By Heinz Richter
Every once in a while I come across something new, where I feel to slap my head saying, “Why haven’t I thought of that?”
Such was the case when I received an email from Don Goldberg of DAG fame. Every Leica shooter short of the Leica M 240 and all the M cameras thereafter possibly has been in a situation where the lighting conditions were so low that the frame lines in the viewfinder where hard to see. We just had to live with that, until now anyway.
Don has designed a small, compact illumination device that attaches to the accessory shoe of the camera. A hinged flap in front allows it to be put in front of the illuminator window of the camera, where a battery powered light will greatly brighten the frame lines.
Photos taken through the camera viewfinder with a cell phone
Don Wrote: I had this idea for over 30 years but making it would have cost too much money. Now that the Chinese are making inexpensive electronics its economically feasible to make, however, machining the parts do take a while. The only way to really making this profitable is to have a plastic molding company make up the molds to produce molded parts so all I'd do is to screw everything together. Cost to have this done would be around $12,000.00. Two photos attached are views inside the Frame-Lighter. The result of the Frame-Lighter is just like what you see in the Leica M240 and cameras made after that (including the M10) which all have LED illuminated framelines. The Frame-Lighter is of course best to use in dim lighting, however its also good in normal lighting as well. The button on top triggers the LED light to go on. I have it set for about a minute, there's a small hole in the back that leads to an adjustment screw for changing the time delay for the light to stay on, counter clockwise gives you less time & clockwise gives you more time. Runs on 1 3volt DR-1/3N battery which is very common.
The cost for the unit was $94.00. Unfortunately Don's stock has been sold out, but a redesigned version is available on eBay for $85.00. Don Goldberg “This design by Jim Rinner is what I originally envisioned the Frame-Lighter to be. 3D printing has opened up complex designs that could not have been economically manufactured in the past.”
The cost for the unit was $94.00. Unfortunately Don's stock has been sold out, but a redesigned version is available on eBay for $85.00. Don Goldberg “This design by Jim Rinner is what I originally envisioned the Frame-Lighter to be. 3D printing has opened up complex designs that could not have been economically manufactured in the past.”
Jim Rinner needed a Leica camera repaired, and I was referred to Don Goldberg of DAG Camera Repair. He shared with Don some of his Leica camera accessories and replacement parts that he 3D prints. Don asked him if he could redesign his unique, though rather bulky, Frame-Lighter for the Leica M-series of cameras. He jumped at the opportunity. He went through close to a dozen prototypes. He modified the circuitry, reduced the size, cleaned up the lines, and made it sleek. He also moved the activator button to the back of the unit so the photographer can easily activate the light with his thumb, leaving the index finger free to trip the shutter.
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