Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/03/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Bob, as the person originally responsible for the "goggled" 21's I can probably answer your questions. I am waiting to go to the airport for a flight to Rome so this will kill some time. The original design used a 21/3,4 S-A, I had a couple of these converted by Reinhold and liked it very much. Reinhold and I then decided to do the 21/,2,8 Elmarit. This one is big, but not unusably big. The hood does interfere somewhat but it is till highly usable. Of course the 21/3,4 blocks the meter cell in the M6, while the 21/2,8 allows full use of the cameras metering. Reinhold usually changes the bayonet to kick in the 28 frame in a M4P or M6. With the M4P/M6 you get slightly less than the 21 mm, there is a antireflection mask that cuts off a bit. I tend to use my 21's on M4's or M2's, you get the full frame, "What you see is what you get". I also cover up the small cutout on the goggles that lets light in to the frameline illumination window. Then you have NO framelines to distract you, only the focussing patch and the full frame of the viewfinder. The goggles used are those from the M3 35 Summicron and it involves some machining of the mount to fit ( particularly the 21/2,8). I have used these converted lenses since we started doing them and would not use a top mounted finder again. The 21/2,8 Asph can be modified ( I had mine goggled last year and it is going to Rome today, probably will be the main or secondly most used lens there, only competition is the 35/1,4 Asph). The 21/3,4 is smaller, but, and I never thought I would say this, the 21/2,8Asph is better !!! Well, the hardship of travel, sunshine, red wine and pasta beckons, as well as meeting fellow LUGgers in Rome, so I better head to the airport. I will be back in a couple of weeks and if you have more questions, either talk to Reinhold or contact me. Ciao! Tom A