There is NO "Digital Rangefinder Experience"

[evikne]

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4 minutes ago, BernardC said:

This reminds me of a Zeiss advert for their Cinemizer glasses. A friend forwarded it to me, he said it gave him nightmares:

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Everyone laughs at my idea, but I was actually serious about it. 😄

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[BernardC]

5 minutes ago, evikne said:

Everyone laughs at my idea, but I was actually serious about it. 😄

It's not a bad idea, except for the side-effect that it turns children into cyborg zombies! 😀

Focusing an 8x10 view camera provides a similar sensation of exploring the whole image, with the addition of wind, mosquitos trapped under the dark cloth, unbearable heat (or frozen fingers, depending on the season), and a background anxiety about ruining a $10 piece of film.

[evikne]

12 minutes ago, BernardC said:

It's not a bad idea, except for the side-effect that it turns children into cyborg zombies! 😀

My idea was not that everyone should walk around wearing VR headsets, but just that the camera's viewfinder image should be larger. 😉

[Alberti]

On 10/26/2025 at 1:18 AM, Stephen.s1 said:

Getting back to rangefinders..  70 years ago when I was a (among other tasks) stringer for the New Haven Register and my tool of choice was a 4x5 Speed Graphic.  It had an excellent range finder available as an accessory.  It was coupled to the focus knob/wheel. The "viewfinder window" was a wire frame.   

Memories.... 

 

I even imagine a new "range-finder available as an accessory", with digital sensors that talk with the camera (transmit what you choose to focus) while then the cemara knows what the plane is and knows where the lens is (because of the captured and digitized reading of the lens cam). There were several such gadgets over time, some with a large baseline.

Not cheap. But very doable. 

By the way, Alpa designers were very smart and adjusted their RF vertically when needed. Probably needed to break Leica's patent.

To revert to the OP – A digital RF assistant? Sure, but not in the form of red lines/contours please, Fuji somewhere had a magnifier in a separate window, I found that smart. The form is not the issue, but the function, how slick it is and easily comprehended (sublimal included) because that makes the day for our beloved patch in the middle of our small world.

[plaidshirts]

On 10/24/2025 at 10:26 PM, setuporg said:

To answer many replies in various threads -- no, there is no such thing as digital rangefinder experience.

A rangefinder is a mechanical device that couples to Leica M lenses that allow for it, that is, that are real manual focus Leica lenses.

Simulating "rangefinder" with pixels is

• Bullshit
• Abomination
• Abhorrent
• Fake
• Terrible
• Ugly
• Stupid
• Nonsensical
• Idiotic

... you get the gist.  Do not propose it.  Do not speak about "digital rangefinder experience."  There is no such thing; there's never been such a thing; and there will never be such a thing.  Same as "digital childbirth experience."

My feelings aren't as strong but agree with the sentiment. Might as well get a Fuji X-Pro3 and get auto focus too. Isn't that where this is heading?