Zorki 4 VF

[jtzordon]

I wear glasses and, while I am figuring out the best way to see the RF spot, really have to look around to see much of the frame. Anyone else have these troubles? I've contemplated an external VF, but am hesitant fearing I'll have the same problem unless I purchase the CV one, which would be twice the price of my camera + lens + shipping. Thoughts anyone?

 

[pshinkaw]

My eyesight has been getting steadily worse over the past few years. I've tried most of the Soviet rangefinders as well as most of the Japanese ones. The easiest rangefinder/viewfinder to use for me is the Leica M2. I still use the others, but for non-SLR critical focus this has been a joy to use.

-Paul

 

[Jocko]

I wear glasses and, while I am figuring out the best way to see the RF spot, really have to look around to see much of the frame. Anyone else have these troubles? I've contemplated an external VF, but am hesitant fearing I'll have the same problem unless I purchase the CV one, which would be twice the price of my camera + lens + shipping. Thoughts anyone?

"Anyone else have these troubles?" Oh Lord, yes! I'm very shortsighted and have never been able to use the Zorki 4 viewfinder, except as a glorified rangefinder window.

However, I find the Soviet multi-finder is absolutely fine with glasses - and that has a 50mm field of view along with 28,35,85 and 135. It's pleasant to use, offers parallax correction and - best of all - is pretty cheap!. The Soviet 35mm finder is also very good.

Happily these troubles do not affect all Soviet RFs. I find that the FED 1, FED 2, FED 5c and (especially) the Zorki 6 are all "Glasses friendly" - except for the scratches from sharp metal rims (best covered with rubber electrical tape!). Hope that helps! Good luck!

 

[Peter Klein]

I must echo what Paul just posted. In terms of seeing the entire frame, the best viewfinders for glasses wearers are the .72x Leica M viewfinder, the Bessa R, R2 and R2a series (NOT the R3a), and the .58 Leica M viewfinders. And the Hexar RF.

But different glasses wearers need a different eyepoint. It has to do with the shape of your face, how deep-set your eyes are, and your perscription. My own use of a 35mm lens improved drastically when I got contact lenses, even on a .72 M. I could now see the whole frame, rather than just most of it. So I tend to wear contacts if I'm doing fast shooting involving a 35mm lens.

The Zorki 4 viewfinder is useless to me with glasses. All I can see is the RF spot plus a little bit. With contacts, it's OK, but I prefer a Voigtlander brightline 50 finder. One nice thing about the Zorki is that it has a diopter adjustment lever concentric with the rewind knob. People who can see adequately without glasses but need a little help for critical focusing can adjust the diopter lever and all's well.

Perhaps one of the external finders would help you see the whole frame, but they can be a pain to use. For me, the Voigtlander 50mm finder is wonderful without glasses, and usable but a bit restricted in the corners with glasses.

--Peter

 

[Kin Lau]

I wear glasses and, while I am figuring out the best way to see the RF spot, really have to look around to see much of the frame. Anyone else have these troubles? I've contemplated an external VF, but am hesitant fearing I'll have the same problem unless I purchase the CV one, which would be twice the price of my camera + lens + shipping. Thoughts anyone?

Ah.. the faded RF spot problem. Rick Oleson mentioned it in an older thread, and the cheap and easy solution, is to take a black marker, and fill in the just the square for the RF spot on the VF side. Dark tape would also work.

If you're going to buy a CV external VF, you might as well spend a bit more and get the Bessa R.

 

[jtzordon]

On the contact issue, I've begun to be motivated to get them again! It has seemed to be the case that the VF is a glorified RF spot. I'm not incredibly near-sighted, but definitely far from great, but find that I can shoot fine without my glasses on. Of course, unless I'm doing continuous shooting, which is rare, it would be a pain to take them on and off.

It's nice to hear that there are other FSU options, though the Zorki 4 is such a nice looking beast! Also nice to hear about the FSU multi-finder. I might give that a shot, as I've seen it for about half of what the CV 50 is. And that Jupiter 12 has been running through my mind!

 

[jtzordon]

The RF spot is fine, it's just when when the light is dim and I have my glasses on it's a bit hard to find. With out glasses there's no problem.

 

[brians]

Would an rubber eyecup be practical?