Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>What advantage does an external viewfinder, attached to the hotshoe, >provide? I would like to know why they are used instead of just using the >normal frames viewfinder on M cameras. I can understand that for short >focal lengths, less than 28mm, the external finder allows you to see the >image area, and the camera's viewfinder window does not extend that wide, >but what advantage would say a 35mm or 50mm external viewfinder provide >that you don't already have built in to the camera? Well, some of us have severe astigmatism, and a corresponding correction for our defect simply can't be ground into a diopter correction lens. So, we use bright line finders and our glasses to compose. Personally, I have a +1.5 diopter correction lens screwed into the eyepiece, and I focus without wearing my glasses. After focusing, I switch back to my glasses and a brightline finder. Yes, it's slow and deliberate; however, it beats the alternative <grin>.. George George Berger gberger@his.com