Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/12/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Michael Volow wrote: >This is a general question about distortion in finders for ultra-wide lenses >for M-Leicas. > >Of all the 21mm finders for rangefinder Leicaas, are there any that have no >barrel distortion out at the edges of the finder? > >I do not have a Leica 21mm but I do use a Canon 19mm/3.5 LTM/M-adapter on >my M6. Although the Canon 19mm finder is metal and extremely rugged, it >does have considerable barrel distortion around the edges of the images, >making it difficult to align the camera with verticals. > >I surmised that Leica might have better finders, but when I tried out a >21mm finder accommpanying an (old style) 21mm/2.8, it too had barrel >distortion. Is there freedom from barrel distortion in anyone's (Russian >20mm, Contax G) 21mm finder.? All wideangle finders I know of, whether Leica, Hasselblad, Sinar, Zeiss, Horseman, etc. have barrel distortion. To make one without as much distortion would be possible, but the additional cost and/or size would make a rather expensive/bulky item worse, and since it does not affect the quality of the picture, manufacturers have chosen to accept some distortion. I can only agree with their decision. * Henning J. Wulff /|\ Wulff Photography & Design /###\ mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com |[ ]| http://www.archiphoto.com