DSLR compared with RangeFinder - a few thoughts

[Mr.Prime]

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I don’t really get it myself. I do love my M3 and M4 and use them a lot. I also use a TLR and a Minolta x500. All manual focus. But there’s simply no comparison, the SLR is so superior in almost all situations from an ease of use perspective that there can never be any doubt, not based on any meaningful comparison. I’ll continue to love using all my cameras but I’ll not try to kid myself with any delusion that these other manual approaches can hold a candle to the SLR for most use situations. The SLR became the dominant form for decades for very good reasons. That doesn’t stop me using my M’s most of the time because I like them.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Mr.Prime

[MikeMyers]

8 hours ago, Mr.Prime said:

I don’t really get it myself. I do love my M3 and M4 and use them a lot. I also use a TLR and a Minolta x500. All manual focus. But there’s simply no comparison, the SLR is so superior in almost all situations from an ease of use perspective that there can never be any doubt, not based on any meaningful comparison. I’ll continue to love using all my cameras but I’ll not try to kid myself with any delusion that these other manual approaches can hold a candle to the SLR for most use situations. The SLR became the dominant form for decades for very good reasons. That doesn’t stop me using my M’s most of the time because I like them.

I second everything you wrote.  My friends in the PhotoLab forum wonder why I bother with the Leica.  I tell them it depends on the type of photos I want to take, and each camera has its place.  I now have two D750's, and a Df.  When I travel, I only have plans for taking one of my Nikon cameras.

But - for the purposes I already was into when I started photography, the rangefinder is still on top - small, quiet, unobtrusive, and very capable if I do my part correctly.  .....but if I don't mess up, the DSLR will create a sharp, in-focus, properly exposed image almost every time, with any of my lenses....

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[Luke_Miller]

10 hours ago, Mr.Prime said:

...  the SLR is so superior in almost all situations from an ease of use perspective that there can never be any doubt, not based on any meaningful comparison.

Agree completely and now we can add their EVF mirrorless replacements to the mix.

For much of my photography experience I was primarily oriented on results, so I used cameras that allowed me to capture the images I wanted.  In the early days that was challenge enough. My first serious camera (one that required one to focus and set proper aperture and shutter speed) had no metering or focus aids. Sunny 16 and scale focusing (or a tape measure) were the rule.  Flash?  My flash took flash bulbs the size of 60 watt light bulbs and math was required to calculate the required aperture setting. I was happy with any shot that was reasonably focused and exposed.

When the Nikon F was released it seemed like a miracle. That camera began a chain of SLR and (eventually) DSLR bodies that currently include a D850 and D5 that form the basis for all my client shooting.  These cameras are the culmination of the march of technology that solved the focus, exposure, and flash challenges that I experienced when I started.  So getting the results I want is no longer difficult.  For client work that creates much less possibility of me missing the shot.  And now as I experiment with my Nikon Z 6 I can verify before the shot that my exposure will be what I want and in very low light actually see the subject.

But now I realize these modern cameras are not nearly as much fun as my early cameras since they automate so much of the process of photography.  I don't use them for my personal (fun) photography.  There I enjoy my Leica Ms and the process of photography.  

[Robert Blanko]

For about 90% of my photography the Leica M system suits perfectly well - including in particular landscape photography!

Most of the time the focus will be set to infinity anyway for lanscape photography which is very convenient with the hard stop of the M lenses. And for wide angle lenses setting the focus according to the lens scale so as to for instance match hyperfocal distance is frequently advisable. Thus, auto focus is not necessary in most of said cases.

Regarding dynamic range, I do not see a pratically relevant difference between my Nikon D850 and Z7 which I use for wildlife photography and my M10R.

The dilemma is when going on holiday: Wildlife requires at least the Z7 but I love to take the M as well, thus lugging around more equipment than would be efficient (using M lenses with adapter on the Z7).