scratching your glasses???

[gabrioladude]

I shoot with a Contax IIa

the camera does not have an eye piece to prevent you from scratching the lens of you glasses

What do you other rangefinder shooters that wear glasses do to prevent scratching the lens on your glasses when you look through the viewfinder?

thx
Frank

 

[gabrioladude]

I just saw the earlier thread

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72383

which talks about the black decorative ring
my camera does not have one of those

In the picture posted, it appears to be a rubber ring of some sort and would serve the purpose
that I asked about

where could one purchase one of those (is there an aftermarket) or alternately any ideas one how to make one. Do you know what size thread is on that column?

thx again

 

[ZeissFan]

Zeiss Ikon used to have a small little end collar that screwed onto the eyepiece. I had one that I gave to a friend of mine (he wears glasses, and I don't).

Another possibility would be to get a small o-ring used in plumbing and attach it to the eyepiece with some black silicon.

 

[ray*j*gun]

I wear glasses and have used O rings on my Contax's and it works fine.....just be careful with the adhesive. Another trick is to use liquid electrical tape that you can get at any hardware store.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Either I wear contact lenses, or I trust in the coating that Nikon applies to its spectacle lenses to last until the next time I change 'em (every two years).

 

[marke]

Another trick is to use liquid electrical tape that you can get at any hardware store.

I think this makes more sense than trying to glue anything (like an o-ring) to the VF. The o-ring would increase the distance the eye is from the VF even more, which is already a problem for eyeglass wearers.

 

[furcafe]

The Zeiss Ikon eyepiece rings are actually painted metal, so while they are less scratchy than the plain "naked" VF, they are not truly "eyeglass-friendly," particularly if the paint has worn or chipped away. AFAIK, the rings came w/some of the pre-WWII ZI RFs, like the Tenax (but for some reason not the Contax I, II, & III) & Super Ikonta medium format folders. After WWII, they seem to have come w/most of the post-WWII RFs, including both 35mm models like the Contessa & the Super Ikonta series again. Apparently most have been lost over the years.

I've often wondered whether someone, perhaps 1 of the specialty RF/classic camera shops in Japan, makes &/or sells replacement rings made w/plastic or rubber, or new diopters for that matter. Perhaps 1 of our RFF friends in Japan can ask around.

I just saw the earlier thread

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72383

which talks about the black decorative ring
my camera does not have one of those

In the picture posted, it appears to be a rubber ring of some sort and would serve the purpose
that I asked about

where could one purchase one of those (is there an aftermarket) or alternately any ideas one how to make one. Do you know what size thread is on that column?

thx again

 

[dexdog]

the rings are metal, as furcafe says. The same ring is also found on several of the post-WW2 Zeiss finders, such as the 420 stereo finder and 426 and 427 brightline finders. These rings are interchangeable with the preWW2 and postWW2 cameras.

Yeah, diopters would be cool, if someone makes them.

 

[gabrioladude]

Zeiss Ikon used to have a small little end collar that screwed onto the eyepiece. I had one that I gave to a friend of mine (he wears glasses, and I don't).

Another possibility would be to get a small o-ring used in plumbing and attach it to the eyepiece with some black silicon.

after doing my post I did some experimenting

I enlarged the hole on a rubber plumbing washer and can get it to stay on without glue (but will have to be careful not to loose it, because it is not a tight fit)

and that seems to work somewhat
not elegant but it works

prefer not to glue something on the camera
my next step is to try to find a flat nut with a large opening that fits onto the existing eye piece and then try to glue a washer onto the nut. finding the right size nut will be a challenge

thanks for the help

I haven't shot that much with the camera
have two rolls waiting to be developed

if you are interested in seeing the camera and some shot from my first roll, here is the link to my flickr set

http://www.flickr.com/photos/feberdt/sets/72157613397350138/