About rangefinders....

[palaima]

Hi mates!

So, the thing is that the more i read in rangefinder forum the more i see that people are actually more concerned about how the camera looks like than their own skill ... Don't get me wrong i am film rangefinder shooter myself and i enjoy it, but somewhat i didn't seem to notice any shots that would "wow" me...not like i see here... I am sure that there are amazing photographers (there are some street shooters whose work i enjoy).

What do you think?

[JeffreyG]

Rangefinders are (no- sorry, were) excellent cameras for people who need high quality images from a small package and who can deal with their serious limitations. The RF focus mechanism needs to be very precise and makes the camera expensive.

Even so, if there were a thriving RF market today one could expect to find highly capable RF bodies and lens systems that were cost competitive with dSLRs. The reality is quite different. There is only one active RF manufacturer at the moment, and that one is historically the most expensive one. Current RF pricing is equivalent to the absolute top end dSLR bodies (Canon 1Ds, Nikon D3x) which is not practical. This is probably why most RF buyers today are more akin to collectors than working photographers.

Working photographers are more likely to put up with the bulk of a dSLR system in order to get better overall functionality (like use of lenses longer than 90mm for example) at a much reduced cost.

[KCMO Al]

I'm not sure what the OP point was.
To JefferyG from Detroit, there are is at least one RF camera other than Leica being produced today...the Voigtlander Bessa, and they and their lenses are pretty reasonable.
Shooting with a RF is a VERY different experience than using a modern SLR. I use my Leica occasionally to keep me attached to what photography is about. Compositional techniques are very different and (it seems to me) attachment to the subject is more intimate.
Yes, we RF shooters are much more limited in lens ranges, but, frankly, I shot with 35-50-90 as my only lenses for many, many years not feeling limited in any way. My legs and feet worked then and (thankfully) continue to work today as my zoom mechanism.
Saying this, I would not recommend an RF system to anyone, except for the most serious shooters, today.

[sjones]

Rangefinder Forum has it's share of gear talk, but given what I assume is a notably smaller membership than POTN, it still has far more discussion on the art or philosophy of photography---albeit sometimes to the point of grating pretentiousness---than does POTN.

Moreover, the photographs in the Rangefinder site's gallery are as impressive as anything I've seen elsewhere, particularly in light of the site's smaller membership base.

Historically speaking, many of the greatest photos I've seen were taken with rangefinders…and not because a rangefinder took the photos, but just because that's what the photographer happened to be using, and just because I happened to like what they were taking.

As stated, Voigtlander Bessa makes a number of film rangefinders, and the Voigtlander lenses are very good to excellent at relatively low costs. Zeiss M-mount lenses, though more expensive, yet still cheaper than Leica, are superb.

But yes, for a digital full frame rangefinder, Leica is the only choice. It's their top-end model and not priced much higher than Nikon's or Canon's top of the line cameras.

For my style of photography, and I am only, absolutely only, speaking for myself, a rangefinder is far more preferable than any SLR form factor.

When I got into photography five years ago, I didn't know what a rangefinder was, and upon finding out, I wondered who the hell would use what seemed to be such a crippled anachronistic device. Live and learn, I reckon.

[ugly_a]

I wish Canon would make digital rangefinders at the equivalent or slightly more expensive price of a 5D Mark II... I'd jump on that right away.

[bsaber]

I wish Canon would make digital rangefinders at the equivalent or slightly more expensive price of a 5D Mark II... I'd jump on that right away.

+1 I would too! :D

[airfrogusmc]

I think my next purchase is an M9.