[Leica] new Zeiss Ikon 21mm brightline finder

[henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff)]

At 12:23 AM +0100 2/3/06, Didier Ludwig wrote:
>  >It's the best 21 finder I have ever seen and significantly 
>brighter and easier to use than any Leica 21 finder. It's also a lot 
>bigger. Whether it's worth well over twice the price of the Cosina 
>finder is up to you. My take is that since finders get misplaced, 
>knocked off and broken off cameras and don't take the picture, I'm 
>not ready to spend $350US for one, even if it is the best one.
>
>
>I have no 21 finders at all so I cannot compare them. But if the 
>soon expected 15mm Zeiss finder has absolutely no barrel distortion, 
>I'll prefer it to the Voigtlander 15mm VF and spend the $350...
>Didier
>

I'm just guessing, but considering that the Zeiss 21 and 25/28 lenses 
and finders are made by Cosina and that the 15 lens and finder are 
made by Zeiss Germany, you can probably count on multiples of $350. 
Going by past experience, it is also likely to be sized in proportion 
to the 15mm Zeiss lens.

When you get that wide, making a finder without distortion costs as 
much as a lens, and it still isn't nearly as accurate as an SLR. 
Making it good also generally means making it big. My 15 on an SLR is 
a lot more accurate than my 15's for the M, even if it is bulky. My 
Hologon finder is better than the Cosina finder, but it is also very 
bulky and cost more in 1974 dollars than the Cosina finder costs in 
2006 dollars.

So... When I shoot with the 15 Heliar or the 15 Hologon, I use the 
Cosina finder, and will continue to do so. Having gone through maybe 
6 or so 21mm and 28mm Leitz and Leica finders, I know that the Cosina 
finder will suffer the same fate at some point. I won't hurt that 
much to replace it, and it is fairly discreet. The 15 Zeiss finder 
will likely be _much_ more expensive and a lot bigger, so I'll pass 
on it as well as on the lens. A 15/2.8 is appealing, but not at that 
size.

-- 
    *            Henning J. Wulff
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