Which 3.5 viewfinder for S2

[OnCam]

Thinking about picking up a 35mm lens for my Nikon S2,

The genuine Nikon viewfinders seem to vary quite a lot in both size & price is quite high..

Are any 35mm viewfinder suitable to use, such as zeiss, leica or voigtlander etc ?

Probably looking for best bang for buck at this stage but aesthetically don't want to ruin the look too much either ..

I found this picture on instagram and would like to find something similar, not sure which viewfinder this is I have asked but no response...

 

[steveyork]

Light Lens Lab has a replica of the Leica SBLOO. Another option, but probably bigger than for which you're searching.

You may want to consider an old pre-war Zeiss Ikon 3.5cm finder for their Contax series rangefinder. They'll be a bit smaller. Not sure how the old optics will hold up though.

Best "bang for the buck" possibly the Russian Kiev finders, on those auction sites.

 

[Beemermark]

Any 35mm viewfinder will work. Brand name ones like Nikon, Leica, et will cost more. All will do the job. just depends on your budget and how particular you are. I have Leica, Canon, & Voigtlander VF and really think they are all just fine. Probably the best bang for the buck in my opinion are the Canon VF.

 

[keytarjunkie]

The viewfinder in the photo is the Voigtlander 28/35 mini finder. That is about as expensive as they get.

Unfortunately there are no good cheap options. You'll have to spend some money for the black 3.5cm Nikon brightline finder (take a look at KEH), or the modern Voigtlander metal brightline finder. The metal Leica finders are nice too. I would avoid tunnel viewfinders like the Contax or Canon or earlier Nikon chrome finder. I would avoid the Olympus VF-1 which has the wrong aspect ratio. The Zeiss finder for Sony RX1 probably has the best optical quality, but it's kind of large. KEKS has a plastic viewfinder which is pretty terrible - I'm waiting for some of these new companies that make light meters to start making good viewfinder accessories. Meanwhile, prices on S3's are pretty low, it might be a good excuse for a new camera...

 

[Deardorff38]

That looks like the Voigtlander 28/35 (https://www.ebay.ca/itm/194252631186...QAAOSwqCdg-mUq) they're no longer in production and asking prices are $650USD+. They look lovely but because they're small, the exit pupil is small and you have to line you eye up very carefully to see the corners. (i've had a couple). They also have a very small rubber insert at the viewer end that falls out easily....would be impossible to find a replacement for...& then you scratch your glasses or sunglasses. The SBLOO is big.
The metal Voigtlander 35mm finder is a pretty good compromise in both size & price
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/234413614987...3ABFBM4JXhrMhg

 

[Retro-Grouch]

In general, brightline finders give a little more accurate framing (non-brightline framing shifts as you de-center your eye) and they allow you to see outside the framelines, just as you can with the Nikon's built-in 50mm framelines. Unfortunately, they tend to be more expensive. As Deardorff38 said, the Voigtlander is the way to go. Buy the best you can afford; your shooting experience will reflect that.

 

[Erik van Straten]

In my view the Leitz SBLOO is the best; their bright lines are curved to anticipate to the optical distortion of the finder itself, so it is easy to line up with straight lines in the subject. The SBLOO is also available in black, but black is very rare.

Erik.

 

[Erik van Straten]

gelatin silver print (nikkor 35mm f1.8) nikon s2

Erik.

 

[Nitroplait]

Olympus VF-1 is probably the cheapest quality finder out there now.
The M43 aspect ratio is a non issue as all accessory finders have a fairly large margin of error - none can be used for precision framing.
The VF-1 brightlines are intended for 34mm equivalent and if you use the inner edge of the horizontal lines and the outer edge of the verticals, it is as 3:2 as it gets.
The finder prevents lifting the shutter dial on Barnack Leica because the dial is very close to the accessory shoe (see my workaround below), but that does not look like this would pose a problem on an S2.
The aesthetics is another matter. I had to cover the plastic "chrome" center part with black masking tape to live with that.

 

[WJJ3]

Thinking about picking up a 35mm lens for my Nikon S2,

The genuine Nikon viewfinders seem to vary quite a lot in both size & price is quite high..

Are any 35mm viewfinder suitable to use, such as zeiss, leica or voigtlander etc ?

Probably looking for best bang for buck at this stage but aesthetically don't want to ruin the look too much either ..

I found this picture on instagram and would like to find something similar, not sure which viewfinder this is I have asked but no response...

I use the CV minifinder on my S2 when I shoot my W-Nikkor 35mm and it is great. Highly recommended! I was lucky to pick one up a few years back before the prices went up, but I think these will hold their value so even at current prices you can recoup what you laid out for one when you are done with it. Same goes for the 3.5 cm f1.8 W-Nikkor...

A recent photo shot with this rig

Sakurajima

 

[Erik van Straten]

I use the CV minifinder on my S2 when I shoot my W-Nikkor 35mm and it is great.

I'm sorry, but I disagree. Finders with more frames than one are disastrous. At the moment supreme you don't know which frame to use. You automatically think more about your viewfinder than about the subject you are photographing. It should be forbidden to build more than one frame in a viewfinder.

Erik.

 

[WJJ3]

I'm sorry, but I disagree. Finders with more frames than one are disastrous. At the moment supreme you don't know which frame to use. You automatically think more about your viewfinder than about the subject you are photographing. It should be forbidden to build more than one frame in a viewfinder.

Erik.

I mostly agree with you Erik. The 28mm frameline in the CV minifinder doesn’t bother me though. I barely see it. I view with my left eye, which I can’t get very close to the rear side of finders because my nose is in the way. So I always look for finders with a decent amount of eye relief. The 35mm frameline in the minifinder has what I would consider decent eye relief. The 28mm frameline doesn’t.

 

[Coldkennels]

Finders with more frames than one are disastrous. At the moment supreme you don't know which frame to use. You automatically think more about your viewfinder than about the subject you are photographing. It should be forbidden to build more than one frame in a viewfinder.

That's the most hilariously absurd thing I've ever heard. I've been using the 28/35 mini finder for over a decade and in that entire period I've never once bought it to my eye and gone "oh, shit, which frame do I need?"

To be honest, my bigger problem with the 28/35 finder is that the framelines aren't particularly visible at certain angles/in certain light. The 28mm lines are effectively the whole view with glasses on, but for 35mm, it can be a pain to frame when half the line has seemingly disappeared. This might just be a Me Problem - either something to do with wearing glasses, or maybe my finder's just seen better days - but it is annoying. That said, it's by far the smallest viewfinder for those focal lengths so I'm happy to deal with it purely for the sake of a compact kit.

Anyway. The cheapest decent 35mm finder is probably the VIOOH, but it's got rounded corners in the viewfinder, and it's somewhat oversized. You can do a lot worse, but you can do a lot better, too.

The pre-war single focal length viewfinders for the Contax can be found cheaply if you're patient and are considerably better - very bright and clear, and easy to dismantle and clean. I love my 28mm one and I'd pick up the 35mm one in a heartbeat if I used that focal length more. I'd take these over the Canon finders, personally.

Stay away from the Soviet turret. Mine is considerably wider at 28mm and 35mm than the marked focal lengths - 35mm gives more of a 30mm equivalent field of view. While all accessory viewfinders are an approximation, that's too inaccurate for me to be comfortable with.

 

[Erik van Straten]

That's the most hilariously absurd thing I've ever heard. I've been using the 28/35 mini finder for over a decade and in that entire period I've never once bought it to my eye and gone "oh, ****, which frame do I need?"

Maybe you don't do street photography, but I do. Fortunately, Nikon made a nice viewfinder exclusively for the 35mm lenses. I have that finder too! I also have the mini finder, but I've never used it. It is indeed a very nice finder, but it is a pity that Voigtländer has put two frames in it. One might as well have made two different viewfinders, one with a 35mm frame and another with a 28mm frame. Everyone would have been happy with that. Why did two frames need to be crammed into one viewfinder?

Good luck with your pictures!

Erik.

 

[Beemermark]

I'm sorry, but I disagree. Finders with more frames than one are disastrous. At the moment supreme you don't know which frame to use. You automatically think more about your viewfinder than about the subject you are photographing. It should be forbidden to build more than one frame in a viewfinder.

Erik.

I hate multi framelines in my viewfinder. Unfortunately I've come to live with it in my M7.

 

[splitimageview]

Here is a housing for repurposing a Canon Sure Shot Owl viewfinder. https://www.metro-case.com/grips/viewfinder

 

[the_hunter]

As an owner of a Nikon verifainder and an early 35mm finder. Neither are great, I would prefer a bright line finder with parallax lines. The best options are Voighlander, Leica or Light Lens Labs. With Leica being the most expensive by a factor of X2. I am seriously considering buying a LLL but I like my pure Nikon setup despite its flaws.

 

[peterm1]

I have this little Canon viewfinder in chrome which I have had for many years. It's a nice simple finder which works well and looks good on everything i have used it on. A slightly later black and chrome finder from Canon is available too but goes for more money (and I have to say all of these things have gone up in price these days - I was shocked when I saw how much they attract. I think I paid $100 for mine but that was quite a few years back). Note the price shown is in Australian dollars so make the necessary adjustment to US dollars or other currency.

"Exc+5" CANON 35mm View Finder For Rangefinder F1.5 F2.8 Etc LTM L39 JAPAN | eBay