Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/05/17

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Subject: [Leica] FinderCam app for iPhone
From: pswango at att.net (Phil Swango)
Date: Sat, 17 May 2014 22:52:40 -0600

I ran across a neat little 99 cent app for the iPhone that emulates the
bright frame finder of M Leicas.  I used the Ms for years and always missed
the bright frame finder when shooting with the phone so I thought I'd try
this simulation, which also offers the ability to change formats with a
single swipe.

It works like this:  holding the phone horizontally (like a Leica), you
change formats by swiping up or down, and change focal length frames by
swiping left or right.  In practice it really is reminiscent of the M2, in
that in 35mm lens emulation the frames are pretty much at the outer
boundaries of the screen, but swiping to the 50mm mode you see the area
outside the frame, just like on an M, and at 85mm you see even more, etc.
 Like the M2 it works best at 35-50mm, but that's my comfort zone anyway so
it works well for me.

The downside is that it apparently works by cropping rather than zooming,
not what you really want, but in practice I'm getting usable files at the
wider ends of the focal length range and I don't shoot long lens emulation
on the phone anyway.

I haven't done any pixel-peeping with the files but I like what I'm getting
in the phone display, and I like having the Leica experience when composing.

If anyone here tries it I'd like to hear from them.

-- 
Phil Swango
307 Aliso Dr SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
505-262-4085