Voightlander Bessa L alternative using OM-1 and external viewfinder.

Just got an Idea to try the Voightlander Bessa L system before actually buying one.
Some history: I currently own two cameras: olympus OM-1 with 28mm lens and Olympus 35 SP (42mm lens).
I noticed I favor the rangefinder mirrorless feeling vs SLR. It allows me to shoot much slower speeds than the OM1
(the only difference I can think about is the reduction in vibration).
I'd like to have a Rangefinder for 28mm, not only for 42mm, and I use zone focusing most of the time for street job (@F5.6-11). Also I don't usually use
a meter, except at the beginning of the shooting. Then, I was considering to buy a bessa L; but then somebody gave me the
idea to just use the OM-1 with the mirror locked up, and use an external viewfinder (I already have one for 28mm) and looks easy to adapt it to the OM-1 body.
If a more accurate focus is required (portrait) I would release the mirror down and use the OM viewfinder
, focus, lock the mirror up and frame with the external viewfinder (I rarely use the camera for this). And... here are few questions for anyone willing to answer.

1. Are the pictures of the OM-1 with mirror lock up going to improve with the mirror locked up and using external viewfinder, given the fact that I currently use it with zone focusing?
2. Are the pictures going to be close to the quality of a Voigtlander bessa L with an affordable lens?

(i know I can just put a roll on the camera and test it, and I will do it with my next roll...just sharing these questions)

have fun!!!

The om1 mirror is so heavily damped that the vibration reduction won't be noticed. If you can't feel the mirror shock the film won't notice it. The downwards stop is after the shutter closes.

The stop down aperture mechanism still makes a lot of noise. Even if you stop down manually!

If you have a flash shoe the normal external finders will slide in.

1- No. It doesn't matter. The OM-1 has very good mirror dampener.

2- Depends on what lens you put on the Bessa L and the one you put on the OM-1. I'm happy with my OM 28mm /2.8 Zuiko.

A thought for you: do you really need a viewfinder for street photography?

Gee, where to begin?

First, the OM-1 has a much smoother shutter release than the 35SP. The shutter travel on the OM is very short, the release point is very predictable, and the shutter pressure is very light. Because the shutter release on the SP has to trap the needle and set the aperture, the travel is long and stiff. After a full day of shooting the SP my finger would be noticeably sore and tired; this never happened on any OM. The worst part about the SP is that you are never quite sure where in the long, stiff release travel the shutter will actually fire. So if you are using a slow shutter speed you can never precisely time the instant when you had to brace yourself. So, in reality, you can hand hold the OM at least a stop slower than you can with the SP (assuming the 40mm Zuiko on the OM).

As for noise and vibration, I pulled out one of my OM-1's and the 35SP to compare them side by side. The OM has no discernible vibration from the shutter/mirror. This comes as no surprise as OM's have been know for this from the beginning. There is not a significant difference in noise between the two, either. They do sound different, with the OM having a "slap", but the SP has a sharp, metallic click.

I have been using OM's for around thirty years and have run 1000+ rolls thru them. For several years I made a point on shooting only RF's to get a good sense of the difference - mainly the SP, SPn and UC but also the RC, RD and DC. In the end there was a clear choice; the OM's were the overall winner in every aspect. Especially for the 28mm FL you get the choice of three Zuikos, all of them great lenses. The best of the RF's was the "little dicky", the 35RC, due its small size and light weight.

It is a mystery as how you could possibly think you can make the OM-1 "better" than it already is, but if you really are set on a 28mm camera for street shooting, get an XA4.

Your pictures will be better with the mirror locked up on the OM-1 because... with the finder blanked out... you won't change the focus and miss the shot.

I think I was able to detect vibration from the opening curtain with mirror locked up by using a laser pointer and mounting the camera on a fully-extended Star-D tripod. But the difference that it would make would only impact high-resolution special purpose photography... Such as trying to prove 35mm can be as good as 4x5 (wonder who would try to do that?). I think it would be insignificant in normal everyday photography, even for those who care about critical definition.

Bill Burk said:

Your pictures will be better with the mirror locked up on the OM-1 because... with the finder blanked out... you won't change the focus and miss the shot.

I think I was able to detect vibration from the opening curtain with mirror locked up by using a laser pointer and mounting the camera on a fully-extended Star-D tripod. But the difference that it would make would only impact high-resolution special purpose photography... Such as trying to prove 35mm can be as good as 4x5 (wonder who would try to do that?). I think it would be insignificant in normal everyday photography, even for those who care about critical definition.

Click to expand...

The shutter acceleration impulse is present (ie detectable) on all the horizontal run shutters if you don't hold camera tight. there are two impulses. Leicas are the same. The OM1 and most similar cameras use four post variants of the Barnack shutter.

It turns out I tested Spotmatic F, Leica M2 and Canon AF 35ML which all had detectable shutter acceleration impulse... So I didn't test the OM-1. But I believe that you are right Xmas that all horizontal run shutters would have it.

I'd imagine it is the brake(ing) impulse that is detectable as the blind is pulled down from maximum speed, the initial release and acceleration to max speed occurs over a much longer time.

So the blur is on the right hand half of the picture at 1/125...
But you would need a strain gauge to be sure.
It might be a 'double whammy'.