Hi all,

I am looking for a wide angle for my Hexar RF (currently only have the 50mm) and am considering the cosina 25mm. I am not particularly interested in dealing with a separate finder, and was wondering what success people have had using a .58 finder and looking outside the lines for 24/25mm lenses. I am lucky to have good eyes (no glasses) and can see a bit of margin around the 28mm frameline.

Thanks! Nick

-- Niklaus Rab (shredder@daemonworks.com), May 21, 2001

Answers

If you can get your hands on the lens you're best off to test a roll, sighting on objects at the periphery of the finder and seeing where they end up (or *if* they end up!) on film. If not, and you have or can borrow an SLR with a 24mm lens you could make some sight comparisons. An Nikon F(or F2,3,4,5) or a Canon F1 or EOS1, or Contax RTSIII, with 100% viewfinder coverage, would be the most accurate.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 21, 2001.

I use the 25 on a Minolta CLE which is a .58 finder. Works fine by doing corner to corner in the finder, especially for distant shots. I checked it aginst a 24mm and my Nikon SLR, and it is certainly close enough for me to not deal with the shoe mounted finder.

-- Andrew schank (aschank@flash.net), May 21, 2001.

Nick,

If you don't want to see the frames of the 28 and 90 mm when you are using the 25 mm, all you will have to do, is to put some black tape on the central window. All the unwanted frames will disappear.

Lucien

-- lucien (lucien@ubi.edu), May 22, 2001.

Actually, if you don't want to see the 28 and 90 frames in your Hexar when using a voightlander 25, just be sure to buy a screw-to-M-mount adapter labeled "50/75" to mount the lens with...it will bring up the two frames FURTHEST from the frame edge (50mm/75mm) and hence easiest to ignor.

Out of curiosity (since there is no 24 Elmarit-M available in Denver to test) which frame set does the Leica 24 bring up in the finder? Anyone know?

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), June 08, 2001.

Duhhh....oops! That should of course be Voigtlander (no H). And this trick should also work with the .58 Leica body, too. Although the Leica does not show as much 'air' around the 28 frame as the Hexar does, so may not make as good a 24/25 finder (but workable).

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), June 08, 2001.