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Rangefinder Magazine
May 2002
Rangefinder Renaissance by Bob Shell
In photography’s early days cameras were big and heavy and exposure
times were long so no one really thought about the idea of hand holding
cameras. You focused on a ground glass screen at the back of the camera
with your head under a dark cloth. Prints were made by contact printing
the glass plate negatives onto photographic paper of the same size. If
you wanted a bigger print you used a bigger camera. It wasn’t until
the speed of photographic emulsions was greatly increased that fast exposures
were possible. More importantly, faster emulsions allowed for faster photographic
paper, and this made enlargements practical.
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| Here is a typical military rangefinder, this one made
by Wild in Switzerland. The two windows are toward the top of the
picture, and the eyepiece and focusing knob toward the bottom. |
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Once you could enlarge your images you could carry a relatively small
camera, first with fast dry plates and later with George Eastman’s
invention of flexible photographic film. Many of the cameras using fast
dry plates were still focused on the ground glass, just as view and field
cameras are still focused today. But for film a more immediate system
was needed.
Eastman’s first Kodak cameras used a simple optical viewfinder to
compose the image and relied on the depth of field of a moderate speed
lens to achieve sharp focus. But critical photographers wanted both the
conveniences of roll film as well as critically sharp images.
Optical rangefinders were the answer. The optical rangefinder traces back
to an invention by the French scientist and astronomer Alexis Marie Rochon,
who developed the basic principles in 1771. Optical rangefinders were
relatively easy to manufacture and so it was natural to adapt the concept
for photography. Basically an optical rangefinder uses an eyepiece on
the back that the user looks into and two windows on the front spaced
widely apart horizontally.
Inside the rangefinder prisms and/or mirrors take the images coming in
through the two windows and superimpose them so that the person using
the rangefinder sees both of them. By adjusting the angle of a prism or
mirror the user aligns the two images and reads the distance from a scale.
The rangefinder is simply using triangulation to measure the distance
with the base of the triangle being the distance between the two viewing
windows, one side of the triangle being the straight line of sight from
one window to the subject, and the variable angle of the light entering
the other window determining the angle of the third side of a right triangle.
Thus, using simple geometry, the distance to a subject is measured. The
accuracy of such a system depends primarily on the distance between the
two windows and the magnification of the rangefinder’s optical system.
Originally, photographic rangefinders were separate gadgets and not part
of the camera. You determined the distance to the subject using the rangefinder
and then transferred that distance to the focusing scale on the camera.
While this was faster than groundglass focusing it was still too slow
to allow the photographer to capture fast action. The solution was to
build the rangefinder into the camera and couple it to the focusing system
so that you used one action to operate both. Once this idea had been perfected
a whole new world of action photography opened up for the world’s
photographers, and rangefinder cameras dominated photography from the
1920s until the 1950s. But as the 1950s drew to a close a relative newcomer
was in position to displace the rangefinder as the focusing means of choice.
This newcomer was the SLR.
The SLR offered the photographer the concept of “what you see
is what you get” particularly when coupled with an eye-level
viewing prism and 35mm film. These cameras were fast to use and did
not require supplementary viewfinders when used with different lenses.
When major companies like Zeiss-Ikon, Nikon, Canon, etc., began to
redirect their efforts toward sophisticated SLR designs, |
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35mm rangefinder cameras began to fall
by the wayside, until only Leica was left making quality 35mm rangefinder
cameras. At least that’s the common version of this history.
But while German and Japanese camera makers moved from rangefinder
to SLR production, in the old USSR things moved at a different pace
and a number of rangefinder cameras continued in production for many
years. |
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The rarest of the Kiev
line is the Kiev 5, with built in meter and Leica-style viewfinder/rangefinder.
It also has fast film advance via a lever rather than a knob, and
makes an excellent user’s camera, albeit for more money, around
$200–250. |
Although I own and use a Leica—
an M3 double-stroke version—I have always had an interest in
and affinity for the Russian and Ukrainian rangefinder cameras. In
Russia the Fed and Zorki were the most common 35mm rangefinder cameras,
in both cases evolving from original models which were Leica clones
in almost every detail. |
In Ukraine the Kiev cameras were produced, originating with versions
which were not simply clones of prewar German Contax cameras, but were
actually made with parts and tooling taken from the Contax factories at
the end of the war. In Russia the Fed and Zorki lines evolved on their
own, and in Ukraine so did Kiev. This is not the place for a detailed
dissertation on this part of rangefinder camera history, so those interested
in learning more can pay a visit to Nathan Dayton’s exceptionally
detailed on-line museum of USSR cameras at www.commiecameras.com. The
most important thing to know about Russian and Ukrainian rangefinder cameras
is that they are readily available (from www.fedka. com, via eBay and
from other internet auction sites), inexpensive, and optically excellent.
For use I personally prefer the Kiev line, and find the Kiev 4AM (above),
the last of this line from the late 70s and early 80s, the best for everyday
use. The one in the photo is the one I use today, and it cost me all of
$65, complete with its excellent 53mm f/1.8 Helios-103 lens.
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| Fuji |
Mamiya |
Yasuhara T981 |
While most 35mm users switched over to SLR cameras, rangefinder cameras
soldiered on in medium format in the form of cameras like the Koni-Omega
and Rapid-Omega, Mamiya Press, Graflex XL, “Baby” Linhof,
and a few others, notably some 6x9 and 645 cameras from Fuji. Gradually,
these too fell out of favor and all but the Fuji models were discontinued
and most medium format was shot in SLRs like Bronica, Hasselblad, Mamiya
RB, RZ and 645, Pentax 6x7 and 645, Rollei SL66 and 6000 series, and a
few others. It was at Photokina in 1986 that Norm Rothschild excitedly
grabbed me by the arm and hauled me over to the Mamiya display for a closed-doors
meeting with some Mamiya engineers who were working on a new camera. At
this point the camera did not have a name, and existed only as a carved
wooden dummy, but the major details had been worked out and when the camera
emerged in May of 1989 as the Mamiya 6 it differed in no important way
from the prototype. The Mamiya designer who headed up this project was
an avid fan of the Leica M6, and it showed in the overall layout of the
camera and particularly in the placement of the shutter speed dial and
the design of the rangefinder. I already had a Fuji GW670 II, which I
loved working with (and still have and use today), and its only downside
was that you could not change lenses on it and were stuck with the slightly
wide 90mm lens. I got a Mamiya 6 as quickly as they became available and
took to it like the proverbial duck to water. It was a lovely camera,
and the lenses were spectacularly good. The only negative to the camera
from my point of view was its square format, which I invariably ended
up cropping to rectangular prints. I told the Mamiya designers they should
make a 645 version, but they insisted there would be no demand in Japan
for such a camera. Later they did redesign it, but up in size to 6x7.
But, let me return to 35mm, which is where the rangefinder action has
been recently. Everyone was surprised in 1998 to learn of a totally new
35mm Rangefinder camera based on Leica and using the older Leica m-39
screw mount lenses. The camera was totally new, as was the company,Yasuhara
(www.yasuhara.co.jp). The Yasuhara T981 was to be a limited edition, custom-built
camera using modern materials and a modern Copal metal-bladed shutter
like those used in most modern SLR cameras.
Also in 1998 we were all taken by surprise at the reappearance of one
of photography’s hallowed old names, Voigtländer, on a new
line of cameras and lenses manufactured in Japan by Cosina. Cosina is
not one of those names which trips from your tongue unless you are an
insider, because none of their products have been sold under their own
name in the U.S. But they are a major company, making cameras and lenses
for Vivitar, Olympus, Nikon, and many others. The owner of Cosina is Mr.
Kobayashi, who is an avid fan of rangefinder cameras and a devotee of
Leica. His new Voigtländer products use the most modern design and
manufacturing techniques to produce lenses of exceptional quality at very
moderate prices. His Voigtländer cameras have surprised us with their
unusual features.
First came the Bessa L, not really a rangefinder camera since the camera
itself has neither rangefinder nor viewfinder, and was designed for use
with wide-angle lenses where focusing is not critical. It did have an
excellent TTL light metering system. I tried out a Bessa L with the 15mm
ultra-wide Heliar and liked it so much I bought one. Then in 1999 Mr.
Kobayashi surprised us again, this time with the Bessa R, a lovely little
camera with an excellent rangefinder built in, but still using Leica screw
mount for its lenses. I also fell in love with the Bessa R, but didn’t
buy one because there were rumors of something else coming. That something
else was the Bessa T, just becoming available in the U.S. at the time
of writing. The Bessa T, like the L, has no viewfinder. Unlike its two
predecessors it has a Leica M style bayonet mount, and Cosina/Voigtländer
makes bayonet mount adapters for all of their screw mount lenses. Because
the camera itself has no viewfinder, you mount each lens’s appropriate
viewfinder in the camera’s accessory shoe. But what the Bessa T
does have is the best darned rangefinder I have yet to see in any camera,
and with diopter adjustment built in to boot. Using the Bessa T is a bit
more deliberate than using a camera with a coupled rangefinder and viewfinder
combined, since you must focus first and then move your eye to the viewfinder
to compose the photo, but I found this made me think harder about the
shots and I ended up wasting fewer frames on bad shots. The nicest thing
about the Bessa T is that I could carry the camera and four lenses in
a very small camera bag without straining my back or shoulder. I think
a Bessa R or T outfit would be the ideal kit for travel photography.
| There have been rumors for years now
that Leica was working on a new M camera, which would offer, autoexposure.
So far those rumors have remained rumors, but the latest upgrade to
the venerable M cameras now offers TTL flash control in addition to
the M6’s TTL metering for ambient light. While the rumors of
an autoexposure Leica M were flying fast and furious, another contender
surprised us when Konica introduced their Hexar RF. |
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Contax G2 |
Leica M |
Unlike the earlier Hexar which was a semi-compact camera without lens
interchangeability, the Hexar RF used a Leica M style bayonet mount and
a true optical rangefinder, but added to the mix motorized film advance
and auto exposure. When we first saw the Hexar RF in late 1999, we thought
it would be an excellent additional camera for the Leica M user, but alas
it turned out that there were incompatibilities in the flange-to-film
plane distance, which prevented Leica lenses from focusing properly on
the Hexar RF and vice versa. The Hexar RF can be modified by a good camera
repairman if you really insist on using Leica lenses on it, but the lenses
Konica has introduced so far are so good you may not find it worth the
effort and expense. After all, Konica has always been known for the fine
quality of their lenses.
Leica, of course, was not sleeping during all of this and has updated
and upgraded their classic M camera, first by adding TTL metering to the
M6 and most recently by adding TTL OTF flash control to the same chassis.
The other surprise recent entry in the rangefinder sweepstakes is the
very unusual Hasselblad X-Pan. The X-Pan looks like an overgrown Leica
and its large size is due to the fact that it is a dual purpose camera
capable of shooting both double-frame panoramic shots and standard 24x36
images. Particularly unique is its capability to switch formats on one
roll of film without any gaps or overlaps. It is a very smart camera,
and I found its chunky size and heft comfortable in my hands and had a
lot of fun working with one when Hasselblad let me borrow one for a while.
Before readers jump on me for omitting the Contax G cameras and their
superb Carl Zeiss lenses, let me hasten to point out that in this article
I am only discussing cameras using optical rangefinder focusing, and the
Contax G cameras use an electronic rangefinder system for autofocus. I
love these cameras but they just didn’t fit in this article.
While most of the new action in rangefinder cameras has been in 35mm,
medium format did not languish completely. At Photokina 2000 Bronica unveiled
their RF645 system, the first interchangeable lens 645 rangefinder camera.
I’ve only had the opportunity to work with this new camera briefly,
but all of my impressions have been positive. The rangefinder is bright
and sharp, the camera agile, and the lenses super sharp. I look forward
to working with this camera more in the future when the awaited short
telephoto lens becomes available.
Is that the end of this new blooming of the rangefinder renaissance or
will there be more surprises. I’ve heard from the usual “reliable
sources” of other rangefinder systems being prototyped by other
camera companies, but many things, which make it to prototype never, unfortunately,
go into full production. Much will depend on the photo industry’s
health and prosperity in the next year or two. But diehard rangefinder
fans like me will certainly keep our fingers crossed.
Bob Shell is well-known worldwide as a photographer and writer
on photography. He is the author of more than a dozen books on photography
and thousands of magazine articles. He is the “Photo Guru”
for BestStuff.com and is recently retired as editor of Shutterbug after
more than 20 years on staff.
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