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M9 diopter lenses

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
I'm wondering what I should get for a diopter lens on the M9... For reading I use 1.75x or 2x. I read the M9 comes preadjusted to -0.5, but I have no idea what that means or how to determine what diopter lens I need. On other cameras I simply turn the diopter adjustment until the markings and indicators are crisp, but they don't have calibrated scales that I can use to turn this adjustment into a number to order a Leica part. No Leica dealer in SF seems to stock the lenses so I can't just try them out either...

By the way, I have a 1.4x magnifier with diopter adjustment that I use with the 135 Tele-Elmar, and it's great (more so for the diopter than the magnification). But I shoot a lot with 35's and really don't want a magnifier for regular use...

I guess if I use one that's too strong I'll have difficulty seeing distance through the viewfinder. So maybe -1 or -1.5?
 

Chuck Jones

Subscriber Member
Jan, you sure come up with some of the darn toughest questions <Grin>.

When we going out shooting? You up for tackling Muir Woods this week if the weather holds? I'd like to get it clear and sunny and also right after a rain storm myself. Anyone else in the Bay Area interested in joining us?
 

dfarkas

Workshop Member
Jan,

If you need glasses for reading and not for distance, then you need to being looking at a positive diopter value. You are correct that the M9 viewfinder has a built-in -0.5 correction. The other consideration is that the viewfinder of the M9 is not optically adjusted for your reading distance, nor for infinity. It is actually set at 2m (about 6ft). So, ideally, you should consult your eye doctor to see what your prescription would be at 2m, then add an additional +0.5 to compensate for the built-in correction and you will know exactly what diopter you need.

The other option is the guess a range, say +1.0 to +2.0, get them all, and return the ones that don't fit the bill. Happy to help you on the that if you want. We stock a pretty good selection of the diopters.

David
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
Another possibility is a 1.15x MS-MAG magnifier from Japan Exposures since this has a variable diopter. 1.15x might be okay...
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Another possibility is a 1.15x MS-MAG magnifier from Japan Exposures since this has a variable diopter. 1.15x might be okay...
I have that 1.15X third party mag. The issue I found with the diopter adjustment portion is that there is no lock on it and it can be moved out of adjustment.

I suppose you could apply a dab of removable glue on the underside once you had it set perfectly for your eyes ... but personally, I'd take David up on his offer to send a variety of Leica diopters and see which works for you.

BTW, the reason I use the old style Leica bullet type W/A finder with my 21/1.4 is because it takes the Leica diopters.

I now always use the Leica 1.25X and 1.4X mags on my M9s, and the hit ratio of perfect in-focus subjects went way, way up


-Marc
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
David s explanation is accurate . If you do not need glasses for distance then you most likely need the +1.5 this converts to (+1.5 -0.5=1.0) . So the effective magnification is +1.0. Go to any drug store and put on a pair of +1.0 readers and look at a target of 2M .

But if David has a 1.0 ,1.5 and 2.0 then you could just buy all three and return two. This is how to be sure.

Be aware that they have a tendency to fall out . Some recommend a little nail polish on the thread.

The Zeiss finders take the same diopter that is used with the Zeiss RF camera and the same logic applies ..the finders are set at -0.5 and for 2M .

I use both the 1.25X and 1.4X ....but will sometimes go without the 1.25X if I am using a wide angle that requires a finder. You need a diopter for the magnifiers.

I always travel with a spare diopter as loosing one mid trip is not fun.
 

atanabe

Member
I have that 1.15X third party mag. The issue I found with the diopter adjustment portion is that there is no lock on it and it can be moved out of adjustment.

I suppose you could apply a dab of removable glue on the underside once you had it set perfectly for your eyes ... but personally, I'd take David up on his offer to send a variety of Leica diopters and see which works for you.

BTW, the reason I use the old style Leica bullet type W/A finder with my 21/1.4 is because it takes the Leica diopters.

I now always use the Leica 1.25X and 1.4X mags on my M9s, and the hit ratio of perfect in-focus subjects went way, way up


-Marc
I also have a magnifier with adjustable diopter (mega Pearls) and I didn't use glue but instead went to the hardware store and picked up a variety of "o" rings with different thicknesses and adjusted the diopter till it compressed the "o" ring slightly, locking the adjustment. A good removable adhesive is a drop of Coca Cola -regular sweet, not diet and let it dry. Remember, just a drop! The threads can be cleaned with a cotton swab and plain water if you decide to change it later.
 

John Black

Active member
Count the clicks on dSLR when adjusting the diopter the neutral spot to the max. From that you can deduce what your diopter need is.
 

Peter Klein

New member
I use the Megaperls 1.15x magnifier specifically because it has an adjustable diopter setting. My eyes changed a lot in the last few years. The Megaperls saved me having to buy different several different diopters for my M cameras (you don't want to know how much I've spent on glasses in the last few years!).

The problem with the Megaperls is that the eyepiece is just metal against my glasses, and it has two notches for your fingernails to turn the eyepiece to adjust the diopter. The notches have an "edge" that might scratch. So I cut up one of Stephen Gandy's stick-on M eyepiece protectors and put them on the Megaperls' eyepiece. This works, but that plus the glasses makes my eye a little too far away to see the whole 35mm frame on the M8.
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
Just to follow up... I ended up with a Japan Exposures 1.15x with adjustable diopter. They must have redesigned it because this one has the diopter adjustment part inside the main outer shell. It's more or less flush, and well damped so doesn't move easily. I can't see it accidentally shifting, so no more dabs of coke on the threads!

The 1.15x is quite nice and brings the M9 pretty much to life-size. There's some slight optical degradation, but it's a worthwhile trade-off IMO. Even better would be a 1x adjustable diopter! But I'm pretty happy with this solution.

Recommended. :thumbup:
 

Peterm1_Leica

New member
The easiest way I have found is to go to your local chemist store (read drug store I suppose in USA) and find the stand where they have non prescription reading glasses. Then start trying them on and looking through your finder.

In my case my right eye (my preferred shooting eye) requires +2.75 for reading. By trial and error I found that a lens of around +1 to +1.5 is about right for use with the Leica. This is therefore the correct diopter to buy. This makes sense remembering that the Leica finder has an apparent focusing distance of around 2 meters and hence the lens does not need to be as strong as for reading which is normally carried out much closer. (My optometrist subsequently confirmed this fact for me when I happened to be having new reading glasses made.) I have persisted using a cheap pair of non pescription reading glasses for shooting but will soon buy the diopter adjustment lens.

Not being an optometrist myself I had and have no idea about the optics of eye correction but have definitely found I focus more accurately when wearing my lenses for this purpose.
 
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