Rangefinder Cameras
Rangefinder Cameras are a own category of photo cameras: The mechanisms for selecting the field of view as well as the focussing view mechanism don’t pass the camera lens.
Some Rangefinder Cameras have a fix installed lens, others have interchangable lenses. Some of the most legendary Rangfinder Cameras are the Leica M series – analog and digital since more than 60 years. In 1954, the Leica M3 was lauched, a system with interchangable lenses, still compatible with the most modern and digital Leica M’s.
The Rangefinder – Parallax Focussing
The rangefinder focussing mechanism is a parallax mechanism, using an own optic, not passing the lens.What does that mean:
- Viewfinder and Lense have a different axis
- the lense may cover parts of the viewer field of sight
- no focussing mechanism elemets (e.g. mirrors) effects the photo capturing axis (lens – film or image sensor)
- until now no zoom lenses are available for rangefinder cameras
- no autofocus lenses are available
Rangefinder Camera Design
Due to the above properties, rangefinder cameras have a compact design.- they do not have a mirror for the viewfinder viewing axis passing through the lense, so there also is no need for the mechanism for removing the mirror for opening the shutter
- they have no autofocus lenses
- they have no zoom lenses
Using Rangefinder Camera
last update: 17.02.20
published: 06.03.18
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