Mister E
Well-known
Has anyone used them yet? Tom? How do they compare to Zeiss' offerings? I see they are styled like the new 12mm finder, made of metal with a screw in eyepiece in the rear. How's the distortion?
I directly compared the Zeiss ZM 21mm finder and new CV 21-25mm finder earlier tonight. The Zeiss has better eye relief, higher magnification, and less distortion. Surprisingly, the new CV finder seemed brighter and clearer. Both finders are solid metal with a metal shoe. The CV finder is a lot smaller. I liked the compact size so decided to give the CV finder a try.
Mister E
Well-known
Very cool. I'd love to see it, but I'm very happy with my Zeiss finder. What is the price of the 21/25 new at Fujiya?
sanmich
Veteran
any link to some info?
23,000 yen. A little more expensive than a used Zeiss ZM 21mm finder, but what the heck. There ain't any used CV 21-25mm finders out there yet.
No need to change if you've got a Zeiss finder. It's still the best optically.
Mister E
Well-known
This is all the info that Cosina has published: http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt/acce/finder/index.html
Mister E
Well-known
Wow, Stephen's price on them is super cheap! Compared to the plastic CV finders how much better is it? Are the 25mm lines distracting at all?
I haven't checked an old CV finder for a while. I'm guessing the new one has less distortion and is brighter. The 25mm framelines don't bother me.
Tom A
RFF Sponsor
I haven't got the 21 and 15 finder's at the moment. Saw them in Japan in March. They are impressive! A bit more distorsion than the Zeiss finders, but much more compact. I am always afraid of knocking the Zeiss finders off the cameras.
The distorsion issue does not worry me as it doesn't affect the image - just the view.
I have the new 12mm finder and it is a huge improvement over the old one - small, bright and easy to handle. The old one looks like a miniature TV monitor!
If you already have a Zeiss 21 finder - not enough reason to change. If you are in the market for a finder - the VC's are the way to go!
The old plastic finders are still good, but bigger than the new ones and though they bounce happily when dropped - they feel a bit fragile compared with the new ones (foot snapping off - though it only happened to me once when I hit the sidewalk and landed on a SP with the 21 finder).
The distorsion issue does not worry me as it doesn't affect the image - just the view.
I have the new 12mm finder and it is a huge improvement over the old one - small, bright and easy to handle. The old one looks like a miniature TV monitor!
If you already have a Zeiss 21 finder - not enough reason to change. If you are in the market for a finder - the VC's are the way to go!
The old plastic finders are still good, but bigger than the new ones and though they bounce happily when dropped - they feel a bit fragile compared with the new ones (foot snapping off - though it only happened to me once when I hit the sidewalk and landed on a SP with the 21 finder).
fbf
Well-known
Sorry Jon, just saw your message.
Yeah, my impression exactly. For the money, I don't think you can find a better choice. The Zeiss finder has more contrasty but it's dimmer than the CV finder. The CV finder is very compact but extremely solid (almost a little heavy if you ask me).
richfx
Member
I bought the new (2010) 15mm Voigtlander Brightline finder from Camera Quest two weeks ago. It is solid metal, beautifully crafted and highly accurate with my Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 Super Wide Heliar and M9. Unlike its predecessor, the front and rear lenses are protected from unintended bangs / scratches. Highly recommend it.
Rich
Rich
peter_n
Veteran
On my shopping list! Thanks for the review... 
iwaki
Member
i'm sorry for being thick, i've watched both threads on this topic and somehow i still can't make a decision on which to buy.
It would be great if somebody that has seen/used both the Zeiss 21mm finder and the new CV 21/25 can confirm these:
The zeiss:
- bigger magnification, of-course means bigger in size.
- a bit less distortion
- more contrasty
The new 21/25 CV:
- smaller in size
- a bit brighter
lasts, again sorry for being thick, if "price" and "size" is not an issue, would you still choose the cheaper CV?
It would be great if somebody that has seen/used both the Zeiss 21mm finder and the new CV 21/25 can confirm these:
The zeiss:
- bigger magnification, of-course means bigger in size.
- a bit less distortion
- more contrasty
The new 21/25 CV:
- smaller in size
- a bit brighter
lasts, again sorry for being thick, if "price" and "size" is not an issue, would you still choose the cheaper CV?
I checked both at the same time. The CV finder seemed a bit brighter with slightly higher contrast, but the Zeiss finder I handled may have needed cleaning.. If size and price are not a concern, get the Zeiss. If size and/or price are a concern, get the CV. For me, the smaller size of the CV finder was the winning factor. They're both great finders. You won't regret getting either.
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iwaki
Member
Thx! i think i'll go with the zeiss, since i actually feel the size is an advantage... well.. for me at least.... but maybe i'll change my mind when i found out that i have no space for that in my bag ;-)
also the zeiss does not come with a pouch right? whereas the CV does?
that's correct.
bennyng
Benny Ng
Jon,
The plastic 21/25 (or any other focal length) CV finders in my part of the world don't come with any pouches. Only the metal ones. Do you know if I can buy the pouch separately?
Cheers,