Lost Hexar RF Viewfinder Eyepiece

[Khaled]

So, I bought a pristine Hexar RF about a month ago and yesterday I finally took it out to try it for the first time. I took a couple of shots in the beginning, then I walked about 2 km and when I wanted to take another shot, I noticed something was totally off, everything was blurry in the viewfinder! My first reaction was to think that I must have banged the camera against something but then I noticed that the viewfinder eyepiece was missing...

I backtracked all the way to where I got off the cab looking for it but I couldn’t find it so now I have a useless pristine Hexar unless I can find an eyepiece for it.

I’d love to find the one with 0D magnification but I’ll take any eyepiece that will fit and take it to an optometrist to make a custom built lens for it, maybe someone has a spare around or can point me to where I can find one?

 

[Huss]

Check to see if the eyepiece from a Nikon FM2/FE2 fits. Those fit a lot of cameras.

https://www.adorama.com/nkeprfe2.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=adl-gbase

 

[PRJ]

The first thing I did when I bought my Hexar over a decade ago is I took off the eyepiece and put some nailpolish on it so it would never fall off. Even back then they were nearly impossible to find. I don't think anyone makes an eyepiece that fits it. You might have to have an adapter machined to use a Nikon eyepiece or something else that might work. Good luck.

There are a couple on ebay right now. I suggest you get one before someone else sees this...

 

[Khaled]

Thank you for your help and for the link.
Unfortunately, it doesn't fit. I have a FM2 and already tried fitting its eyepiece but it is too big, the Hexar eyepiece is 14.3mm and the Nikon is 18.2mm.

Check to see if the eyepiece from a Nikon FM2/FE2 fits. Those fit a lot of cameras.

https://www.adorama.com/nkeprfe2.html?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=adl-gbase

 

[Khaled]

Yes, that could be an option, but maybe with a smaller eyepiece, as the ones for Nikon are too big.

The Hexar's eyepiece diameter is 14.3mm, do you (or anyone) know the size of Leica and Zeiss eyepieces?

The first thing I did when I bought my Hexar over a decade ago is I took off the eyepiece and put some nailpolish on it so it would never fall off. Even back then they were nearly impossible to find. I don't think anyone makes an eyepiece that fits it. You might have to have an adapter machined to use a Nikon eyepiece or something else that might work. Good luck.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I'll measure the eyepiece from my Konica T3. Give me a while to get on that. Holiday and all today. It is smaller than Nikon so it might fit. Any of the big T series Autoreflex cameras have the screw-in round VF eyepiece.
Phil Forrest

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

 

[Larry Cloetta]

I could be wrong, but as I remember that isn’t just a plain piece of glass in there, in the Hexas RF, pretty sure it is a lens, part of the optical formula for the viewfinder, which is why it is blurry without that in there.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

The diopters don’t come up for sale very often, but there are two on ebay right now.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Konica-Dio...266392?hash=item287dcccfd8:g:FFgAAOSwdRdc43-i

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Konica-Dio...266899?hash=item287dccd1d3:g:0PEAAOSwqj1c43-v

These screw in in place of the stock lens. These are not cheap, but at least they are available. I don’t think I have ever seen one offered for less than $45.

Good luck!

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Information on the specs for the stock Hexar RF viewfinder diopter were always somewhat hard to find for me, it certainly is not in the manual. I rummaged around on the pile of notes on my desk and I "think" that the standard diopter, the one which was in the piece which was lost, is -0.5. Pretty sure. I just don't remember where I got that information. Hope that might be of some help.

 

[Khaled]

Thanks Larry!

This is what I need.

I had found one from a seller with very bad feedback and didn't want to risk not getting it.

I'm going to buy one of these and hope it'll work, if it doesn't at least I'll have the mount to get a custom built lens for it.

I'll update this thread when I get it.

The diopters don’t come up for sale very often, but there are two on ebay right now.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Konica-Dio...266392?hash=item287dcccfd8:g:FFgAAOSwdRdc43-i

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Konica-Dio...266899?hash=item287dccd1d3:g:0PEAAOSwqj1c43-v

These screw in in place of the stock lens. These are not cheap, but at least they are available. I don’t think I have ever seen one offered for less than $45.

Good luck!

 

[a.noctilux]

I remember having read somewhere, so I did a search for this blog of mattalofs.com who wrote about the RF eyepiece:
" Using the eyepiece off my other body and a formula my dad gave me, I figured out that the eyepiece has a focal length of just about 52mm. "


http://blog.mattalofs.com/diy-hexar-rf-eyepiece/


As you wrote diameter is 14.3mm ...

About the size, I think of Leica thread adapter (item 24001) which is adapter for Leica M10 eyepiece to use older M accessories.
Adapt M10's 14mm to 12mm eyepiece accessories (diopters, magnifiers, etc.).
https://leicastoremiami.com/products/leica-m10-eyepiece-thread-adapter?variant=27152721616

 

[Khaled]

Thank you!
I searched for an autoreflex T viewfinder on eBay and it seems to be 18mm.

I'll measure the eyepiece from my Konica T3. Give me a while to get on that. Holiday and all today. It is smaller than Nikon so it might fit. Any of the big T series Autoreflex cameras have the screw-in round VF eyepiece.
Phil Forrest

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

 

[Khaled]

This is very useful information, thank you.
I'm going to buy one of the viewfinders Larry posted and if the diopter I get doesn't work for my vision, I'll use this information to make a custom lens.

I remember having read somewhere, so I did a search for this blog of mattalofs.com who wrote about the RF eyepiece:
" Using the eyepiece off my other body and a formula my dad gave me, I figured out that the eyepiece has a focal length of just about 52mm. "


http://blog.mattalofs.com/diy-hexar-rf-eyepiece/


As you wrote diameter is 14.3mm ...

About the size, I think of Leica thread adapter (item 24001) which is adapter for Leica M10 eyepiece to use older M accessories.
Adapt M10's 14mm to 12mm eyepiece accessories (diopters, magnifiers, etc.).
https://leicastoremiami.com/products/leica-m10-eyepiece-thread-adapter?variant=27152721616