Rangefinder camera hire

Okay, so we have extended this selection to include the Fuji cameras which are not technically Rangefinder cameras but they are very much in the style of Rangefinders and do have an optical viewfinder on them. 

So how do they differ from a normal digital camera?

The clue is in the name - Rangefinder! It's a range-finding manually focusing mechanism that allows the photographer to measure the subject distance and focus accordingly. On modern rangefinders, they are coupled to the focus mechanism so that the lens is focused correctly when the rangefinder images fuse. The Fuji's have autofocus so are slightly different but their hybrid viewfinder does allow a similar experience in framing the subject.

The Pros

As there is no moving mirror, they tend to be much quieter than SLRs.

The cameras are smaller and so less intrusive for things like street photography.

Most importanty (and this applies to the Fuji's as well), the viewfinder has a far great field of view than the lens in use. This allows the photographer to be able to see what is going on outside the frame and therefore better anticipate the shot.

The Cons

Rangefinder cameras do not lend themselves to zoom lenses which have a constantly variable field of view. The exception to this will be the X-Pro 1 once the new zoom lens is launched as adjusting the zoom will automatically adjust the frame in the viewfinder.

If you are shooting close up subjects, you will have an issue with parallax - this is the offset in what is seen between the lens and the viewfinder. Modern rangefinders (and the Fuji's) get round this to a certain extent by adjusting the frame seen in the viewfinder,