M3 viewfinder

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Can anyone tell me the M3 viewfinder is a .58 or .72 or .85?

-- Mitchell Li (mitchli@pacbell.net), October 19, 2001

Answers

The M3 viewfinder is 0.91. Check this URL for more information: http://www.cameraquest.com/leica.htm

-- Muhammad Chishty (applemac97@aol.com), October 19, 2001.

so the M3 has better and bigger view area with the 90mm 135mm lens? even better than the M6 .85?

-- Mitchell Li (mitchli@pacbell.net), October 19, 2001.

Yes, indeed. Really great viewfinder!

-- Steve Hoffman (shoffman2@socal.rr.com), October 19, 2001.

Yes, the finder is bigger than the .85, but it cost you at the wide end. The M3 only has a frame for the 50mm lens as the widest. Many people use the 35mm lens, but all the way out to the metal, so you lose the floating frame lines. the other options were external finders, or "bug-eye" 35mm lenses.

For long lenses, the M3 is very nice, assuming you don't need the meter or quick loading of the M6.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), October 19, 2001.


The M3 finder is nearly lifesize, so it is very easy to shoot with both eyes open. The 90 lines are huge. It great for focusing a fast 50 or 90 wide open. It isn't that easy to buy a really good M3, however, as the cameras are 50 years old now. Many I have looked at have problems in the finder, the least of which is a dirty film that dulls out the image and rangefinder patch, and at the worst, messed up prisms and such. Just about all of them need a good CLA if they haven't had one recently, as the shutter gets gummed up and the winding mechanism also looses the lubrication eventually. When you have shot with a really good M3, like the one I currently have, its a camera you will never sell. Some classic camera experts think the M3 was the best camera ever made from a stand point of design, ergonomics, and build quality.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), October 19, 2001.


Andrew:

Some classic camera experts think the M3 was the best camera ever made from a stand point of design, ergonomics, and build quality.

Some of us non-experts agree with them. Your experience is the same as mine.

Art

-- Art (AKarr90975@aol.com), October 19, 2001.


I have an early m3,made in 1955,i don't see any 90mm finder.How am i shoot with 90mm if i buy one.If any body know?

-- raymond teng (rteng@yahoo.com), October 19, 2001.

Raymond:

The 90mm frameline should show up automatically once you mount a 90mm lens. If it doesn't, then you need to have your M3 repaired.

-- Chris Chen (furcafe@cris.com), October 19, 2001.


Mitchell:

The M3 finder at .91 does not have the flare problems of the M6 family. I have two M3's and an M6 "classic" .72. I prefer the M3's due to the lack of flare. I had both M3's gone through by Leitz in N.J. to the tune of $550 each. I had the both converted to single stroke, the finders cleaned and adjusted and one of them converted to standard PC socket instead of the special one for the early M's. I miss the metering of the M6 and use an MR or MR-4 meter on the 3's. The finders are much better than the M6 for low light usage. If you find a good one, buy it and hang onto it. Mine were made in 1959 and I have had them since 1973. Both of my 3's have the quick load conversion in them and I can load them just like the M6.

Mark J.

-- Mark A. Johnson (logic@gci.net), October 19, 2001.


Mitchell: One caveat. 99.999% of M3 finders are .91 - BUT there is an M3 with a .72 finder sitting on a camera store shelf here in Denver right now. Someone had it converted at some point.

The way to tell a true .91 M3 finder is that the 50mm frame is always visible even when other focal lengths are mounted, has full rounded corners instead of truncated lines, and is the largest frame available.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), October 20, 2001.



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