Wim Wenders & Leica M8
Out of context: Reply #13
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- Horp0
It is. Its a fundamentally different approach to picture taking. Its also a more precise camera. With an SLR the lens is set away from the film or sensor to accomodate the viewfinder prism. So the lens projects back a softer image. In a rangefinder its almost a direct contact translation from lens to plate. Also, you don't have to wait for the clunk mechanics to move the prism out of the way to take the shot, so its quicker, and quieter.
In a rangefinder, you see the real world through the range finder, not a small distort-to-fit view like you get on an SLR, so sense of composition is enhanced. This means you shoot with two eyes open. One looking through the Rangefinder to see the crop, and the other looking naturally past the bod of the camera to see the real world. So you the user is much faster and more flexible at making instant framing decisions. You see a good area around the framed image too in the Rangefinder window, so again, adjustments to your chosen framing of the shot are intuitive and immediate.
You get no lag with a Rangefinder. None at all. How many times with a digital have you seen something happen and by the time your shutter has woken up its long gone. With a Rangefinder, you see it, hit the button, and whatever happened when you hit the button - that's what you took a picture of.