Russ, thanks. I'm sad that it's coming to this as I've loved using my Leicas, have admired the pure simplicity and what was the ease of focusing those exceptional lenses. I believe that I've captured much of my best work with them in hand. My problems are accentuated now that I'm more often than not shooting near wide open and I have come to terms with the fact that I need some help.
I'll not burn my bridges until I'm sure any new system matches my ongoing needs.
I have cataracts in both eyes, and am awaiting attention from the medical world. I had elevated pressure in both for several years, and drops have apparently reduced that to normal. There are days, no, moments within days, when I believe that without those damn veils that exist, I would no longer need glasses for distances. None of the effects that I experience seem to be constants, each varies a bit from hour to hoiur. I used to need reading specs from the age of 44, but had good distance sight; I now have no need for glasses for reading, and it's the distance view that's bad. Oddly, driving in lower light seems better than in bright, which may mean that glare affects cataracts more (one way of knowing you have 'em!) than does low light or, perhaps, a wide open pupil works better than the stopped down one in sunlight - more diffraction problems?
For a few years I was under the impression that I had glaucome, until I was sent to another eye doc who asked me who had said glaucoma, which I have not. Apparently, the explanation seems to be that some docs refer to high pessure as glaucomea because both seem to co-exist in most cases; I see that as Brexit politics: lies and party cover-ups.
Af certainly helps find focus using dslr screens which are not as helpful as were slr screens. With today's facilities for setting exactly the right diopter in your viewfinder, a split-image screen would be even more useful than it was on film camers where the option was usually another, separate diopter lens to choose, and how did you do that if not able to try 'em out in a shop?
Of course, that all assumes that your eye lets you see that damned split screen clearly, even with the right viewfinder setting.
In the end, however focus, I still feel that psychologically, and that matters, looking into a 6x6 camera's reflex screen was the best viewing experience I ever had: large enough to see more clearly what was actually in shot, yet small enough to allow an impression of overall shape.
Rob
