One of the most ubiquitous Leica accessories are Leica viewfinders. Because of the limits of rangefinders, or maybe the digital camera came without one, you might be in need of a viewfinder. You are in the right place as this is a compilation of all Leica EVFs and the main OVFs you can get for your camera in a searchable list. Lets dig right in.
Leica viewfinders
There are two types of viewfinders. EVF and OVF. Electronic viewfinders are viewfinders with a mini screen in them and what you see is what you get. OVFs are optical viewfinders and have no electrical components in them. They are better for eyestrain but the image you see is only for framing, you have no idea of your exposure for example.
Why you need a viewfinder
If your Leica is a digital camera and has only a screen, you might need a viewfinder and you have the choice between the correct EVF (these are specific to each cameras) or an OVF that shares the same focal length as your camera.
If you have a Leica M camera, the framelines are limited, so for any odd focal length, or lens that is wider than 28mm for example, you will need a dedicated viewfinder. Yes, you will need a different viewfinder for each focal length, or you will need a digital viewfinder OR a zoom viewfinder.
Leica electronic viewfinders
When Leica entered the game with their digital cameras, many of them lacked a viewfinder. Hence many had the possibility to enhance their functions with electronic viewfinders. While the latest is 100% a Leica product, many of Leica’s previous EVF accessories were nothing more than rebranded Olympus and Panasonic viewfinders. So I have also listed them as compatible there.
Leica Electronic Viewfinders
| wdt_ID | Camera Name | Compatible EVF | Maker | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camera Name | Compatible EVF | Maker | Get it |
How to check your Leica EVF compatility
Look at the first column for your Leica camera name. If it is not there, chances are that your camera doesn’t have a compatible Leica viewfinder that is electronic. If it has a hotshoe you can get an optical viewfinder (below).
You can also search for the camera name at the bottom of the table. If two viewfinders appear, this means there’s the official Leica version and the third party version.
Hot to see alternative EVF Compatibility
If you want to see the Leica EVF alternatives only and what camera they are compatible with, put it “Third Party” at the bottom of the “Maker” column. This will show what third party viewfinders are compatible with your Leica.
See all compatible cameras of a single viewfinder
If you already have one viewfinder and want to check what other cameras support it, search for it’s name under the “Compatible viewfinder” column. This will show you all the Leica cameras that take the same viewfinder.
Leica optical viewfinders
Below are the list of Leica viewfinders that are optical, meaning there is no connection from the camera to viewfinder. This is by no means an exhaustive list as there’s way too many to count, as many manufacturers made their own / knockoff version.
While I’ve done my best to double check, the note section might not be error-free, especially when it states brightline. It’s sometimes hard to verify.
Leica optical viewfinders
| wdt_ID | Focal Length | Viewfinder name | Maker | Maker type | Notes | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focal Length | Viewfinder name | Maker | Maker type | Notes | Get it |
How to find all the available viewfinders for your focal length
The list above is sorted by focal length, from 12mm to 135mm. If you want to see only the viewfinders for your focal length simply put it at the bottom of the list under the “Focal length” section and it will display the available viewfinders.
How to display Leica viewfinders only
There’s a lot of companies that did viewfinders from Zeiss to Canon. If you want to see ONLY the viewfinders from Leica, simply put “First party” at the bottom of the “maker type” column, it will only display Leica viewfinders.
How to display third party viewfinders only
If alternatively you want to display third party viewfinders, put in “Third party” under the maker column. You can also search for individual companies if you put their name under the “Maker” column, like Zeiss or Voigtlander.
Different types of Leica viewfinders
A viewfinder is simply a little window that you can use to frame your image. The most basic ones are nothing more than a piece of black plastic that shows you your frame, but the best ones are Brightline finders that have glowing lines when you frame your image.
Zoom viewfinders
Alternatively, if you want one viewfinder to rule them all, you probably want a zoom viewfinder that has multiple focal lengths covered. The only issue with these is that they tend to be bulky but save the need to have multiple viewfinders at hand. Check for the best zoom viewfinder prices.
How to buy a Leica viewfinder
There’s no way around this, in the world of Leica viewfinders, especially for odd focal lengths, you’ll probably have to get one used. You want to make sure to read the description and spot if there are any issues with it, namely scratches and fog. These can make the viewfinder hard to impossible to use.
Conclusion
There you have it. If you have a Leica digital camera or rangefinder, chances are you need to be looking at getting yourself a rangefinder out of necessity or just because you like viewfinders more. There’s limited choices in EVFs due to electronic compatibility, but for OVFs, all you need is one that has your focal length and you are a happy camper.