Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/02/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Not a difficult task at all building a zoom viewfinder. But not for Leica....notice how much it charges for a simple 1.25x magnifier ? - --- Dante Stella <dante@umich.edu> wrote: > Karen: > > Building a zoom viewfinder would not be that tough > of a task. The > X-pan has one. However, if it were clear and easy > to see, it would be > huge from front to back. Because the viewfinder is > itself a galilean > telescope, the dimension would need to be twice as > big at a 2x setting > to maintain the same relative brightness (i.e., > f/stop). > > Canon did a variable mag viewfinder (actually, a > couple of variations) > in the 1950s. It had a fuzzy-edged RF spot, > reflected framelines and a > tendency to come apart. Even in its best > incarnation, in the VI > series, it was so-so. The Canon design is flatly > incompatible with the > projected framelines that Leicas have. > > Where Leica has really fallen short is in making > field-compensating > viewfinders. In 1959, at least three cameras > (selling for 1/4 to 1/2 > the price of an M3) were out that showed 95% of the > field at all > distances, not just 90% at 10 feet, as the Leica > did. > > Even if it is impractical to combine shrinking-field > framelines with a > 6-frame finder, I would have loved to see, say, an > 0.72 M6 with only > 35mm frames (but fully parallax and field corrected) > or a 0.85x with > only 50mm. You could actually get two sets of > framelines in - a Konica > IIIM has full-and-half frame 35mm lines like this; > the Koni-Omega has > lines for the 90 and 180; and the Fuji G690 and G670 > have 100 and 150 > lines. That of course depends on your having the > presence of mind to > remember what lenses you are using. > > Dante > > On Sunday, February 23, 2003, at 11:19 PM, Karen > Nakamura wrote: > > > > >> > >>> So let me see if I understand this. > >>> After 47 years they still haven't been able to > >>> incorporate a zoom vf and I'm suppossed to be > excited? > >> > >> One of the advantages OF a rangefinder for me is > being able to see > >> more than > >> the framed image. > > > > Yes, but think how convenient it'd be if you could > have a little > > switch on the side of the camera marked 1.0x, > 1.5x, 2.0x and with > > that little switch, the finder would switch > magnifications. You could > > always stay in the magnification level you wanted > (0.5, 0.75, and 1.0) > > to optimize between seeing "outside" the lines and > RF accuracy. > > > > Imagine how .... groundbreaking that would be.... > It would require > > engineering of the highest degree and use of the > most sophisticated > > materials. I bet even the best Japanese > engineers couldn't have > > even produced that .... 45 years ago. > > > > Karen > > > > -- > > To unsubscribe, see > http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > > > > ____________ > Dante Stella > http://www.dantestella.com > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html