Re: [Leica] 21 mm viewfinder - crazy !

[Jeff Alford <alford@batnet.com>]

There is another option, but it is not cheap! I believe that you can get
bug-eyes put on your 21mm by Reinhold Mueller. I am not sure of the price. I
have the following address and phone number:

150 Laird Drive, Suite 304
Toronto M4G 3V7
Canada

(416) 467-6992
(416) 467-7447 (FAX)

Jeff Alford

Alan Ball wrote:

> Do not want to fuel masoleicist threads but I got to share my very mixed
> feelings regarding a Leica M accessory I purchased last week-end: the
> 21mm auto-proclaimed "brilliant" viewfinder (ref 12008).
>
> How can ANYONE justify the cost of that approximative cheaply assembled
> plastic gizmo ? I can find some reason to the price I paid for the 21mm
> lens (build quality, smoothness of operation, quality of the glass), but
> I feel like a real sucker having been forced into spending over 11.000
> BEF (300 USD) more on an "accessory" that is vital to be allowed to use
> that lens !
>
> That is the price of a Metz 40MZ2, half the price of a mint 50mm
> Summicron, twice the price of a 50mm f1.8 Nikkor, more than a flatbed A4
> scanner, more than a colour inkjet printer, more than a full working
> brand new Stylus Epic...
>
> Leica has been producing 21mm lenses (and viewfinders) for decades.
> There is NO marketing hype that can justify this. It should at the very
> least be included with the lens and/or be at least as correctly built as
> the Contax G equivalent. What I bought does not cost more than 15 USD
> (leather pouch included) to produce...
>
> BTW that piece of plastic is almost impossible to find in Brussels: out
> of inventory with most dealers, with the importer, and, seemingly, with
> Sölms. They all sell the 21mm asph and non-asph, but they sold out the
> viewfinder. Puzzlement, puzzlement...
>
> Alan
> Brussels-Belgium.
>
> RBedw51767 wrote:
>
> > Leica, in my opinion, is trying to keep price down and is doing so with
> > compromises on the R (perhaps on the M, as well).
> >...<CUT>....