Why do modern SLR's not have rangefinders?

Question

After using my Nikon FG which was made back at around 1982, I've come to love it's rangefinder. It makes focusing easy and accurate. Why is it I only see this system in old cameras now? Why don't modern SLR's and DSLR's have this incorperated in them? All we have to rely on now is AF or trying to accurately focus manually by viewing through the viewfinder.

'By definition' a rangefinder is the system the Leica M uses for focusing. Rangefinders have been around a lot longer than cameras.

They started calling those compact 35mm cameras 'rangefinders' just like we called a CD player and amplifier a 'stereo'.

Thanks HXT! That was very informative.

Answer 1

I assume by "rangefinder" you mean a split-image focusing screen? (By definition, a rangefinder such as a Leica-M is not an SLR.)

You can get a EC-A or EC-B screen for your Canon EOS 1D-series camera but that's about it for OEM screens. You can get third-party split-image screens from companies such as http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/ .

There are several reasons for this.

First, autofocus has mostly eliminated the need for split-image focusing, especially on budget cameras. (Even most budget film SLR's did not come with a split-image screen, it was an upgraded model or add-on screen.)

Secondly, the majority of digital SLR's are not full-frame. This would make the split-image area so small in the viewfinder to be nearly useless. Especially to folks over 40 whose eyesight ain't what it used to be.

And money. R&D costs have settled down a bit but early digital SLR's were very costly to make and manufacturers had to economize as much as possible.

Back in the days of film I rarely used a split-image screen. I would upgrade the basic screen to a brighter matte screen with compositional lines (Nikon called this the E screen). A bright screen is just as good, if not better than split-image but it definitely helps to have a fast (large aperture) lens so that more light is available for focusing. Slower (cheaper) zoom lenses do make manual focusing more of a chore.

Any further questions, feel free to email me!

Answer 2

"Digital imaging technology was applied to rangefinder cameras for the first time in 2004, with the introduction of the Epson R-D1 the first ever digital rangefinder camera, which was made as a result of collaboration between Epson and Cosina. The latter has also obtained rights to the name Voigtländer and currently manufactures rangefinder lenses with that name. The R-D1 and later R-D1s use Leica M-mount lenses, or earlier Leica screw mount lenses with an adapter. Leica released its first digital rangefinder camera, the Leica M8, in 2006. As of November 2007 no other digital rangefinder cameras have been made. All three models take the same rangefinder interchangeable lenses used on their film counterparts. They are all expensive compared to average dSLRs, and do not support live preview on their LCD displays.

Answer 3

Autofocus has been a big factor, which others have mentioned.

Also, typically split image and microprism rangefinders, depending on their design, tend to black out anywhere from 2.8 to 5.6. With the slow, variable aperture zooms manufacturers are fond of selling with their consumer-level cameras these days are typically only 3.5 at the wide end, and usually go down to 5.6 at the long end.

Thus, with the kit zoom at its longest setting, the split image will just become a big, distracting spot in the middle of the screen.

With a good focusing screen, you really don't even need a split image. My four main SLRs are my three Canon F-1s(F-1n and two F-1Ns), and my Canon T90. I have a standard E screen(split image/microprism) for all of them. Most of the time, however, I use a C plain matte screen in the T90 and the F-1n. In the F-1Ns, I like to use a J screen, which is a plain matte super bright screen. I can focus just as well with all of these screens as I can with the split image.

Unfortunately, though, modern focusing screens are optimized for brightness with slow lenses, and thus are really horrible for manually focusing. Thus, this doesn't even work so well with a modern plain matte screen.

Answer 4

Range finder cameras are incredible. I don't know of any in the 35mm market, but there are some in the 6x7, 67, and probably the 47 market in medium format. The Mamiya 7 is one of the best cameras on the market. Fuji makes some also.