Re: [Leica] Finder usage

[CapsTeeth <CapsTeeth@aol.com>]

I recently did a lot of investigating re. auxiliary finders and came to a few
definite conclusions.  I examined the older 21 (metal body) Leitz finder as
well as the newest plastic one, the Bower 21 finder, the Contax G finder and
the Russian finder.  The Russian finder ($140) is very solidly made but as a
glasses-wearer I was unable to see anywhere near the entire field, and even
when I shifted my head to try, the edges were all blurred.  Also, the foot was
rather a loose fit in the hot shoe (would fall out easily) and there's no
milled slot for increasing the tension.  The Bower finder ($200) is very
bright, all metal, has a nice foot with tension adjustment, and is
cosmetically pretty (matches the silver Leica finish)...but it is quite large
(36mm dia) and flares easily viewing against a light source (could use a
lenshood of its own!).  The Contax G finder ($165) is the best buy; has a
plastic foot, though, but at least it is affixed to the finder with screws
(the Leitz is glued on)...also is rather large and matches the Contax finish,
not the Leica, though this isn't a big deal to me.  The Leica (plastic) finder
($300) is the best optically (especially for glasses-wearers, and the plastic
eyepiece won't scratch your glasses) and has a very low profile.  The older
metal Leitz finder isn't a bright as the new one, but is much better made.
However they're getting rarer and ridiculously expensive ($400+).  My final
solution was a used Leitz plastic finder on which I reinforced the foot
attachment using high-strength dental polymethyl-methacrylate resin.  This
involved removing the locking tab (doesn't really do much anyway) and drilling
some tiny grooves in the plastic to form mechanical retention.  The result is
a finder that is snug in the hotshoe and the foot is NOT going to snap off.
Oh yes, I also thought about the "Goggles" conversion (a great idea) but this
would make the lens bulky (won't fit in the slot in my bag), won't work on an
M3, and glasses-wearers would have the same problem seeing the full frame as
with a 28 lens on the M6.   Hope this helps others.

Doc