Parallax compensation in screwmount Leica

[kotokot21]

I'm not a jedi-master of portraits shot on 50mm at all. I tend to forget about the parallax and the cut-off heads are pretty often.
Today I've come with a rather simple solution, with no need to tear the camera apart.

I had a small box of even smaller square color filters for optical color prints. There were blue, yellow and purple filters of different intensity. It was just collecting dust in a locker. Today I've taken one of the blue filters, cut a thin strip of it and just placed it into the upper part of the viewfinder. Voila, now I see what will be cut at minimal focus distance! The strip sits there pretty well.

I've done the same for my Zorki-1 and a purple filter.

 

[lynnb]

Nice hack for the standard VF.

 

[Sykomor]

And portrait orientation is not a problem if you remember to turn the camera counter clockwise

 

[Erik van Straten]

The viewfinders of the Leicas II, III, IIIa etc. are actually not too bad, but they can profit from this parallax-compensation. But those of the Leica I ... in fact it is a 35mm finder, so unusable for the fixed 50mm lens. Cartier-Bresson used a VIDOM on his Leica I, a mirrored finder, for me unusable. I'm very happy with the SBOOI.

The above mentioned solution is not enough for a Leica I, for on that camera there is more to correct than only the parallax.

Erik.

 

[mcfingon]

If you really want to show the close-up area, you need a smaller strip down the right-hand side of the viewfinder (seen from the front)...

 

[Ronald M]

Bright line finer has compensation in it.

 

[ForestCap]

Cool hack. Mace Windu would pick the Zorki.

 

[presspass]

Keep in mind that rangefinder finders are never exact. Once you are used to a specific camera and lens, you will make the adjustments yourself. Those of us who wear glasses and have greater eye relief from the finder learned that long ago. If you use your camera enough, you will make any adjustments automatically. If you need to know exactly what you will get when you look through a finder, buy a Nikon F or F2.

 

[Archlich]

Some Japanese barnack copies have frame lines and parallax compensation marks.

 

[charjohncarter]

Original thoughts are sometimes the best.