Rangefinder camera how does it work

Each set of frame lines for a higher focal length lens occupies only a cropped portion of the full viewfinder.. Bottom line - when using a 90mm or mm lens, the photographer - the framelines occupy a small area within center of the viewfinder. In the above photo, the 90mm frame lines on my Leica M2 have been enhanced in Photoshop, but one gets the idea of what they look like in the viewfinder.

In real life the frame lines are the same color as the rangefinder patch. More importantly, notice how the 90mm lens protrudes into field of view, which is slightly wider than what is required for the use of a 35mm focal length lens. More than any other on image on this web page, the above photo shows what I mean by the phrase, "above-the-lens viewfinder". Also, the projected frame lines move automatically as the photographer focuses the lens to prevent parallax errors.

Owner's of rangefinder cameras designed before need to be aware of parallax errors as one focuses on objects that are very close to the camera. When mounting either a 50mm, 90mm or mm Leica M-mount lens the proper set of frame lines would automatically appear in the viewfinder. The Leica M3 camera was introduce just before and to put it mildly, it set a new standard for above-the-lens viewfinders.

Yet another honorable mention but this time for the Nikon SP, which was introduced in with a viewfinder magnification and four selectable sets of frame lines in its main viewfinder.

I mention a main viewfinder - because to raise the bar against the Leica M3 and by this time the less expensive Leica M2, - Nikon SP added a second viewfinder off to the side for composing with either 28mm or 35mm focal length lens.

The main view finder of the SP features frame lines for either a 50mm, 85mm, mm or mm lenses. As a result of the improvements to the SLR which were in place by - the popularity of rangefinder cameras began a precipitous decline. Auto focus and auto exposure were in long way in the future - but within a couple of years, the addition of a through-the-lens light meter further hastened the popularity of the SLR especially amongst well to do amateurs.

So much so, that both Canon and Nikon would cease producing interchangeable lens rangefinder cameras, before the end of the decade.

By , with the exception of Leica, the sales of rangefinder cameras were for the most part relegated to consumer grade 35mm cameras with fixed-lenses.

Fixed-lens 35mm rangefinder had been a staple product in the camera market since Fixed lens rangefinders were the affordable option amongst 35mm camera offerings. The bad news is a fixed-lens rangefinder offers only the single focal length lens that is built onto the camera.

The good news is that the lenses fitted to the cameras were usually very well spec'd for the times. More often than not the fixed-lens rangefinder camera's image quality not only equalled of a prime lens on an SLR - but would almost alway surpass images taken with a consumer zoom lens that became popular in the following years.

This allowed them to take photos in low light - without having to install a flash unit. Canon, Konica, Minolta, Olympus and Yashica pretty much dominated the fixed-lens market during the s. In addition to the usual fast prime lens, all of the 35mm fixed-lens rangefinders from the s had an automatic exposure mode - which prior to wasn't a common feature to most SLR systems. Prior to , if you bought a 35mm camera from a reputable manufacturer, it was built on a metal chassis and its outer shell was made of pressed brass or a stamped steel.

All that was about to change. Also, it is impossible to overstate the popularity of 35mm SLR cameras by the end of the s. It is not surprising that after - only a couple of fixed-lens rangefinder cameras survived to struggle against the onslaught of the plastic bodied, point and shoot genre of electronic cameras.

The reason - plastic bodied electronic cameras took over the niche that was previously occupied by metal bodied, rangefinder cameras. Electronic autofocus modules assembled by machines are less expensive to produce than hand assembly and all glass optics needed for a rangefinder apparatus.

By , nearly every compact 35mm point and shoot genre had a built-in, autofocusing and on many a motorized zoom lenses - all of which were to say the least constructed on the cheap side.

A zoom lens makes the transition to different focal lengths nearly seamless - but there are some trade offs - such as distortion at either the wide or long ends of its variable focal length - plus slower f-stops that are afflict many consumer zooms.

By in order to bring down the purchase price of an SLR and lens combo, the once prestigious 35mm SLR would also see the introduction of cheapened, plastic clad, entry level cameras. The new affordable zooms may even have mix of plastic and glass in their optics. Look up the plastic-glass compound lens process used by Nikon to produce its aspherical elements. Previous to , Nikon would have had to use an all-glass aspherical element in such a lens with multiple glass elements.

All glass elements are more expensive to grind and polish. After saying all of the above - I must point out that pre-digital, 35mm SLR cameras from to are an incredible bargain in today's used market - due to everyone having abandoned film cameras in recent times. It uses the same AF-D primes that I've purchased over the years for my digital Nikon SLR cameras- but I must say the build quality is definitely a step down from what I'm accustomed to even compared to my least costly rangefinder camera.

In addition to the build quality of many newer consumer grade SLR cameras, with auto everything features - there are other downsides:. On the plus side : Unlike with a rangefinder camera - macro photography is a breeze with an SLR and the photographer can change focal lengths with seamless ease by using a zoom lens.

With the latter, one doesn't need to reposition of the camera to recompose the exposure for the proper crop with zoom lens, especially when transitioning from a full body to a head and shoulder portrait.

Compared to the typical single lens reflex camera, the shutter sound on most rangefinder cameras will be less obtrusive, some are nearly silent. It's also nice that the above rangefinder camera will also slip into a coat pocket when not needed. The Nikon N80 on the right side of the photo below is actually semi-pocketable, if you don't mind the bulge.

The Leica on the left has it's 50mm lens retracted into the camera body. So, there is less of bulge when it is in a coat pocket. Before touching one nother reason why older lenses are more compact than modern lenses, a few words in order regarding build quality. Prior rangefinder camera lenses had a nicely machined, focusing helical, which was usually made of brass. Unlike modern lenses, these lenses had a relatively long focus throw.

A long focus throw means that the photographer has to rotate the focus ring degrees to cover the full focus range from 3 feet and infinity. These older lenses also had clear engravings to show each one foot interval from about three feet to about 8 feet, with some up to 10 feet - and - there was plenty of space between intervals. The upside was whenever the photographer was situated very close to his or her subject, focusing was a dead-on the money affair. Today, lenses only have only have 30 to 45 degrees of focus throw - which results in a lens that is less accurate when focusing at close range.

This drawback, along with the fact that zoom lenses and telephoto lenses are next to impossible to design for a rangefinder camera, meant that they never really had a chance against SLRs and later DSLRs.

Mirrorless cameras, however, are the spiritual successors to rangefinders. They have the same size and weight advantages over DSLRs but overcome the drawbacks of rangefinders with electronic viewfinders and live view screens. Browse All iPhone Articles Browse All Mac Articles Do I need one?

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If I am shooting on the street or somewhere busy I can use both eyes to check the scenario and to compose my images more carefully. This gives you a balance that I think you cannot find in any other type of camera. Many rangefinder cameras have a 0. For me the big difference is the shutter.

And this is where the real advantage lies in my opinion. Most rangefinders use a cloth plane shutter, though some use a metal shutter system. This gives you a quicker and more fluid approach to your photography. If you are shooting on the street this is invaluable as speed and quietness can be key. You want to be as unobtrusive as possible.

This is why rangefinder cameras were the cameras of choice for photojournalists for so long, they could get into the situation and not be too loud or too obvious. I use SLR cameras and they have uses that a rangefinder just cannot do, but when I am out shooting in a public area I want to blend into the crowd, which is why I use a rangefinder. In the modern days of big DSLR cameras people are very aware that you are shooting them and sometimes these can garner a reaction that is not always good.

A major difference is the glass on rangefinders. You are not going to get mega zooms, or VR systems. You are going to be using prime lenses more often than not, and they are going to be of the very highest optical quality.