"The Bill Mattocks" <bmattock@earthlink.net> wrote in message

news:a534b8d4.0401141007.2295087b@posting.google.com...

[...]

> I was comparing the cameras this morning with similar lenses on them

> (swapping where I could). At first, I thought that the rumours were

> right - the Fujica ST 705 has a much brighter screen, which I was

> pleased to discover.

> However, upon swapping lenses between the Fujica and the Vivitar (also

> an M42 mount), I discovered that now the Vivitar had a brighter

> screen!

[...]

The effect of one lens looking brighter in a given SLR VF than another

similar lens has nothing to do with number of lens elements, coatings, etc.

(though, very rarely, I have seen lenses that were noticeably not close

to their rated speeds in the center). It has more to do with the VF design

and the rear-end design of the lens. A good example is the older non-AI

Nikkor 28mm f3.5 and the newer-design 28mm f3.5 Nikkor (with

smaller front element). The newer lens delivers a much brighter VF image

than the older design does, though they are the same speed and FL, and

the differences are visible on the same camera body...

BTW, 44 is not old, and unless you have a peculiar eye problem, good

eye correction is possible for "aged" eyes - see for a solution that works

amazingly well: www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/articles.html (go down to

"Four-Distance Glasses").

--

David Ruether

d_ruether@hotmail.com

http://www.David-Ruether-Photography.com