I have found 28 amd M3 combo great, been using this lens on my M4P (.72 finder), and although a compact combo, I find external finder to be very useful, all frame viewable, but focus apart, and at 5.6 you can just focus by feel of tab, and again finder is so much viewable and gives me more the feel of the wide angle that it is, not so through a .72 finder, havenīt try .58 or .60.

It reminds me of the 21 way of use, a lens to be fast, quite not time to focus, and, if so, for me change finder to shoe finder is not a big deal if you have time to focus, and focusing a M3 body is for me faster, so what do you think .72/28 users.

Please donīt find this post a reason to flame.

just some experience to share,

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), April 28, 2002

Answers

Don't want to get too technical, but what 28mm finder are you using? Just wondering which one is brighter or easier to view full frame with. I know that my SBLOO 35mm finder on my M3 is very easy to use with my 35/f2 Summicron.

-- chris a williams (LeicaChris@worldnet.att.net), April 28, 2002.

I've been saying over and over the 28mm finder gives a better feel for what the lens will record than the 28 frameline around the 50mm perspective that you get in the in-camera finder...finally someone tries it and agrees. So many people tout the 28mm frame in the finder like the greatest thing since sliced bread...me I find it useless except in an emergency. I use the 28 finder with my Tri- Elmar even on my Hexar where the 28 frame is clearly visible.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), April 28, 2002.

I like the way both my Voigtlander finder, and the Leica one I had before, hang the image out in front of me at a little distance, rather than requiring me to squash my face into the back of the camera and search all the corners without getting a sense of the way the whole picture holds together.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), April 28, 2002.

Jay,

If 1.0 is lifelike (yes it is) and the normal for 35mm is 43mm, then the 0.91 viewfinder would be close to the 40mm, the 0.72 close to 35, and the 0.58 close to 28 (rounding to the nearest leitz lens)?

-- Steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), April 29, 2002.

I shall try that .58, unfortunately those only come with TTLīs and M7.

Chris, my 28 finder is the plastic one, very clear and large to see through, I also own a metalic 21, and find it smaller to see through.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), April 29, 2002.