MP Guy
06-10-2005, 20:12
Nowadays rangefinder shooters belong to an exclusive society, not because we
use more expensive cameras, for many of us do not. We belong to an exclusive
society because the single-lens reflex, while not necessarily a better choice, has
become an easier choice for a majority of photographers.
In some few areas of photography, the rangefinder has been eclipsed in
usefulness by the SLR.
The SLR dominates close-up photography. When a photographer looks into the
eyepiece of his single-lens reflex he sees through the actual taking lens. When
one uses a rangefinder, one looks not through the lens, but through a separate
viewfinder that is set above and to one side of the lens. The difference between
what the lens sees and what the viewfinder shows is called parallax. At infinity
this is not an issue, but the closer a photographer gets to his subject, the bigger
problem it becomes. If the image is right through the view-finder, it will be wrong
on film, and vise-versa.
The SLR also dominates telephoto photography. When one looks into the
eyepiece of an SLR mounting a telephoto lens, the view is magnified, like looking
through a telescope. The Bressa R3a offers a life-size view with a 50mm normal
lens, but the bright-lines that mark the field for the 90mm are situated well within
the lines that mark the field for the 50mm. Today, Leica alone still makes a
135mm for its rangefinder cameras. The bright-lines marking the 135mm frame in
the more popular .72 times life-size finder are very small.i It is no great surprise
that most rangefinder shooters abandon the use of longer lenses well before
focusing accuracy becomes an issue. Voigtlander, Zeiss Ikon, Contax, and
2
Konica now limit their long lenses to 85mm or 90mm. In explaining the demise of
the rangefinder for telephoto work, Ivor Matanle, the author of several books on
classic cameras, noted that "…a Nikon with a 200mm lens was a revelation with
which the Leica (rangefinder) could not compete." ii
Finally, the SLR dominates the new style of photography that makes effective
use of daylight flash. Many modern SLR's make using fill-flash almost fool proof.
Rangefinder shooters can use this valuable technique; but the limited sync-speed
on most rangefinders makes it more difficult and less precise, especially for
controlling depth-of-field. Many rangefinder photographers do not consider this a
great loss as they much prefer to master the use of available light.
The list of photographic tasks for which the single-lens reflex is superior to the
rangefinder is a short one. Even so, if camera shoppers think one or more of the
items we have mentioned is essential to their photographic needs, they will buy
an SLR. Today even dedicated rangefinder shooters often buy an SLR and a few
lenses as a second camera for these specialized tasks. iii
If the SLR is so handy, why do so many of us make a rangefinder our first
choice?
Because the rangefinder excels as a people camera. It is the perfect tool for the
photographer who strives to be an unobtrusive, sometimes anonymous witness
to the interesting, intimate, and often revealing details of human life.
If one wants to shoot photographs of people at work, and at play, on the street, or
in combat, and if one wants to shoot them in every kind of light, from bright
sunlight, to stage lights, to "the rocket's red glare," to "available darkness," and if
one wants to be sure that one achieves sharp focus, and holds the longest
shutter speeds one can without packing one of those huge image stabilization
zooms, and if one can content oneself with fixed focal length lenses from an
astounding 12mm Voigtlander on the wide-side to 135mm on the long-side, one
is much better off with a interchangeable lens rangefinder than with any other
type of 35mm camera.
As a general application, people oriented camera the rangefinder has a number
of advantages.
1. Rangefinders have direct-vision finders. The field of the lens in use is
marked with bright-lines, but the viewfinder itself shows a larger area than that
captured on the film. Because it is possible to see outside the field of the lens in
use, it is easy to anticipate action moving into the picture, or to compose more
precisely. Looking into the eyepiece of an SLR the photographer sees less of the
image than will be recorded on the film.iv He cannot see outside the frame, nor
can he see action moving into his picture. So, too, in an SLR, the mirror swings
up just as the shutter is depressed. The photographer looses sight of his subject
3
at the critical instant the exposure is actually made. A rangefinder camera offers
an uninterrupted view. In the studio, the rangefinder photographer sees his flash
paint his subject's face. He never has to ask if the strobes fired. Conversely, the
direct-vision finder is the most important factor in allowing him to use the longest
possible hand-held shutter speeds. Either way, the photographer knows if his
subject blinked just as he squeezed off the shot. If she did, it is easy enough to
take another.
2. An SLR is fine for focusing in bright light, but when the light gets dim, the
rangefinder excels. The viewfinder is bright, and the rangefinder patch is brighter
still. Even aging eyes can tell when the two coincident images snap together. I
think the primary reason rangefinder shooters boast of the sharpness of their
lenses and the 3-D effect of their photographs is because they have a higher
percentage of pictures that are actually in focus. When one is using a good lens,
portraits shot wide-open and sharply focused really pop!
3. Rangefinders are generally quieter than SLR's, and far less obtrusive.
The experienced rangefinder user photographs people without unduly disrupting
their lives. Sometimes he shoots candidly. Sometimes he refrains from taking
pictures until he befriends his subject. After allowing his subject to become
comfortable with him and his camera, he recedes into the background. If at all
possible, he uses available-light. He seldom asks people to interrupt what they
are doing to pose for a picture, and he disrupts the flow of the scene around him
as little as possible. Thus he captures his subject as naturally as he can.v
Christmas Eve by Bill Ray, III. Leica M6 & 35mm Summicron. Used by permission.
Working quickly with his black M6 Classic and 35mm Summicron, my friend Bill
Ray, III is often mistaken for a hobbyist with a point and shoot. Last winter Bill
identified himself to an usher at our church, and told him he had been contracted
4
to shoot the Christmas Eve Candle Service. The usher saw his small black
Leica mounting the little 35mm Summicron, smiled and said, "You don't need a
big expensive camera to make good pictures, do you?" Bill returned the smile
and said, "No you don't."
4. When the context is appropriate, as it is with friends, family members and
those who have hired him to do a portrait, the rangefinder shooter is also much
more likely to direct his photographs. The man with an autofocus SLR and a well
matched speed-light uses fill-flash to improve the light on his subject. The man
with the Voigtlander and no flash asks his subject to move to where the light is
better. Often, the first photographer compromises the ultimate quality of the
picture more than the second. I love to watch a good wedding photographer
work. She directs some pictures, especially the formal portraits of the bride and
groom, but she takes other shots without interrupting the concentration of the
participants or the flow of the action. At the end of the day, the formal shots and
the candids go in the book together, one completing the other. Whether shooting
weddings or our families on holiday, the important thing is to strike a balance.
Otherwise, we risk making our passion tiresome for those we photograph most!
50mm F1.4 Canon mounted on M2 with an adapter. This picture was directed, but not overly so. I
saw the picture developing when the lovely lady grabbed her husband from the back. I noticed
the woman of the far left moving into the frame. I quickly focused, said, "Smile!", and fired.
5. The Rangefinder camera is quick, especially for that first shot. The
rangefinder photographer learns to rely upon a higher degree of pre-shot
planning. He often sets his aperture and depth-of-focus in advance. Thus he has
a heightened readiness to catch the peak of the action as it unfolds. So, too, he
enjoys the confidence that, when he trips the shutter, he will get the picture he
5
expects to get. It was a confirmed rangefinder shooter, Henri-Cartier Bresson,
who coined the phrase, "decisive moment."vi
With the right camera, pre-planning a picture does not have to be tedious. The
Bessa R2a, Bessa R3a, and Leica M7 feature aperture priority auto exposure.
The user presets his aperture and his depth-of-focus, and allows the camera to
automatically select the shutter speed for a proper exposure. With the ability to
virtually guarantee a well exposed negative, the photographer can concentrate
on his composition. Alternately, he could spend the seconds saved by using a
more automated camera to avail himself of more selective focusing. Either way,
Improved pictures are the result.
6. Rangefinders make a small, neat kit, usually smaller and lighter than an
SLR based equivalent. Rangefinder shooters get by with fewer lenses, too.
Some rangefinder shooters rely almost exclusively upon a 50mm lens. Others
prefer a 35mm as a normal lens. At one time Alfred Eisenstaedt, the great Life
photographer made 95% of his pictures with his 35mm Elmar.vii The new 40mm
F1.4 Voigtlander is an exciting lens. I have a feeling that it could replace both the
35mm and the 50mm in my bag. Most rangefinder owners add a portrait lens of
75mm or 90mm. This lens will often focus just as closely as its companion
50mm. This allows the photographer to make a tight head-shot, cut an unwanted
foreground out of a landscape, or fill the frame with a flower. Naturally, the
rangefinder is well suited for wide-angles from 12mm to 28mm. The 28mm will
sometimes require a separate finder. The wider lenses always will. My favorite
wide on my M2 is the 25mm Snapshot-Skopar with a separate finder. Lens and
finder together are not much bigger than a couple of rolls of film. Everyone has a
favorite outfit. Most of us try to keep it small, often carrying only one lens on the
camera and another lens or two in pockets, or in a very small bag.
7. Finally, it must be said that the rangefinder camera is a great teacher. It
forces a photographer to see her craft differently, and often improves her vision.
She makes good use of the preview lever on her camera. She knows the field of
each of her lenses. She sees the next shot in her head before she sees it in the
bright-lines of her viewfinder. While SLR shooters are changing lenses, she is
changing positions, trying to view her subject from a new angle. Dare I say, "She
zooms with her feet! "
Despite what equipment manufacturers and gadgeteers would have us believe,
good photography is not about being able to capture in optimum fashion any
subject that presents itself. It is about getting the shot that tells the story of our
trip, our day, our celebration, our family, our friend. It is about capturing the
moment of time, the memory of which we would like to carry with us into eternity.
Of course, the camera records not just the fond memories of our family life, but
the disturbing realities of this small planet that we share with our larger family,
the human race. For a chosen few, photography is about capturing the
6
photograph that will help the rest of us better understand the world in which we
live. Sometimes a picture will motivate people to actually do something about the
injustices that cannot hide from the lens of the camera, even when we human
beings, equipped with a much more sophisticated capture device---our eyes and
brain, refuse to admit them into consciousness. The camera does not lie, even if
some digital photographers do.viii
The future is bright for the rangefinder camera. In film form, the choices have
greatly improved. Leica has financial woes, but Leica is not the only 35mm
rangefinder line available. Alongside the modern Leica's, and the classic gear
that so many of us love, we now have several Voigtlander's, a limited edition
Nikon, and, soon, the new Zeiss Ikon. Of course, most of the 35mm rangefinder
manufacturers still doing business have begun to think digitally, and this is good
news for all rangefinder shooters.
In digital form, the rangefinder may regain some of the popularity it has lost to the
Single Lens Reflex. Some experts are suggesting that advances in digital
photography will ultimately bring about the decline of the SLR with its moving
mirror and all its inherent liabilities. Though I like the new Epson rangefinder, I
dream of a full-frame digital Voigtlander, Leica or Zeiss Ikon allowing the use of
modern and classic screw-mount and M-mount lenses.
A digital rangefinder will be even more flexible than its film based predecessor.
High resolution digital files, easily manipulated and cropped beyond our wildest
dreams will make heavy zoom lenses less desirable than they were when we
were all shooting color slides and cropping our pictures in camera. Of course,
cropping high-resolution files on the computer will effectively transform
moderately long lenses into mid-range telephotos. If the digital rangefinder is
eventually made so that the photographer can preview the image on the
camera's LCD during the actual exposure, then the problems of parallax that
have always hindered film based rangefinders for close-up photography will be
history. Of course, digital capture will also enable rangefinder shooters to use
higher flash-sync speeds and take advantage of more SLR like fill-flash.
In point of fact, if manufactures build the digital rangefinder it will soon be
possible to build, it will overtake the SLR in the few areas of photography in
which the single-lens reflex now excels. In the not too distant future, most
photographers may be able to choose a digital rangefinder over a digital SLR as
easily as they once chose a Nikon F over a Contax IIa. When that happens, our
small society of rangefinder shooters will grow into a marketing dream for the
company or companies that are quick enough to catch the vision.
Whether film or digital, 4/3rds, APS, 35mm, 6x6, or some format we have yet to
imagine, no camera puts a photographer closer to the action than a good directvision,
rangefinder camera. Its window on the world is brighter and more
7
revealing to the photographer. At the same time it is far less intimidating to the
photographer's subject. A rangefinder camera, teaches us to be better
photographers, and equips us for the challenge. Once the rangefinder's lessons
are learned, they are not often forgotten. They are easily transferred to other
types of cameras, especially the SLR.
My rangefinder was the last film camera I bought. Now that I have fallen under
its siren spell, and learned its considerable advantages for my style of
photography, it is the last film camera I will let go. I guess that means a
rangefinder is my first choice, hands down, especially now that we have several
affordable options. Chances are, if you have read this far, you may be a strong
candidate for a rangefinder, too.
use more expensive cameras, for many of us do not. We belong to an exclusive
society because the single-lens reflex, while not necessarily a better choice, has
become an easier choice for a majority of photographers.
In some few areas of photography, the rangefinder has been eclipsed in
usefulness by the SLR.
The SLR dominates close-up photography. When a photographer looks into the
eyepiece of his single-lens reflex he sees through the actual taking lens. When
one uses a rangefinder, one looks not through the lens, but through a separate
viewfinder that is set above and to one side of the lens. The difference between
what the lens sees and what the viewfinder shows is called parallax. At infinity
this is not an issue, but the closer a photographer gets to his subject, the bigger
problem it becomes. If the image is right through the view-finder, it will be wrong
on film, and vise-versa.
The SLR also dominates telephoto photography. When one looks into the
eyepiece of an SLR mounting a telephoto lens, the view is magnified, like looking
through a telescope. The Bressa R3a offers a life-size view with a 50mm normal
lens, but the bright-lines that mark the field for the 90mm are situated well within
the lines that mark the field for the 50mm. Today, Leica alone still makes a
135mm for its rangefinder cameras. The bright-lines marking the 135mm frame in
the more popular .72 times life-size finder are very small.i It is no great surprise
that most rangefinder shooters abandon the use of longer lenses well before
focusing accuracy becomes an issue. Voigtlander, Zeiss Ikon, Contax, and
2
Konica now limit their long lenses to 85mm or 90mm. In explaining the demise of
the rangefinder for telephoto work, Ivor Matanle, the author of several books on
classic cameras, noted that "…a Nikon with a 200mm lens was a revelation with
which the Leica (rangefinder) could not compete." ii
Finally, the SLR dominates the new style of photography that makes effective
use of daylight flash. Many modern SLR's make using fill-flash almost fool proof.
Rangefinder shooters can use this valuable technique; but the limited sync-speed
on most rangefinders makes it more difficult and less precise, especially for
controlling depth-of-field. Many rangefinder photographers do not consider this a
great loss as they much prefer to master the use of available light.
The list of photographic tasks for which the single-lens reflex is superior to the
rangefinder is a short one. Even so, if camera shoppers think one or more of the
items we have mentioned is essential to their photographic needs, they will buy
an SLR. Today even dedicated rangefinder shooters often buy an SLR and a few
lenses as a second camera for these specialized tasks. iii
If the SLR is so handy, why do so many of us make a rangefinder our first
choice?
Because the rangefinder excels as a people camera. It is the perfect tool for the
photographer who strives to be an unobtrusive, sometimes anonymous witness
to the interesting, intimate, and often revealing details of human life.
If one wants to shoot photographs of people at work, and at play, on the street, or
in combat, and if one wants to shoot them in every kind of light, from bright
sunlight, to stage lights, to "the rocket's red glare," to "available darkness," and if
one wants to be sure that one achieves sharp focus, and holds the longest
shutter speeds one can without packing one of those huge image stabilization
zooms, and if one can content oneself with fixed focal length lenses from an
astounding 12mm Voigtlander on the wide-side to 135mm on the long-side, one
is much better off with a interchangeable lens rangefinder than with any other
type of 35mm camera.
As a general application, people oriented camera the rangefinder has a number
of advantages.
1. Rangefinders have direct-vision finders. The field of the lens in use is
marked with bright-lines, but the viewfinder itself shows a larger area than that
captured on the film. Because it is possible to see outside the field of the lens in
use, it is easy to anticipate action moving into the picture, or to compose more
precisely. Looking into the eyepiece of an SLR the photographer sees less of the
image than will be recorded on the film.iv He cannot see outside the frame, nor
can he see action moving into his picture. So, too, in an SLR, the mirror swings
up just as the shutter is depressed. The photographer looses sight of his subject
3
at the critical instant the exposure is actually made. A rangefinder camera offers
an uninterrupted view. In the studio, the rangefinder photographer sees his flash
paint his subject's face. He never has to ask if the strobes fired. Conversely, the
direct-vision finder is the most important factor in allowing him to use the longest
possible hand-held shutter speeds. Either way, the photographer knows if his
subject blinked just as he squeezed off the shot. If she did, it is easy enough to
take another.
2. An SLR is fine for focusing in bright light, but when the light gets dim, the
rangefinder excels. The viewfinder is bright, and the rangefinder patch is brighter
still. Even aging eyes can tell when the two coincident images snap together. I
think the primary reason rangefinder shooters boast of the sharpness of their
lenses and the 3-D effect of their photographs is because they have a higher
percentage of pictures that are actually in focus. When one is using a good lens,
portraits shot wide-open and sharply focused really pop!
3. Rangefinders are generally quieter than SLR's, and far less obtrusive.
The experienced rangefinder user photographs people without unduly disrupting
their lives. Sometimes he shoots candidly. Sometimes he refrains from taking
pictures until he befriends his subject. After allowing his subject to become
comfortable with him and his camera, he recedes into the background. If at all
possible, he uses available-light. He seldom asks people to interrupt what they
are doing to pose for a picture, and he disrupts the flow of the scene around him
as little as possible. Thus he captures his subject as naturally as he can.v
Christmas Eve by Bill Ray, III. Leica M6 & 35mm Summicron. Used by permission.
Working quickly with his black M6 Classic and 35mm Summicron, my friend Bill
Ray, III is often mistaken for a hobbyist with a point and shoot. Last winter Bill
identified himself to an usher at our church, and told him he had been contracted
4
to shoot the Christmas Eve Candle Service. The usher saw his small black
Leica mounting the little 35mm Summicron, smiled and said, "You don't need a
big expensive camera to make good pictures, do you?" Bill returned the smile
and said, "No you don't."
4. When the context is appropriate, as it is with friends, family members and
those who have hired him to do a portrait, the rangefinder shooter is also much
more likely to direct his photographs. The man with an autofocus SLR and a well
matched speed-light uses fill-flash to improve the light on his subject. The man
with the Voigtlander and no flash asks his subject to move to where the light is
better. Often, the first photographer compromises the ultimate quality of the
picture more than the second. I love to watch a good wedding photographer
work. She directs some pictures, especially the formal portraits of the bride and
groom, but she takes other shots without interrupting the concentration of the
participants or the flow of the action. At the end of the day, the formal shots and
the candids go in the book together, one completing the other. Whether shooting
weddings or our families on holiday, the important thing is to strike a balance.
Otherwise, we risk making our passion tiresome for those we photograph most!
50mm F1.4 Canon mounted on M2 with an adapter. This picture was directed, but not overly so. I
saw the picture developing when the lovely lady grabbed her husband from the back. I noticed
the woman of the far left moving into the frame. I quickly focused, said, "Smile!", and fired.
5. The Rangefinder camera is quick, especially for that first shot. The
rangefinder photographer learns to rely upon a higher degree of pre-shot
planning. He often sets his aperture and depth-of-focus in advance. Thus he has
a heightened readiness to catch the peak of the action as it unfolds. So, too, he
enjoys the confidence that, when he trips the shutter, he will get the picture he
5
expects to get. It was a confirmed rangefinder shooter, Henri-Cartier Bresson,
who coined the phrase, "decisive moment."vi
With the right camera, pre-planning a picture does not have to be tedious. The
Bessa R2a, Bessa R3a, and Leica M7 feature aperture priority auto exposure.
The user presets his aperture and his depth-of-focus, and allows the camera to
automatically select the shutter speed for a proper exposure. With the ability to
virtually guarantee a well exposed negative, the photographer can concentrate
on his composition. Alternately, he could spend the seconds saved by using a
more automated camera to avail himself of more selective focusing. Either way,
Improved pictures are the result.
6. Rangefinders make a small, neat kit, usually smaller and lighter than an
SLR based equivalent. Rangefinder shooters get by with fewer lenses, too.
Some rangefinder shooters rely almost exclusively upon a 50mm lens. Others
prefer a 35mm as a normal lens. At one time Alfred Eisenstaedt, the great Life
photographer made 95% of his pictures with his 35mm Elmar.vii The new 40mm
F1.4 Voigtlander is an exciting lens. I have a feeling that it could replace both the
35mm and the 50mm in my bag. Most rangefinder owners add a portrait lens of
75mm or 90mm. This lens will often focus just as closely as its companion
50mm. This allows the photographer to make a tight head-shot, cut an unwanted
foreground out of a landscape, or fill the frame with a flower. Naturally, the
rangefinder is well suited for wide-angles from 12mm to 28mm. The 28mm will
sometimes require a separate finder. The wider lenses always will. My favorite
wide on my M2 is the 25mm Snapshot-Skopar with a separate finder. Lens and
finder together are not much bigger than a couple of rolls of film. Everyone has a
favorite outfit. Most of us try to keep it small, often carrying only one lens on the
camera and another lens or two in pockets, or in a very small bag.
7. Finally, it must be said that the rangefinder camera is a great teacher. It
forces a photographer to see her craft differently, and often improves her vision.
She makes good use of the preview lever on her camera. She knows the field of
each of her lenses. She sees the next shot in her head before she sees it in the
bright-lines of her viewfinder. While SLR shooters are changing lenses, she is
changing positions, trying to view her subject from a new angle. Dare I say, "She
zooms with her feet! "
Despite what equipment manufacturers and gadgeteers would have us believe,
good photography is not about being able to capture in optimum fashion any
subject that presents itself. It is about getting the shot that tells the story of our
trip, our day, our celebration, our family, our friend. It is about capturing the
moment of time, the memory of which we would like to carry with us into eternity.
Of course, the camera records not just the fond memories of our family life, but
the disturbing realities of this small planet that we share with our larger family,
the human race. For a chosen few, photography is about capturing the
6
photograph that will help the rest of us better understand the world in which we
live. Sometimes a picture will motivate people to actually do something about the
injustices that cannot hide from the lens of the camera, even when we human
beings, equipped with a much more sophisticated capture device---our eyes and
brain, refuse to admit them into consciousness. The camera does not lie, even if
some digital photographers do.viii
The future is bright for the rangefinder camera. In film form, the choices have
greatly improved. Leica has financial woes, but Leica is not the only 35mm
rangefinder line available. Alongside the modern Leica's, and the classic gear
that so many of us love, we now have several Voigtlander's, a limited edition
Nikon, and, soon, the new Zeiss Ikon. Of course, most of the 35mm rangefinder
manufacturers still doing business have begun to think digitally, and this is good
news for all rangefinder shooters.
In digital form, the rangefinder may regain some of the popularity it has lost to the
Single Lens Reflex. Some experts are suggesting that advances in digital
photography will ultimately bring about the decline of the SLR with its moving
mirror and all its inherent liabilities. Though I like the new Epson rangefinder, I
dream of a full-frame digital Voigtlander, Leica or Zeiss Ikon allowing the use of
modern and classic screw-mount and M-mount lenses.
A digital rangefinder will be even more flexible than its film based predecessor.
High resolution digital files, easily manipulated and cropped beyond our wildest
dreams will make heavy zoom lenses less desirable than they were when we
were all shooting color slides and cropping our pictures in camera. Of course,
cropping high-resolution files on the computer will effectively transform
moderately long lenses into mid-range telephotos. If the digital rangefinder is
eventually made so that the photographer can preview the image on the
camera's LCD during the actual exposure, then the problems of parallax that
have always hindered film based rangefinders for close-up photography will be
history. Of course, digital capture will also enable rangefinder shooters to use
higher flash-sync speeds and take advantage of more SLR like fill-flash.
In point of fact, if manufactures build the digital rangefinder it will soon be
possible to build, it will overtake the SLR in the few areas of photography in
which the single-lens reflex now excels. In the not too distant future, most
photographers may be able to choose a digital rangefinder over a digital SLR as
easily as they once chose a Nikon F over a Contax IIa. When that happens, our
small society of rangefinder shooters will grow into a marketing dream for the
company or companies that are quick enough to catch the vision.
Whether film or digital, 4/3rds, APS, 35mm, 6x6, or some format we have yet to
imagine, no camera puts a photographer closer to the action than a good directvision,
rangefinder camera. Its window on the world is brighter and more
7
revealing to the photographer. At the same time it is far less intimidating to the
photographer's subject. A rangefinder camera, teaches us to be better
photographers, and equips us for the challenge. Once the rangefinder's lessons
are learned, they are not often forgotten. They are easily transferred to other
types of cameras, especially the SLR.
My rangefinder was the last film camera I bought. Now that I have fallen under
its siren spell, and learned its considerable advantages for my style of
photography, it is the last film camera I will let go. I guess that means a
rangefinder is my first choice, hands down, especially now that we have several
affordable options. Chances are, if you have read this far, you may be a strong
candidate for a rangefinder, too.