The new old school cameras.

When I started my obsession with photography, digital images were the dreams of science fiction. Everyone shot film. While digital has come long way, there were some advantages in shooting film. The camera was just a machine for exposing film. You could change the look and quality of your images by the film you chose. It was kind of like having an interchangeable sensor in a digital camera. As a result, digital cameras become obsolete as the quality of sensors get better. Sadly it’s the nature of the modern beast.

OK, now I’m wandering off topic a little. One of the under appreciated joys of the old film cameras was the 35mm rangefinder camera. While they had their problems, they also had some distinct advantages. First of all, you might be wondering what is a rangefinder camera? Simply put, a rangefinder uses an optical viewing window to aim the camera. The “rangefinder” is usually part of the top frame of the camera (on some cameras they could be detachable or interchangeable). This eliminates the need for a mirror that is found in an SLR camera.

While rangefinders have a different set of problems (parallax, focusing, magnification, lens compatibility, etc.) they offer some real advantages over an SLR. Because you don’t have a mirror, the camera body can be made thinner, it is much quieter, and there are fewer moving parts. Because the body is thinner, the film plane can be moved closer to back of the lens and therefore lenses can be made smaller and lighter. A camera that is smaller, lighter, and quieter is more discrete. This is an advantage for shooting weddings, street photography, and photojournalism.

While a good digital rangefinder will not replace a DSLR, it would make a useful addition to a photographer’s tool bag. The problem is there are few digital rangefinders on the market. The most notable is the Leica M series. They are incredible cameras with an amazing lens lineup. The disadvantage is price. The cost of the camera bodies and lenses are difficult to cost justify for most professional photographers.

However, it appears that other camera makers are discovering that there is a need for these cameras. Most recently Fujifilm has been working on a line of digital rangefinders. While some of the earlier incarnations have been described as quirky and clunky, it appears that they may be working the bugs out. The early review of the X100s have been very positive, so it sounds encouraging. The only obvious flaw with this model is that it does not have interchangeable lenses. As the model becomes more available, I may have to invest in one. If I do, I’ll write a review and post it here.

This is my early 1950's Canon Rangefinder along with a 50mm 1.8 lens.

Come on camera makers, get on the digital rangefinder band wagon!

Thanks for reading!

– Ken.