Which Retina or other folder for eyeglass wearer?

jgoody · Feb 5, 2017

I am looking for a folder - either 35mm or 120. I am looking for something that will fit in a jacket pocket. I wear glasses so ideally the camera would accept an eyepiece diopter, or if not, be ok for the eyeglass wearer. I shoot with an Autocord TLR, Olympus OM 2 (with an eyepiece diopter), and a Canon 7. All the viewfinders work well for me. Is a Retina a bad idea for the eyeglass wearer - and/or can you fit an eyepiece diopter? I have heard that the 111C has the best viewfinder for the eyeglass wearer -- is that so? Other folder suggestions? Thanks!

Paul Howell · Feb 5, 2017

Retnia III C big, best of the folder viewfinders.

mgb74 · Feb 5, 2017

Paul Howell said:
Retnia III C big, best of the folder viewfinders.

I've used a Retina I, II, IIIc, and IIIC. Paul is absolutely correct.

keenmaster486 · Feb 5, 2017

Well, I have a IIa that I used with eyeglasses for a long time. I didn't have any trouble with it, but then again, I'm not very picky

Theo Sulphate · Feb 5, 2017

I've been using one of my IIa's for the last few weeks. What I've discovered is that I have to readjust my eye position a fair bit to see into each of the corners of the frame. However, the viewfinder may be a bit generous in what it shows. In that case, just holding and framing normally might work reasonably well.

jgoody · Feb 5, 2017

Does the cover for the viewfinder / rangefinder unscrew? I have adapted eyepiece diopters in some cameras by replacing the lens in the viewfinder / rangefinder with a correcting one. BTW some of the original ones have a correction that has to be allowed for. And is there a big difference between the 111c and 111C viewfinders?

Fixcinater · Feb 5, 2017

I have the Retina II and it's barely usable with my glasses. It needs to be cleaned but the size isn't going to improve. The Zeiss Ikon 532/16 has a better VF and nice RF patch, and 6x6 negs are nice to have.

I can barely see the 35mm framelines in my Canon 7, maybe your glasses work better with that cam than mine seem to.

Theo Sulphate · Feb 5, 2017

jgoody said:
Does the cover for the viewfinder / rangefinder unscrew? ...

On the IIa, I don't think so. Thankfully, it doesn't scratch my glasses.

Just made this photo of mine:

cooltouch · Feb 18, 2017

I just dug out my IIc from the depths of my gear cabinet and donned my glasses -- with progressive lenses, which often make photography a chore -- and I find that I can see the entire frame without having to move me or the camera around. If I want to see the edges of the viewfinder, however, then I do need to move around some. But since the frame represents the image, I don't see much need for that.

Anyway, bottom line, I don't find it uncomfortable to wear glasses when using my IIc. Heck, I've worn my glasses when shooting with my old Canon rangefinders and their super tiny squinty VF openings, so this IIc is quite comfortable in comparison.

Which Retina or other folder for eyeglass wearer?

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