Viewfinder / Focussing Question

Ever since getting a Canon 10D, my interest in all things

photographic has developed. I've been looking around at a number of

sites, and I've come across a few things I'd never heard of before...

including rangefinder cameras :-). So I read a bit about the basics

of how they work etc. However, at the weekend, I was in a Leica store

in London, and asked if I could have a look at one. Having only ever

used SLR's and point & shoot cameras, I was impressed by the way the

focussing worked - it looked to be quite a simple system, and easy to

get used to. So my question is, do all other rangefinders use the

same sort of focussing method? Or a variant of it? Or even something

completely different?

 

Thanks,

 

Dave.

The other 35mm RF cameras that are currently available (Voigtlander/Rollei and Konica) use the same type of system. The old screwmount Leicas had separate viewfinder and rangefinder windows. Contax describes the G1 and G2 cameras as 'electronic rangefinders', but they have a completely different (autofocus) rangefinding system without the visual feedback you get with a Leica.

Yes and no. At one time some cameras had "split image" rangefinders where you'd align two parts of the image, one above the other, like in some SLR screens. Others, like the older Leicas had "superimposed" rangefiders where the images were one superimposed over the other. Most cameras have the rangefinder patch kind of indistinct with fuzzy edges. The Leica M rangefinder has sharp edges so you can either use it as a super-imposed or split-image rangefinder.

 

Beyond that, there are various ways of moving the secondary image other than the little mirror pivoting on a moving arm, involving prisms, but pretty much, minor variations of the swinging arm used by Leica are the industry standard.

Thanks for the replies guys :-).

 

I have to say, after actually handling a Leica, even for a few minutes, I can appreciate why they are so highly regarded!

 

Cheers,

 

Dave.

Dave, the next step is to buy a Leica. You won't regret it. :-)

John,

 

Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to happen in the near future :-(. I recently bought a Canon 10D and some lenses - I was supposed to be going on a safari to Kenya for my honeymoon, and the extra reach given by the 1.6x crop factor would have been very useful, making my 75-300mm lens reach out to an effective 480mm!!! However, due to a suspected terrorist threat, British operated flights are not going there for now, so no safari for me :-(. I've changed the destination to Thailand and Cambodia, and I suspect that a Leica would have been perfect for the job.

 

I think that given the amount I paid for the 10D and the lenses, I would have been able to get a Leica body and lens to get me started. However, I like working with digital, as it's very convenient to be able to view the images so quickly after taking them. I think the Leica's are fantastic pieces of engineering (I can appreciate good engineering, as my father is a model engineer, making scale steam engines), but I love my 10D now that I've got it :-). Maybe I'll get a Leica some day, even if it's a 'cheaper' second hand older model. One day... ;-)

 

Cheers,

 

Dave.