VF blockage using ZM 35 1.4

[Huss]

Not sure if I'm liking the usage of this lens. It's kinda ridiculous that there is this much VF blockage with a 35mm lens.
It may be a 'better' lens than the Cron Asph, but the Cron just works with the camera.

ZM 35 1.4 as seen through the VF of my M:

 

[helen.HH]

Well I suppose it keeps You on your toes 'framing'...
but for me I am never hyper concerned about framing...

All depends how much You Love it's rendering versus size, vf blockage 😀

 

[presspass]

What's the viewfinder magnification of your M? The .85 will do that easily, the .72 is a bit better, and the .58 is the best for cutting down on the blockage. All of that, of course, assumes a film M; if you mean the digital one, you're stuck.

 

[pechelman]

ignore the blockage & compose in your mind

one thing i've relearned with switching back to a rangefinder is that when I'm looking for a shot with the camera down, I'm looking for interesting subjects in scenes. Before i raise the camera, I have an idea of where I want to place the subject in the scene, so I immediately raise the camera and place the subject where I want, usually on one of the 1/3rd points. I find it very unusual for me to want to place a subject\main focal point deep in the corner of a frame, so it's not a big deal. If you're more into shooting scenes than specific subjects or focal points, you'll struggle with this blockage.

Once you learn that, it's even possible to use a ~.68X viewfinder to shoot a 21mm. Just tuck the subject into the corners of the frame of the 28mm framelines. Here, blockage of the 21mm lens in the 28mm framelines becomes a little more important.

having said all of that, i dont own the ZM35 1.4 but I am very used to composing with the 28mm cron with the stock hood and the 35mm summilux hood on a .68X.

 

[Huss]

What's the viewfinder magnification of your M? The .85 will do that easily, the .72 is a bit better, and the .58 is the best for cutting down on the blockage. All of that, of course, assumes a film M; if you mean the digital one, you're stuck.

I think the M240 is .68

 

[SaveKodak]

On the M 240 for me the results were worth it. The bulk of the M made up for it. On the M4...well, I stick with the Biogon. VF blockage never bothered me much on an RF. I just consider framing approximate anyways.

 

[Huss]

Yeah, I just shoot through it, imagining it is not there. The lens' results are spectacular but it just shows the trade off that was required to make a lens like that.
Leica also could have made a lens this good or better if they didn't care about the size and the haptics on an RF camera.

It's similar to the CV 35 1.2 but I only use that lens on an M5, where the size balances beautifully with the size of the camera.

 

[aizan]

that's about the same as the noctilux. it might be annoying when you have leading lines that terminate in the corner, but you have to juggle so many other things compositionally for slow shots anyway, and it's pointless for grab shots, so it's not bad.

 

[papaki]

Damn! And I have just bought one! I guess I should had tried one before buying. I do not like it blocking that much either.

 

[scigeek]

Just get an accessory finder.

 

[splitimageview]

Fantastic lens. Worth the sacrifice. 🙂

 

[jonmanjiro]

I'd forego the hood. This lens doesn't need one IMO.

For film shooters, the lens works quite well on a Zeiss Ikon with its large finder (or a Leica 0.58 finder).

 

[leicapixie]

Amazing after all these years, Leica folks have to imagine, guess.
No wonder in the 60's almost everybody voted SLR.
Sure kept a M, but lenses that did NOT need extra viewfinders.
The Leica M has now huge lenses, that block.

 

[Huss]

Amazing after all these years, Leica folks have to imagine, guess.
No wonder in the 60's almost everybody voted SLR.
Sure kept a M, but lenses that did NOT need extra viewfinders.
The Leica M has now huge lenses, that block.

It's not a Leica lens. The Leica 35 Asph 1.4 is tiny compared to this Zeiss.
But it costs more.

Leica made the decision to combine form and function, while Zeiss went for function.

 

[Huss]

Just get an accessory finder.

I already have a 35 finder that I use on M3s and MDAs, but it is completely goofy to put a 35mm finder on a camera that has 35mm view lines. You can't focus with it. Might as well use the live view function which would be much more accurate than the 35mm finder, and allows focus and real time exposure management. But that takes the joy out of R photography and using that focus mechanism.

 

[seakayaker1]

I have a few lens that have VF blockage and have found that it does not matter after awhile. You take enough images and you get a good enough feel for how the whole image will be framed.

With that said it is fun shooting with small lens that give you the full view and some folks seem to build their kits this way. Owning a combination of Voigtlander, Zeiss, and Leica modern and older lens I cross the spectrum from clear to blockage in the VF.

The joy of using the rangefinder camera overcomes the issue regarding VF blockage with some lens for me.

 

[Huss]

Fantastic lens. Worth the sacrifice. 🙂

Shot at 1.4 in a dimly lit room: