The best RF for glasses wearer?

[nikola]

Hello, my name is Nikola, and.... I Wear Glasses! 🙂

What is the best VF on RF 🙂 for me?

 

[rogue_designer]

it depends on how wide you like your lenses.

Personally I wear glasses, and the 1:1 viewfinder on the Canon P works for me perfectly for 50mm lenses. 35 i can't see the framelines, but can pretty well feel out the scene at that point.

When looking at Leica, I've been looking at the .72 mostly. Many have recommended the .58 to me, but being used to the 1:1, it seems so very tiny, It scares me a bit.

 

[rxmd]

Any RF with diopter adjustment or the ability to put in a diopter correction lens.

Philipp

 

[Fred]

Yup I have specs. I can see the 35 lines on my Bessa R and my Leica M with them. I've tried the R3a and with specs I could not see the 40 lines or the 28 on the M. I do use external VFs with my bessa L and R if shooting 28 or wider so it's not a problem for me.

 

[lmd91343]

Nikola,

I have -7.75 diopter glasses. For 35 years I've been looking for the best camera for me to use. This has been my biggest bar to photograhy, next to a bad sense of art . 😉

For RF I found that the Canon 7/7s has the largest exit pupil(?), the opening that is viewed through at the "user" end of the RF/VF. More importantly, the Canon 7/7s also has the greatest eye relief of any RF. It is that distance your eye can be from the rear element. It is greater than any M camera I've played with and any barnack (fsu/leica/canon) I've tried. I wish I could point you to those stats. I dropped them after I got my 7. I can see the 35 frame lines with a little bit of moving my eye about. I still need to push my glasses up against the camera. To protect them I've glued a 1" wide piece of "Foamie" around the eyepiece.

For SLRs, it is easier. I use a Canon F1N with the speed finder.

Modern cameras (nikon and canon foremost) only offer dioptric correction from +1 to -3 (canon used to go to -4). Using manufacturer's dioptric correction won't work for me or anyone with very weak or strong correction.

 

[Jason Sprenger]

Me, I'd love a diopter but my presciption is way too thick (-5.5 and -6.0). The camera would probably start leaning backward.

On weekends, when I'm not staring at a box 20" from my skull, I wear contacts which works really well.

The Bessa R2a's 35mm framelines work better for me with specs than the one on my Leica M2.

I hear wonderful things about the Zeiss Ikon viewfinder but have yet to try one.

 

[clarence]

Do seriously consider wearing contact lenses. I switched over to contact lenses this year, and viewfinders have become much larger, brighter and clearer for me.

Clarence

 

[KoNickon]

Nikola, the Hexar RF (.58 magnification) is great for seeing even 28mm framelines. I imagine a Leica M6, M7, or MP with the .58 viewfinder would be equally good. The Leica CL is fine too; I can see the 40mm framelines quite easily.

The Canon P is a chore to see the 35mm framelines with. Likewise, the R3A, which is also a 1:1 viewfinder, is a little better but it's still hard to see the 40mm framelines.

 

[matt fury]

Seeing the 35mm on my M4 while wearing glasses requires a little peering around in the vf, but it's doable. I hear the ZI is great for glasses, but haven't been able to check one out yet.

 

[Goodyear]

This is why I'm determined to get the hang of contacts.

But in the meantime I do fine with .72 Leicas. Also, I did briefly consider an M3, and found the VF to be fine when I tried it, too.

 

[Avotius]

in the very brief time I played with a ZI I found that it was nice for glasses except the meter on the far left which I could not see comfortably like I could see on the M7 which I would go for if I was to buy another rf

 

[2REP]

I would strongly suggest to give R2A a try as I also wear glasses ... I have no problem seeing the 35mm frameline and the LED reading at the same time

 

[IanForber]

I use a Mamiya 7 and don't have any probs despite having -8 prescription glasses - can see guidelines and meter no problem

 

[VinceC]

The Nikon SP is hands-down the best camera for glasses wearers. The 28mm and 35mm frames are easily seen even with eyeglasses, yet with no compromise for the longer lenses. You get 1:1 viewing/framing/focusing for 50/85/105/135mm lenses. However, price is an obstacle for many people. A good user camera costs $900 to $1,400. And lenses are $200 to $400 apiece.

 

[newfinder]

Does this have something to do with how 'deep' the glasses are?

 

[dll927]

I've worn glasses since I was 14, and by now I'm up (?) to the trifocal stage. Although I will grant that specs can make viewfinders somewhat less than friendly, I've lived with it and manage to get along.

The diopter adjustments certainly are nice, but if you are going to depend on them completely, what about the matter taking glasses off and putting them back on? That becomes inconvenient and at times nearly impossible or at least impractical. I adjust them to sharpest (they usually recommend at infinity setting) and live with it.

 

[captainslack]

I would strongly suggest to give R2A a try as I also wear glasses ... I have no problem seeing the 35mm frameline and the LED reading at the same time

I have an R2A as well and while I can see all the framelines clearly, I have problems seeing the LED's. Frequently, I have to move the camera around until I get it just right. Must the be difference in the glasses you & I wear.

 

[wrenhunter]

I have few problems using the Bessa R with my glasses, even with the eyecup I added. The 21mm finder is OK, too.

Of course, the best VF period is probably ground glass -- but I know you mean 35mm 😉

 

[ghost]

if you're shooting a 28mm or 35mm the best is a low mag viewfinder (.58x, .6x).
if you're shooting a 50mm the best is a standard mag viewfinder (.7x, .72x, .74x).
if you're shooting a 90mm the best is a high mag viewfinder (.85x, .92x, 1:1).