. Not sure either would work well with glasses.

The 35mm bright line in this 28/35 finder is fussier. You have to pull your eye rather far away to keep the entire 35mm bright line visible. But you get (and have to use) more eye relief than the chrome Canon 35mm finder, would probably be very nice with glasses. Much more eye relief than the Canon 7S finder at 35mm. The CV has much less magnification than either of these finders.

Doing two focal lengths in the same Albada finder is a bit of a compromise.

Nice and small overall, will be popular with me in a travel kit. It plus either the Hektor 28/6.3 or Canon 28/3.5 add a lot for a little weight. (The chrome Canon 28mm finder is heavy and bulky.)

 

[crawdiddy]

My Canon 35mm f2.8 lens came with a Canon 35mm finder (chrome, with parallax adjusted by rotating dial focus scale.) As the previous posters said, you can disassemble it easily for cleaning, but I have not needed to. It's clean, and plenty bright for me. I do not wear spectacles, however.

The 35mm lens and finder have become my favorites for my Leica IIIf. The small size is perfect. I have been pleased with the optical performance. No flare observed so far, and I don't have a hood.