Canon IVSB -tiny viewfinder

[darinwc]

I picked up a Canon IVSB.
It was sold for parts/asis. It appears to work perfectly, though the shutter is a bit noisy. Sounds like it needs a lube.
I do like the size of the camera. Very compact. My Olympus OM1 is about the same size, but the Canon feels nicer in the hands. (the lens is offset, so you get a little more grip)

However I was surprised by the extremely small viewfinder/rangefinder. I've used a Retina, Contax ii, and Vitessa before, so I was not expecting a big window.
-But the Canon IVSB's finder was like looking through the head of a large needle.

This was surprising to me, because people had mentioned it had a nice finder.

Does the Leica iii series have a similar tiny finder? Or am i just spoiled by other cameras?

 

[jimjm]

I find the Canon IVSB and the Leica IIIf pretty similar as far as the VF goes - squinty and not real inspiring. My Leica is a bit brighter, but a big plus for the Canon is the combined VF/RF in one view. Also The Canon has switchable views for 50/100/135 lenses. The Leica only gives you a view for 50mm lenses. I have a Contax IIA and it is a bit bigger and brighter than these two, but nothing from that period touches an M-series Leica. The later Canon screw-mounts like the P were much improved, though.

I find these older screw-mounts like the IVSB and the IIIF much nicer to use with an external brightline VF from Leitz or Voigtlander. Maybe not any faster, but with wider lenses you can pre-focus and frame really quickly. These external finders are so bright and clear, they make framing a lot easier for me.

OM-1/OM-2 is still the brightest VF I've ever found in an SLR. Most RF cameras won't compare, except for Leica M and some later cameras like Zeiss Ikon and Cosina Voigtlanders.

 

[Xmas]

Canon finders got better from Canon V and on, indeed a P with a 35mm is better than a M2 or M3 in dim light if you have reasonable acuity.

An OM1 is bright with a /1.8 cm but dim with a /3.5 28mm, but ok I could use the /2 28mm.

 

[Jim Jones]

Canon followed Leica in making viewfinders that permitted the minimum possible camera size. For top quality in a small package, it was a wise choice. For years I usually traveled light and shot Kodachrome with a Leica IIIf. Despite the need for precise framing, the compact size and tiny viewfinder were a good compromise. I missed that when I had to move up to a M-series Leica.