[Leica] Leica] Re: Those who wear glasses

["Peter A. Klein" <pklein@2alpha.net>]

Lee ("Leslie E. England" <engl6914@iamerica.net>) says:
>     I've had an M2 for about 6 months and have had the same problem with
> glasses, no matter which pair I used.  I can barely see the 50 mm frame
> lines, and forget about the 35 frame lines. 

I have the same problem--can't see the 35mm frame, and I often lose a
corner or edge of the 50mm frame in a standard .72x Leica M.

I think the variation between people has to do with the shape of your
face, the thickness of your glasses, how close to your eye the glasses
are set, and the length of your eyelashes.

FWIW, there are only two RF cameras I've tried where I could see the
35mm frame comfortably with glasses--the M6 TTL 0.58x, and the Bessa R. 
In fact, it's one reason why I seriously considered the Bessa R.  Since
I could only afford a used "M," I have just lived with it, using one of
Stephen Gandy's eyeglass protectors and mashing my glasses into my face,
crunching my eyelashes slightly when using a 35mm lens.  Not pleasant,
so I usually end up doing the best I can and then cropping.  It's too
bad Leica doesn't make a true high-eyepoint viewfinder. .58 is a little
too small for really confident focusing.

People who are farsighted can simply use the camera without glasses. 
People like me who are nearsighted and long-lashed cant get away with
that--I can't see the world without glasses, so the diopter adapter
isn't much help.

The whole camera/eyepoint issue, combined with the hassle of having
bifocals plus computer glasses, has pushed me to do something about it. 
I'm going to try monovision contact lenses.  This is where you have a
distance lens in one eye and a reading lens in the other.  My boss has
these, and loves them.

Laser surgery is one thing I'm NOT considering.

- --Peter Klein
Seattle, WA