SLR vs. Rangefinder: Choosing Your Vision
If you are new to (film) photography, you might have already noticed that there are a few styles of camera systems out there. Some cameras enable you to see directly what’ll be on your final image, others might give you an approximation, and some leave you completely guessing. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages, and in this article, I’ll be focusing (no pun intended) on two of the most common systems: the SLR and the rangefinder.
Without turning this into a purely technical text, here are some of the key factors that make up each system:
An SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera usually means you are looking directly through the lens attached to your camera. This is made possible by a mirror system that cleverly passes the light hitting the lens through a series of reflections up to a small viewfinder window.
(SLR style Nikon FM shown above. Rangefinder Leica M4 shown below)
A rangefinder camera simply has a little window that you look through which is not connected to the lens, so you can’t actually see exactly what the lens is seeing. But you can almost see it. There’s also a distinction in this system: some cameras are true rangefinders, which means they use a mechanical linkage so you can still focus accurately. As you turn the focus on your lens, you will see two images overlap in the center of the window; when they align, you are in focus. A basic viewfinder camera usually doesn’t have this feature; the window is merely there to give you an approximate view of what you’re photographing.
The two cameras shown in this article are a Leica M4 (rangefinder) a Nikon FM (SLR). As you can see, there’s no window on the front of the Nikon; there’s just a pyramid-like shape on top called the prism, with a circular window at the back. This is the eyepiece where you look through. In this case, there’s a clever mirror mechanism that allows you to see exactly what the lens is seeing.
So now that we have covered some basics let’s get into the photographic part of it all: what’s the point of using each system and which system should you use?
The SLR: The Power of Control
With an SLR the simple answer is: what you see is what you get. Want to take a close-up of something? Just focus right on that, and bang, there’s your photo. (Obviously, only if you’ve dialed in the correct shutter speed, aperture, and ISO). There’s a real element of control to this because if you know what you are doing, you can transform your ideas directly onto your image. This is also very important if you want to frame images with precision, like if you are doing architectural or product photography. There are actually few downsides to using an SLR, apart from a few specific quirks:
When you are looking through your SLR, you are seeing what the lens is seeing. But in order to take a photo, that mirror that acts as the lens' "eye" must flip up to let light fall onto the film (or sensor). In that moment, your window will turn black. This creates a moment of “darkness” that can often disconnect you from the subject you are photographing. If it’s just an inanimate chair, who cares, right? But if you are photographing a fast-moving sportsperson or a car driving by, maybe you’ll miss an opportune moment to further observe.
In addition, If you want to observe an entire scene, you will only see what the lens projects, so you can't actually "keep and eye out" for what might enter your frame and potentially ruin your exposure as shown below: the cyclist enters the scene. If I wanted to have taken a photo just of the road without anyone and not have timed it right, then the shot would have been a dud.
(Image through the viewfinder of a Nikon with a 50mm lens)
The other small annoyance with SLRs can be the mirror slap. In some extremely rare cases, the mirror's movement can cause your final image to be slightly unsharp as it creates an internal camera shake. I really wouldn’t use this as a deciding factor, though mainly because it only happens at slow shutter speeds like 1/15s; it’s just here so you know about it. In fact, just keep it in the back of your head if you are ever shooting with slow speeds and really want perfectly sharp images.
The Rangefinder: The Power of Observation
The magical feat of a rangefinder is the link between you and whatever you are photographing. Since the lens and shutter mechanism are not connected to your viewing window, you can take one photo after the other without losing visual contact. This is incredibly advantageous if you are keen on street photography or tracking your subject more accurately.
This is also one of the reasons a lot of famous street photographers used rangefinder cameras rather than SLRs. Some of the most iconic names are: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand, and Joel Meyerowitz (all used Leicas). Mary Ellen Mark (Mamiya 7) and even Vivian Maier used a rangefinder camera (Leica IIIc) when she was not using her Rolleiflex (which is a TLR, but let’s not get into that). Most of them claim that the ability to keep observing without losing contact with the subject enabled them to take great photographs.
Below we have the same scene as above, but with a rangefinder camera also with a 50mm lens. You will see the frame lines depict the border of the frame and the photographer can observe who enters the frame, this gives more oversight.
(Shown here is the view through a rangefinder Leica with a 50mm lens, on the bottom right you can actually see the lens of the camera. The thick white lines are the approximate frame of the image)
Another technical advantage of rangefinders is that since they require no mirror system, they are usually much smaller and lighter than their SLR counterparts. This also means they are quieter, as there is no mirror clacking inside.
The downside of a rangefinder is that it fails at what the SLR shines at: photographing exactly what’s on the lens. If you want to frame something perfectly, you will struggle with a rangefinder. And the closer you get to your subject, the more discrepancy there will be between what you are seeing through the window and what’s in front of the lens. This is actually called parallax error, and it describes the fact that because the viewfinder sits slightly above or to the side of the lens, they "see" from different angles.
Which one is for you?
- So, when buying your next camera, ask yourself the following questions:
- What kind of photography do I want to make?
- Will I need constant visual contact with my subject?
- Do I need a lighter, smaller camera?
- Do I want to frame perfectly and capture exactly what I’m seeing through the glass?
Friendly reminder: This article was actually written by a human being. We take a lot of pride in putting in the research, photographing and writing it down for you to expand your knowledge of photography. Artificial Intelligence often make mistakes like misinterpreting data, a good example of this was it once mentioned the Plaubel Makina 67 was an electric camera that needed batteries to shoot. I was winding the shutter and taking photographs while writing on some AI website and I really had to convince it that I did not own some special prototype version. Anyways, happy photographing!
