My eyes are watering from using a 7/7s

[KoNickon]

I recently got a 7s and had earlier gotten a 7. I am most impressed at the capabilities of these cameras. But, I wear glasses and one rather significant disappointment is that it seems the finders are out of focus -- that is, the image in the rangefinder is not sharp, which makes it that much harder to ensure the rangefinder images are perfectly aligned. Has anyone else noticed this with theirs? I recall that Peter Dechert comments about this in the discussion on the 7 in his book.

According to the Dechert book, both of my cameras are early production, so I wonder whether this was improved later in the production runs (though you'd think the 7s would have had this fix from the start).

My Canon P is crystal clear, by contrast.

So, is there a fix available? Thanks for any information (or commiseration).

 

[KoNickon]

I should clarify -- the image in the entire viewfinder is out of focus, not just in the RF patch.

 

[Erik L]

hello this is the best i could capture from my 7. difficult



its 1/20 sec or so exposure so hard to hold steady.

 

[Erik L]

almost see the patch in this one

 

[KoNickon]

Thanks, Erik -- yours doesn't look bad at all. Though I wonder whether looking through the finder is different from focusing a camera through it.

 

[Erik L]

Thanks, Erik -- yours doesn't look bad at all. Though I wonder whether looking through the finder is different from focusing a camera through it.

to my eyes, the patch looks much more obvious than what the lens saw. also i dont see any of that "flare" area. other than that pretty much the same.

about me, i dont wear glasses, but on a SLR i need a +1 diopter to focus preperly.

 

[FrankS]

You need a corrective viewfinder diopter. Same thing happened to me and my Konica Hexar RF. Your eye waters due to the exertion of trying to focus the viewfinder image that, due to its optics, is just too close.

 

[Bingley]

I should clarify -- the image in the entire viewfinder is out of focus, not just in the RF patch.

This is odd. On the Canon 7 I had, the vf was clear and sharp. The borders of the rf patch were not as sharp as on a Leica M or a Bessa, but were still quite usable. I had no trouble focusing or seeing the image through the vf, and I wear glasses too (in fact, one of the reasons I bought the 7 in the first place was b/c the 35mm framelines are easier to see than on the P). So, I wonder if there might not be a problem w/ your particular samples.

 

[lmd91343]

This is odd. On the Canon 7 I had, the vf was clear and sharp. The borders of the rf patch were not as sharp as on a Leica M or a Bessa, but were still quite usable. I had no trouble focusing or seeing the image through the vf, and I wear glasses too (in fact, one of the reasons I bought the 7 in the first place was b/c the 35mm framelines are easier to see than on the P). So, I wonder if there might not be a problem w/ your particular samples.

Ditto - I have two 7 cameras and a 7s. I also wear very strong glasses. I just glued a rubber pad around eyepiece, so I can get close without scratching my glasses.

The model 7 cameras have two slightly negative elements behind the rf/vf prism assembly. The first is in the eyepiece ring. The second is behind the eyepiece and is held in by one screw. I wonder if this second element in your camera is missing. I also wonder if that easily removable second element is for diopter correction

 

[John Shriver]

The eyepiece on the Canon 7 and 7s could be replaced with an alternate one with a different diopter. Perhaps on the cameras you have tried, someone had done this. They aren't marked to my knowledge.

Typically, RF viewfinders have a slight negative diopter, making the virtual image a little closer than it really is. If you're quite presbyopic (need reading glasses), that could be a problem. See if the image is sharper with a simple pair of reading glasses.

On the other hand, there's a lot of glass surfaces in the 7 and 7s finders that can get dirty and hazy. They may just need a professional internal cleaning. The P's viewfinder is a lot simpler, less prone to haze issues.

 

[Erik L]

The eyepiece on the Canon 7 and 7s could be replaced with an alternate one with a different diopter. Perhaps on the cameras you have tried, someone had done this. They aren't marked to my knowledge.

Typically, RF viewfinders have a slight negative diopter, making the virtual image a little closer than it really is. If you're quite presbyopic (need reading glasses), that could be a problem. See if the image is sharper with a simple pair of reading glasses.

On the other hand, there's a lot of glass surfaces in the 7 and 7s finders that can get dirty and hazy. They may just need a professional internal cleaning. The P's viewfinder is a lot simpler, less prone to haze issues.

the thing is i dont think canon ever sold any corrective lenses for the 7, but they did for the p.