Big viewfinders

abdoujaparov

abdoujaparov

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,717
Name
Keith
Edit My Images
Yes
I was just idly picking up my 35mm SLRS and looking through them when I realised quite how massive the view through my Pentax ME Super is - 0.95 magnification, as I found out when I looked it up.

Are there any other 35mm with notably large viewfinders? I hadn't realised quite how much nicer it was to look through it until I made the direct comparison.
 
The Olympus OM1 and OM2 viewfinders are large. I haven't had much experience with 35mm SLRs apart from Olympus. Shop comparison with Nikon F2 and OM1 and use of Minolta 700/7xi/9xi and Exakta Varex IIb and Exa IIb constitute my limits.

Can you see the whole frame on the ME Super without moving your eye? I found that I could with the OM1 after I checked following discovering another camera that didn't let me do this, meaning that acccurate framing was impossible unless the camera was anchored.
 
StephenM said:
Can you see the whole frame on the ME Super without moving your eye?
Click to expand...

Good question. I picked it up again - yes, I can. The whole viewfinder thing is doubly complicated for me as a spectacle wearer, but I can see the whole frame, yes.
 
The Minolta X500 viewfinder is excellent. I'd say it's on a par with the OM1 and OM2s I had.
 
The Yashica FR1 viewfinder is big too, well I think that all the FR and FX cameras have the same big finder.

The thing with the Pentax ME Super is about such big finder in a small body.
 
Last edited:
Pentax MX has 0.97 magnification and 95% of the field... and lovely and clear too... :)
 
The Leicaflex SL is supposed to have a big bright viewfinder.

I'd love to get one to join my R6 and R7 but I keep thinking about getting out of 35mm.
 
It's worth looking through the viewfinder of a Pentax Auto 110. It puts many 35mm cameras to shame.
 
Yashica FR1 and Contax RTS both have a 92% viewfinder.
This was increased to 97% for the RTS II, which I think was the biggest coverage of any SLR back then (?).
The Contax 139 and 137were 95%
 
desf said:
I think people who have only used crop dslrs would be shocked about how good these viewfinders are.
Click to expand...

Very true. Before it died a few weeks ago, I picked up my other half's old D70 and couldn't believe how tiny the viewfinder was.
 
The brightest and largest 1-1 view.
of any was the agfa kontur viewfinder.
you kept both eyes open the eye looking though the finder just saw an albada type white frame overlaying the scene, seen by the other eye.
 
I have too many 35mm SLRs and although I love my Nikons, my OMs were until recently by far the biggest and brightest viewfinders of any of my cameras. That was until I got a Contax RX, you need Ray Bans on a bright day when looking through it.:cool:
 
The Nikon F-801s (N8008S in USA) also has a big finder, from the specs: Fixed eye level pentaprism High-eyepoint type; 0.75X magnification with 50mm lens set at infinity; 94% frame coverage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top