Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/11/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]on 11/2/02 9:03 AM, Dante Stella at dante@umich.edu wrote: > > I was really blown away at how easy it is to focus a long lens on a > really finely-ground GG. > <SNIP> > > Maybe the bigger problem with more modern SLRs is that manufacturers > have junked up the viewing area with fresnel brighteners, microprisms, > and other things that introduce finder distortion and prevent you from > focusing on anything other than the center of the VF pictures. > Modern SLRs divert a big portion of the incoming light to AF and metering systems, so the viewfinders are optimized for brightness at the expense of focussing ease (who needs to focus anyway? the camera does that) along with focussing patches, on/off grid lines and a whole smorgasbord of data. IMHO the R8/R9 viewfinder is remarkabley bright and easy to focus given it has a full-screen beam-splitter; it's nearly as good as the SL and SL2. As for the E screen in the F3, the E screen for the F and F2 that I used had a fresnel layer but as you've noted with the F3 screen it was easy to focus anywhere on the screen, so the fresnel lens is not what gives modern SLRs the crappy viewfinder. I consider the SL and SL2 viewscreens the best I've used. Like the F3 with E screen, it's ridiculously simple to focus anywhere on the viewscreen and it provides a bright, clear distortion-free view. Doug Herr Birdman of Sacramento http://www.wildlightphoto.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html