Leica LTM reasonably priced viewfinders

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
As already mentioned by some of the above, the FSU copies of the Zeiss Ikon turret finder are pretty good and reasonably priced - nice to have around. The various plastic non-parallax compensated FSU fixed focal length viewfinders also work pretty well (within their limitations) and are fairly low-priced. The parallax corrected Japanese viewfinders imported during the hey-day of the 35mm rangefinder (most pretty well made), are starting to get expensive these days.
 
I sold M3 after getting SBOOI. This is how good it is.
For 35/28 I purchased craped out XA2 and cheap hotshue plastic cover. Cut, screw and glue technique. :) Minox 35's VF should be the same, easy to find source. Those never worked from factory :).
For 21, I have Russar finder. But I have to wait for good price on eBay.
Leica made universal one didn't impressed me at all. FSU copy of Zeiss made was much better.
 
Hmmmm, I am one of those dreadful scientific people the politicians have been warning you about, especially during a crisis or two. So I got out a Leica II, IIIc and a Kiev/Contax and did a little measuring with the KMZ VF.

The KMZ turret finder has the lens axis 66mm above the Kiev/Contax, 60mm above the IIIc and 56mm above the II. Looking at the front of the cameras the displacement to the left is 6 or 7mm for all three.

The built in VF's of all three are 35, 6 and 10mm to the right to give a yardstick and the best for height above the axis is the II, of course, at about 29mm.

As for framing accuracy, with film only about 94% can be used due to frames and I was told several times in another thread that no one prints 12 x 8 - which is full frame - but it is usually 10 x 8 and that is a crop to about 83% of 94% making 78% of the full frame. Digital is another matter but the question is about a VF on a IIIf.


Regards, David
 
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davethesnapper said:
Hi I have a 3F and I was wondering if anyone has some insights into accessory view finders that are A. good quality and useable. And B. don't cost a fortune.
The Leica ones on eBay recently are as much as a camera !!

Thanks Dave
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Check you private messages Dave.
 
My favorite is the CV zoom finder which covers 15-35mm:
  • For Full-Frame & 1.3x/1.5x Crop Cameras
  • Parallax Lines Show Cut-Off
  • Built-In Diopter
  • metal housing
  • built to last
Have a look at the Head Bartender's site and BH. I've been using it for some 10 years now and never need to buy another viewfinder. Cheers, OtL
 
The VIOOH multifinder (35-135mm) is very usable and not expensive. Avoid the superficially similar, earlier VIDOM, which gives a reversed image.
 
splitimageview said:
I’m going to post a classified here for these. Sold quite a few of them the last couple of years.

The plastic optics of the Canon Owl are quite good.
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How much flexibility is in the kit? Will it only work with the Owl guts?

I've been trying to find a for parts P&S with a 40mm viewfinder to make something like this.
 
twvancamp said:
How much flexibility is in the kit? Will it only work with the Owl guts?

I've been trying to find a for parts P&S with a 40mm viewfinder to make something like this.
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It was designed to work with the three optical pieces removed from the various Sure Shot Owl models, which have 35mm lenses.

The Owl has the largest viewfinder of any P&S with a 35mm lens, making it an ideal donor for this purpose.

Here are the list of all the model names:

Sure Shot Owl - Prima af-7
Sure Shot Owl pf - Prima af-9/date
Sure Shot Owl/date - Prima af-8/date
Snappy lx / bf35 - Prima bf
Snappy lxII/date - Prima bf-8/date - BF35D
Snappy lx/date - Prima bf-7/date - BF35 QDN
 
davethesnapper said:
Hi I have a 3F and I was wondering if anyone has some insights into accessory view finders that are A. good quality and useable. And B. don't cost a fortune.
The Leica ones on eBay recently are as much as a camera !!

Thanks Dave
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Reasonable for some is absurd for others. Head Bartender here has the Voigtländer 28/35 (2nd hand) for US$799. Metal and glass but a bit toward the absurd-end of the price spectrum (aka, "overly exuberant").
 
If you can live with a frame finder instead of a bright line finder, Rasul or Rasuk run in the $100 - $150 range and, depending on which one you get, can cover 35-135 or 50-135, all with one finder. A bit bulky, but they allow the shooter to see what's outside the frame. Not for precise framing, but if you want that, you shoot an SLR, not a rangefinder. For adjustable optical finders, there's also the TEWE which covers from 35 to 200. Not bright line, but does work much better than the Leica variable finders.
 
philslizzy said:
I have made several from disposable camera viewfinders. Plastic card, glue files and a disposable camera is all you need.

My instructable https://www.instructables.com/35mm-Viewfinder-for-Leica-Fed-Zorki-Cameras/
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Thank you for the detailed instructions.
A word of caution concerning the choice of cameras: some disposable cameras have the viewfinder at the side (not above the lens). Those viewfinders, when extracted, are assymetrical.
It happened to me with disposable underwater P&S cameras

Regards

Joao
 
My SBOOI came in today and wow it is amazingly bright. I was able to get mine for 125 USD. I agree 150 quid is way too much but keep on the lookout for good deals.
 
james.liam said:
How about the Ricoh GR OVF? has 28/35 frame lines? Wonder if it would work fine on a RF shoe.
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The GV-2 actually only has 28mm frame lines. I bought one and just resold it, as the eye relief just doesn't work with glasses. It is tiny, and does work well enough on an RF.

The larger GV-1 has double frame lines, but for 28mm and 21mm. It would also be a good candidate, if you wanted it for 21 or 28.

I'd really go the Olympus VF-1 route if you want 35mm, but wait till you find one under $75, they are a bit elevated in price right now but shouldn't cost as much as other options, certainly over $100 is more than you've historically needed to pay.
 
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