Will the full frame of the M6 or M7 .58 viewfinder provide a sufficient view for the 24mm to not use a seperate viewfinder? Thanks, Bill

-- william j hart (bill.hart@husch.com), May 30, 2002

Answers

I have heard many variations on this question and also many different claims for being able to us the viewfinder for superwides. One chap felt comfortable using the 0.58x for the 21!

I think it depends more on the shape of your face than anything else. With a big nose and a protruding brow, you will be lucky if you can see the 90 framelines :-)

-- John Collier (jbcollier@shaw.ca), May 30, 2002.

The .58 WILL provide a wide-enough view for adequate framing with a 24. The question is - will your eyes provide a wide-enough view to make use of it? I got headaches trying to peer sideways into the corners to frame with a 21/24, so I quit.

The 24 lens will block a fair amount of the lower-right corner - just so you know.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), May 30, 2002.

I use a Hexar RF with my 24mm - it's roughly the same magnification as a .58 Leica. If I push my eye right up to the viewfinder (a little bit tricky since I'm left-eyed and my nose gets in the way), it's pretty close to the view of a 24mm lens. The frames look almost identical when I glance back and forth between the Hexar viewfinder and Leica's 24mm auxiliary viewfinder. I imagine results would be very similar with a .58-magnification Leica

What I'm finding, however, is that neither viewfinder can quite capture the exaggerated sense of perspective that a 24mm lens gives, how a subject close to the lens will really seem to 'jump out' from the background. The Hexar viewfinder is the angle-of-view of a 24mm lens, with the perspective of a 35...it took a little while at first to get used to the difference.

-- Mark S. (mas499@hotmail.com), May 31, 2002.