R-D1 eyepiece?

[lowep]

Happy to have got this camera in my hands. Now I am looking forwards to enjoy shooting with the rangefinder as much as I used to enjoy the one on my 35mm film cameras how many years ago. Only difference is my distance vision is not as sharp as it used to be. So I need to figure out which is the right eyepiece for my eyes and where to get it?

Too bad the adjustable Megaperls 1.5N diopter is no longer available and the adjustable Nikon DG-2 magnifier only shows the center of the frame. That leaves me with the problem of trying to calculate which fixed eyepiece diopter is right for my +0.5 eyeglass prescription?

So far I have found out that Nikon F series eyepieces fit the RD-1 but the way Nikon rates their eyepieces is a bit confusing. Here is an example from an old RR forum post earlier this evening:

11-23-2010, 10:48
I use Nikon's "0" diopters on all my Nikon cameras. The "0" diopter is actually +.5 in power. But, my understanding is that the Nikon native finder diopter is -.5.

Does this mean if my eyeglass prescription is +0.5 I need to order Nikon's "0" diopter or....???

As far as I can figure out the Cosina eyepieces that also fit the 19mm thread of the RD1 follow a more logical rating system ie +1 diopter for +1 eyeglass prescription, which I think is because unlike the Nikon eyepieces they are made for rangefinder cameras.

BUT I have not yet found a Cosina +0.5 eyepiece, so maybe they don't make them and if this is the case am wondering who if anybody does? Or would +1 be close enough?

Needless to say this is how I am feeling at the moment: :bang:

What to do?

 

[umcelinho]

don't you prefer to shoot with your glasses on?
my eyes are pretty screwed up, -7.50 myopia and 2.50 astigmatism.
i shoot with my glasses on, much easier/quicker and works fine.

 

[le-alain]

11-23-2010, 10:48
I use Nikon's "0" diopters on all my Nikon cameras. The "0" diopter is actually +.5 in power. But, my understanding is that the Nikon native finder diopter is -.5.

Does this mean if my eyeglass prescription is +0.5 I need to order Nikon's "0" diopter or....???

As far as I can figure out the Cosina eyepieces that also fit the 19mm thread of the RD1 follow a more logical rating system ie +1 diopter for +1 eyeglass prescription, which I think is because unlike the Nikon eyepieces they are made for rangefinder cameras.

BUT I have not yet found a Cosina +0.5 eyepiece, so maybe they don't make them and if this is the case am wondering who if anybody does? Or would +1 be close enough?

Needless to say this is how I am feeling at the moment: :bang:

What to do?

Yes, Nikon finders are set to -1.
I have the same preoblem as you.
as I also doubt, I bought 2 different.
and yes, if you glasses to see infinity (not proxy) are +2,
you have to buy a Nikon +1 diopter equivalent
+1 equivalent as the value of +2:

-1 finder + +2dipoter = +1 equivalent.
as I need +2 at infinity, i bought this +1 diopter equivalent, as RD1's finder is set at +0.

so 0 finder + +1equivalent nikon = +2 total = +2, it's ok.
i also bought the +2, but it's in reality a +3 son id on't see with this one.

The problem is that they don't write that's an equivalent with Nikon finder.

recap+ need +2 at infinity, buy +1.
need +3, buy +2, etc 😉

 

[lowep]

if you glasses to see infinity (not proxy) are +2,
you have to buy a Nikon +1 diopter equivalent 😉

So if my glasses "to see infinity" are +0.5 I ought to buy a Nikon -0.5 diopter???

ie +.05 eyeglass distance prescription minus +1 = Nikon -0.5 diopter

😕

 

[jonmanjiro]

So far I have found out that Nikon F series eyepieces fit the RD-1

FYI I'm pretty sure its the Nikon FE/FM series eyepieces that fit the R-D1.

 

[Godfrey]

FYI I'm pretty sure its the Nikon FE/FM series eyepieces that fit the R-D1.

Nikon F, F2, FE2, FM, FM2 and probably a few other models all take the same eyepiece accessories. Voigtländer intentionally used this form factor for their as they are (or were, at least) very available.

G

 

[jonmanjiro]

Nikon F, F2, FE2, FM, FM2 and probably a few other models all take the same eyepiece accessories. Voigtländer intentionally used this form factor for their as they are (or were, at least) very available.

I forgot about the early F series cameras because the eyepieces are usually MIA. Unlike the later F series cameras, their eyepieces are indeed the same size as the FE/FM series.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

When I had an R-D1s I had a Nikon -2 diopter on it that was meant for the Nikon F; it was a perfect fit

 

[Godfrey]

I forgot about the early F series cameras because the eyepieces are usually MIA. Unlike the later F series cameras, their eyepieces are indeed the same size as the FE/FM series.

I think the F3 used the same.

It's funny, to me, to hear of you refer to the F, F2, etc as "early F series cameras". I grew up with the F, F2, F3, FM, FM2, FM2n, FE, and FE2 ... Never liked any of the later ones. I kept shooting with the F3, FM/FM2n, and FE2 until I sold off my Nikon kit in 2001. Now I have two Fs once again ... They're still my favorite Nikons. 🙂

G

 

[lowep]

Thanks for the confirmation that Nikon F eyepieces are a perfect fit with the R-D1. So far so good! Now all I have to do is figure out how to determine which Nikon F eyepiece is the perfect fit with my +0.5 eyeglass prescription?

Voigtländer intentionally used this form factor for their as they are (or were, at least) very available.

So the Nikon form factor is the same but the numbering system is different than more expensive Cosina eyepieces that were made for rangefinders rather than DSLRs?

 

[jonmanjiro]

Thanks for the confirmation that Nikon F eyepieces are a perfect fit with the R-D1.

A Nikon F part is fine if you can find one, but don't go buying an eyepiece for a Nikon F4, F5, or F6 though!

Its probably easier to find eyepieces intended for the FE/FM series than original Nikon F or F2 eyepieces. The latter are quite long in the tooth by now.

Come to think of it, I have an FM eyepiece on my Zeiss Ikon. I lost the original eyepiece while in Vienna, so I dropped by the Leica Shop and they rummaged through their spare parts drawer for me. They dug up an FM eyepiece but didn't believe me that it would fit. So I screwed it on and showed them 🙂

 

[Godfrey]

A Nikon F part is fine if you can find one...

Its probably easier to find eyepieces intended for the FE/FM series than original Nikon F or F2 eyepieces. The latter are quite long in the tooth by now. ...

They were the same parts and part numbers, and all interchanged.

G

 

[jonmanjiro]

They were the same parts and part numbers, and all interchanged.

The key word in my previous post was *intended* 😉

We've already agreed the parts are interchangeable, although I suspect the part numbers are not the same for all cameras from mid 1960s (Nikon F) to 2005 (FM3A). Anyway, these are all used parts (or dead stock) now so its not like you can look up the part number and order one from Nikon anyway.

What I was trying to say > look for a part *intended* for an FE/FM series camera because that's how the boxes are marked, and so that's how sellers will most likely list them. For example, here's the box for an eyepiece I bought just last week. Note that the box is not marked "for Nikon F, F2" despite the fact the eyepiece will fit. Its far easier to find these eyepieces intended for the Nikon FE/FM series than eyepieces intended for the Nikon F, F2. I hope that's clear enough even for Godfrey now 🙂

 

[lowep]

Thanks Jonmanjiro for psoting the photo of the eyepiece box. I can see the one you posted is for FM3A/FM2/FA/FE2 but cannot see which eyepiece it is: +2? +1? +0.5? 0 -1 etc etc that is maybe written on the back of the box or on a paper inside it? or is this a standard replacement eyepiece not one with an adjusted diopter that is what I need?

 

[jonmanjiro]

The previous photo is of the box for a standard replacement eyepiece. I just dug up these old photos of a -2 diopter with box. It looks like the adjustment factor is NOT shown on the box, but is shown on the eyepiece itself.

 

[lowep]

thanks for clarifying this

 

[lowep]

for anybody else wrestling with the same conundrum I just found this:

Nikon SLR Camera
Viewfinder Eyepiece Application Reference

 

[jonmanjiro]

Good find! All those different part numbers!!! I suspected the DE2 and DE3 finders for the F3 used different eyepieces, and this confirms it. This also confirms I was wrong to assume Nikon no longer makes eyepieces for the FM/FE series cameras. I just checked the local Nikon Direct website, and sure enought Nikon still lists them. I also checked Yodobashi Camera's website and they have stock too (although no doubt hidden away in a corner as I haven't seen any of these at a Yodobashi store for a long long time). Should be straighforward to source one pretty much anywhere.

http://shop.nikon-image.com/front/ProductFAF02101.do

http://www.yodobashi.com/ec/category/index.html?query=&cate=&word=接眼補助レンズ+FM3A&ginput=

 

[lowep]

I just got a +0.0 Nikon eyepiece for FE/FM that fits perfect in my RD1 and makes a world of difference when focusing compared to trying to focus with the original standard eyepiece that came with the camera. So today I am a happy snapper.

Before doing this I confirmed with my optician that my eyeglass prescription for distance viewing is +0.5 that was quite a surprise as I had previously thought all prescriptions for distance viewing would be minus values. But not when the problem is due to aging eyes like mine that need a little magnification to see things in the distance clearly.

I also did a test with my multifocal eyeglasses to be sure the strength I needed to see the patch in the viewfinder more clearly was the strength that corresponded to my distance vision (ie top of my multifocal eyeglasses) not the strength that corresponds to my near vision (ie bottom field of my eyeglasses). Before doing this I had thought that since the focus patch was close to my eyes I would need a diopter that matched my reading glasses but I was wrong about that.

I can now confirm from my own non-scientific eyeball test that the actual strength of the standard Nikon eyepiece for DSLR appears to be -1.0 as others have suggested so correct value at least in my case for using a Nikon DSLR eyepiece diopter for a rangefinder like the RD1 can be calculated by an addition of +1 to the value on the Nikon diopter. This means in my case Nikon's +0.0 eyepiece works as +1.0 on the RD1

eg. standard (-1.0) Nikon diopter for Nikon DSLR +1 = +0.0 Nikon diopter = +1 diopter for RD1 rangefinder
Not sure if this explanation makes sense but at least it works for me

Actually in theory what I really should have got was a -0.5 Nikon diopter for my +0.5 eyeglass prescription but I could not find a -0.5 Nikon diopter so opted for the +0.0 that was a bit of a risk but turned out to work fine (at least a huge improvement over what I had before).

At the same time I ordered two other Nikon eyepiece accessories that did not turn out to be such good ideas.

One of them was a Nikon DK-3 rubber eyecup for Nikon FE/FM etc (same as the Nikon diopter) but it does not seem to fit on the RD1 together with the Nikon diopter but maybe it is just me. Has anybody else managed to get one of these DK-3 eyecups to work on the RD1?

I also bought a flip up 2x magnifying eyepiece with a built in adjustable diopter for Nikon FE/FM as a backup option just in case the Nikon +0.0 diopter turned out to be the wrong strength. Luckily the diopter turned out to be the right strength, as the flip up 2x magnifier seems to be a waste of money. It does fit the thread of the RD1 but after half a turn the magnifier cannot screw in any further into the RD1 eyepiece as the LCD mount on the back RD1 juts out just enough below the eyepiece to block the hinge of the magnifier when i attempt to screw it into the eyepiece. However in this case maybe my lack of imagination in identifying a work around is the real problem? Thought about bending the hinge of the magnifier with a pair of pliers so it doesn't catch on the LCD mount... but if I did bend this hinge then I would not be able to flip up the magnifier.