Manual focus SLR with biggest and brightest viewfinder

Bob van Sikorski · Joined: 12 Jan 2009 Posts: 287 Location: Czech Republic

Many of you have or has many MF 135film SLR's. I would like to ask you general question: which film SLR camera have the biggest and brightest SLR?

I have personally:

Praktica PLC3: small dark viewfinder
Pentax Spotmatic: brighter, but not that much bigger
Minolta X700: really big and bright viewfinder.

Is there any better option than X700? Maybe Nikon FM2? Maybe Canon A1? Maybe Olympus OM? Please answer honestly and independently of lens mount, or adaptability of other systems (M42, adaptall etc). Answer as to person, which is not grounded in some system because of bunch of lenses. Thank you.

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

I have A1 and OM. I can compare them to a Spotmatic Smile

David · Expire: 2013-01-25

Pentax 6X7!

If this is only for 135, though, the New F-1 and AE-1P are both good contenders.

duckrider · Joined: 11 Dec 2013 Posts: 437 Location: Germany

With now doubt these prof' cams with interchangeable sport finders like Nikon F ...., Canon F1, Minolta XM, Pentax LX offer biggest view, Leicaflex SL2 one of the most brightest views.

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

Canon AV-1 has a bigger and brighter viewfinder compared to my other SLR cameras (Pentax, Konica, Chinon, Olympus, Exakta, Praktica), I don't have any Nikon cameras Wink

DigiChromeEd · Joined: 29 Dec 2009 Posts: 3460 Location: Northern Ireland

Voigtlander Bessaflex TM

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Fuji ST-801 has brightest M42 finder what you can find on affordable price. Many others good choice with adapter, like Konica FC-1, Yashica FX-3 etc all inexpensive and nice.

TAo2 · Joined: 09 Mar 2012 Posts: 319 Location: Scotland

Agree with Attila (above). Ah have the ST 901. A very bright viewfinder, beautifully built - and quiet...

kansalliskala · Expire: 2016-12-30

I have an AE-1 viewfinder glass in my Kodak. So that's why it is so bright.

dnf_spedition · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 64 Location: The Netherlands

Fujica ST801 +1

Nesster · Expire: 2014-02-20

Within Pentax, the MX has the largest.brightest finder.

pentaxpete · Joined: 02 Dec 2011 Posts: 651 Location: BRENTWOOD England

Disagree with Nesster above -- Pentax ME Super beats the MX -- I have both

Nesster · Expire: 2014-02-20

Aanything · Expire: 2014-05-30

Another vote for the fujica st-801, but actually all fujicas I tried, even lower-end models (like the az-1, or the st-701), have very good and bright vf.

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

Speaking from experience of selling these things from the 1960s to the early 1990s, the Olympus OM1 family had what appeared to be the 'largest' viewfinder. Other, later, cameras came close, but I don't think anything else ever exceeded it. It was also one of the brightest, partially because the bottom face of the prism was ground to act as a collecting lens. The actual screen used affected brightness - but even the standard screen gave a wonderfully bright view. There were also 'clear' screens for use in microscopy that were even brighter but of little use for general photography.

The original Leicaflex also used a shaped prism as a condenser lens in conjunction with a virtually clear screen and was without doubt the brightest of the film SLRs. But the finder image wasn't as big as the later OM1 and what you gained in brilliance you lost in positive focusing because of the fineness of the microprisms. It was one of photography's 'masterpieces of misplaced ingenuity' - precise focusing was very hard indeed with anything less than a 90mm lens. Later Leicaflexes used different screens which weren't as bright but far easier to work with.

Mos6502 · Joined: 20 Jun 2011 Posts: 960 Location: Austin

The Exakta has a very large viewfinder. In fact it has higher magnification than the OM-1's famously big viewfinder. Unfortunately "bright screens" are hard to find for Exaktas these days, and the more common screens are pretty dim. The original thick WLF gives an even larger image than the prism.

The Miranda SLRs used the same magnification as the OM-1 giving nearly 1:1 viewing when focused at about 5' to 10'. They are also decently bright, especially on the Miranda G which used an over sized mirror.

tromboads · Expire: 2015-10-01

surely we are all measuring bees dicks now? Laughing

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

Mos6502 · Joined: 20 Jun 2011 Posts: 960 Location: Austin

kryss · Expire: 2017-09-18

Pentax MX and 2nd Pentax ME Super.

zanxion72 · Joined: 11 Dec 2012 Posts: 145 Location: Athens, Greece

Canon F-1 old with the L(asermate) screen. Nothing beats that.

gillesF · Joined: 18 Jan 2014 Posts: 32 Location: Roussillon - france

minolta X500/700 , contax rtsII

moltogordo · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:36 am Post subject:

It often depends on what screen you insert, but of my 25 or so SLRs with their f1.4 lenses mounted, the brightest I have are the Pentax MX, the Nikon F3, and the OM1, OM4 and Nikon FM2 not far behind.

I can't vouch for the Fujicas and the ME Super, because I don't have them. I did at one time, but too long ago to remember in fair comparison.

Best bang for the buck? Pentax MX, as always. I still have no trouble focussing it with manual lenses, and I'm 63.

NikonAIS · Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2014 4:17 am Post subject:

Not sure about the largest, but the finder on my F4S is the brightest amongst my 35mm SLR's with a standard screen. When I put my H3 microprism screen in my F2, it is very bright. My D700 is about the same as the F4S