M7 viewfinder advice

[John Camp]

I thinking hard about getting an M7 while I wait for the digital M. I like to shoot very wide (up close on the street) and somewhat long (landscapes from a boat, where I can't get in too close.) I'm thinking about the .58 viewfinder (I wear glasses) with the screw-in 1.25 magnifier. That'd give me a practical .72 for the longer lenses, right? But is 72 enough if I decide sometime to go for a 135? (My longest lens now is a 90.) Does anybody make a 1.5x magnifier, or even stronger? Can you stack a corrective diopter lens *with* the 1.25, so I could push my glasses up on my forehead and shoot with them, using a 72 even for the wides? Any advice?

JC

 

[Les Lammers]

The .58 has no 135mm frame. I have an MP with it. I was undecided on an M7 when I got the MP due to DX coding and electronics issues. I recently got a ZI and the finder is better than the MP. I'm pleased with the ZI and like the ergonomics better than an MP. Both VF's are great with a 28mm.


YMMV.

 

[Ken Ford]

If you get a 135/2.8 with goggles, you'd be set with 90mm framelines and a 1.25x...

 

[Fred]

There is a site called megaperls (no affiliation) that deal in all sorts of usefull photo stuff. They have the following:

http://www.unicircuits.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=111

This does the opposite of the magnifier. I've not dealt with this company or seen a review of the item but if any good could mean that you could use a .72 VF and have the 135 frame (use the 1.25x mag for close focus accuracy) with the 28 frame visable with this device (with some built in diopter correction)

Just a thought. Anyone out there used one of these things?

 

[Nick R.]

When I use my 135mm on my .72 mag M, I have a hard time both focusing and framing. If I were going to start using my rarely used 135mm a lot more, I'd invest in a user M3 just for it. I think the .58 is a good choice for you with your taste for wides, but I think it'd be tough with the 135 even with the magnifier.

 

[peter_n]

I have a 0.85 mag M7 and use 135, 90 and 50mm lenses on it. I really love the higher magnification for the longer focal lengths. However Leica are no longer making 0.58 or 0.85 mag cameras except in the a la carte program, so if you don't want to pay a premium for a new one you might want to consider used.

 

[Ken Ford]

When I use my 135mm on my .72 mag M, I have a hard time both focusing and framing. If I were going to start using my rarely used 135mm a lot more, I'd invest in a user M3 just for it. I think the .58 is a good choice for you with your taste for wides, but I think it'd be tough with the 135 even with the magnifier.

I take it you're using an ungoggled 135? To be honest, I find the 90mm framelines to be barely usable on a .72 M - I can't imagine using the 135 lines without a magnifier!