Why are rangefinder lenses generally more expensive than DSLR lenses?

As a sideaxis user, it is not necessarily correct to say your own opinion.

The structure of the rangefinder led to the difficulty of manufacturing autofocus lenses for cameras with interchangeable lenses (currently there are and only the Contac G series rangefinders use autofocus), and the rangefinder autofocus of non-interchangeable lenses was developed perfectly more than 20 years ago.

The evolution of the rangefinder from the mainstream camera to today's non-mainstream camera, which means that it is impossible to compete with the mainstream SLR in terms of output and scale, so most of the rangefinder brands take the boutique route, the so-called boutique route is to manufacture the camera as a heirloom product, Leica is the most typical representative, the Leica rangefinder old lens in the 30s of the last century, so far the history, transferred to the micro-mirrorless body still has a very outstanding optical performance, on the other hand, the Nissan SLR lens in the middle of the last century, the optical performance has not been satisfied. This plays a decisive role in the strategy of the boutique route, more precise processing, unique glass formula, top-secret coating process, its own proud patented optical structure, etc., a simple example, is the mass production of domestic plum watches, and the difference between Rolex, the former 30 faces after the end of life, the latter 100 years is still accurate, not only the process is good, but also the cost of materials.

Because of niche + boutique + stacking + manufacturers showing off their skills, any of these factors are the key to the high cost of the rangefinder lens.

Because the rangefinder is non-mainstream, the output is small, so on average, the unit price is expensive.

Rangefinder lenses such as Leica M lenses with adapter rings can be used on coaxial EMUs, so there is no pure rangefinder lens for a rangefinder camera (only the lenses used on the rangefinder camera).

The rangefinder is the opposite of the coaxial, with the difference being that the viewfinder has a different optical path design. All the framing optical path through the same lens belongs to the coaxial mode, basically no parallax, what you see is what you get. The finder light path does not pass through the lens used for shooting is a rangefinder method, and there is a noticeable parallax when shooting objects at close range, and there is usually a corrective frame in the viewfinder.

The framing light path of a DSLR camera passes through the same lens as the shooting light path, so it is definitely coaxial.

Small digital cameras that do not have an optical viewfinder are also coaxial because the framing depends on the sensor behind the lens to convert the image and display the image on the LCD, and the optical path of the framing is also realized through the same lens.

Some small digital cameras can be viewed by LCD, and there are also traditional optical viewfinders, which are coaxial when using LCD and rangefinder when viewed with optical viewfinders, such as Canon's G12.

Single-camera cameras also generally use LCD viewing, so they are also coaxial.

The 135 and 120 film cameras, with the exception of the SLR, were viewed rangefinder. The double-mirror film machine represented by Lulai is more special, but strictly speaking, it is also the sideshaft method, but it is specially called double-mirror.

The landline camera used frosted glass to frame the flat film, and then changed to a film clip, which is a coaxial method.

Digital cameras don't have pure rangefinder viewing, as they can all utilize sensor-LCD viewing. However, a retro-style machine that looks like a rangefinder film machine and has an optical viewfinder is called a camera. Leica M8, M9, Fujifilm X100 belong to such a category.

There are no truly pure rangefinder digital cameras at the moment.

The rangefinder is the counterpart to the coaxial viewfinder.

SLR (or even single-reel) cameras shoot and frame through the same lens, but the optical path behind the lens is imaged by a mirror-pentaprism-eyepiece system, which is separate from the optical path of the film sensor. This type of viewfinder is basically what you see is what you get. It is especially beneficial to change lenses with different focal lengths.

The viewfinder light path of a rangefinder camera is completely detached from the main lens, and is an independent optical path system consisting of a group of optical lenses placed diagonally above the main lens, which is consistent with the angle of view of the camera's main lens, but is a positive image when viewed from the eyepiece end. Because the rangefinder viewfinder has a different axis from the main lens, there is a large parallax when shooting close-up objects, so a frame is often drawn in the viewfinder to correct close-up parallax.

The rangefinder is not conducive to replacing the main lens, such as the interchangeable lens body of the Leica lens, and the special viewfinder matching the lens should be placed in the hot shoe part of the non-standard lens, which is extremely inconvenient and costly.

Later, in the era of fully automatic film cameras with zoom heads, the rangefinder also had the ability to zoom synchronously, which continued until the current era of digital cameras, and some digital cameras were still equipped with power-saving rangefinders.

The term rangefinder does not exist in the formal lens classification, but in fact there is the concept of a rangefinder lens.

The main difference is the flange distance of the lens, the lens used in the rangefinder camera, the design flange distance is rarely greater than 30mm, while the SLR lens is all above 40mm, and the flange distance is 10mm, which means that although the lens has the same structure (for example, the rangefinder and the SLR have planar, Tiansai, Gaussian, and anti-telephore. and so on), but in fact the focal plane distance position varies greatly. This is why most rangefinder lenses cannot be used on DSLRs, because the rear lens group of the lens will touch the reflector (which is the problem of the 10mm flange distance).

If you want to achieve linkage focusing, you still need to make certain modifications, but at least you can achieve focus estimation shooting on the rangefinder, and the imaging is perfect, because of the lack of 10mm flange distance.

If the flange distance is small, you can use the adapter ring to make up for the gap, and you can't cut the lens group after the lens.

Rangefinder, to be precise, does not have such a name as "rangefinder lens".

Some are just rangefinder cameras.

The rangefinder camera is a kind of camera, which is different from the popular SLR, and is called alongside the SLR, the double reflex and the newly invented single-lens reflex.

The feature of the rangefinder camera is that the light path of the framing is on the side of the lens, which is different from the shooting lens.

Therefore, it is called a rangefinder camera.

Unlike a double reflex, this camera does not have a mirror in it, and the framing is not a lens, but it consists of a number of optical lenses that make up the viewfinder. The early Seagull 205 and the Leica M series mentioned upstairs are representatives of this type of camera.

Rangefinder cameras are characterized by very low shutter vibration.

But there is parallax in framing, especially at close range.

The advantages of SLR, what you see is what you get, you can change the lens at will; Disadvantages, large size, because the pentaprism takes up too much space, the shutter noise is high.

Advantages of rangefinder, absolute header, small size, low shutter noise; Cons, there is parallax.

Lycra is expensive because of its quality, just talking about its material, we all know that the metal body is made of aluminum-magnesium alloy, but the alloys used by Leica are two, one is a conventional aluminum-magnesium alloy, but the ratio is more scientific, and the other is a copper-zinc alloy, with a large proportion of zinc, which is said to be anti-wear and anti-metal fatigue, and its metering system is very scientific, because Leica specially added a reflector to the metering system. The complexity of the structure and the sturdiness of the material make it much more expensive than other brands of cameras.

Advantages of rangefinders (as opposed to DSLRs): the camera is light and compact, the shutter lag is shorter (because there is no need to lift the reflector), the sound is low when shooting (this is useful in places where noise is more stringent, such as theaters and venues), and "individuality" is subjective, so I won't comment on it!

Advantages of DSLR: what you see is what you get, focusing and metering are more reliable; Interchangeable lenses, different lenses can be used according to different needs to better achieve the purpose of shooting. (The advantages of the sideshaft are reversed to be the main disadvantages of the SLR).

If you want to ask why the side axis of the lycra is expensive, you only have to imagine why the bags of LV, Prada, and Gucci are expensive from other brands :)

Leica machines are expensive, one is the brand effect For example, his machine sells for 50,000 yuan, 30,000 is to buy the Leica brand, 10,000 is to buy the amazing Kodak full-frame CCD, 2,000 to buy the fuselage workmanship, 3,000 to buy the Leica M mount, and the remaining 5,000 is the profit of distributors at all levels;

One is a work of art representing the highest level of industrial manufacturing, and the other is a camera, how to compare? Leica is collectible, not only to preserve its value, but also to appreciate it. There don't seem to be many models of SLR cameras that can really appreciate their value.

Rangefinder cameras are generally smaller than DSLRs or reflex cameras, and the design of interchangeable lenses is suitable for home use. Interchangeable lenses are designed to cater to the needs of professional users. Because the output is small and the competition is large, it needs to be maintained by raising the first level.

Rangefinder camera: 1Also known as rangefinder cameras, they are named because the light axes of the viewfinder are located next to the optical axis of the photographic lens and are parallel to each other"Rangeshaft"Camera.

2.In the entire development of camera technology, this type of camera is one of the most diverse, structurally different, and therefore the most culturally distinctive. From the outstanding Leica products, to the famous Lulai double reflex, to the world's first rangefinder digital camera Epson R-D1, etc., are all members of the rangefinder camera, so the rangefinder camera is undoubtedly an important component of the development of the camera.

3.The rangefinder camera was a widely used camera before the advent of the SLR viewfinder system, and its viewfinder was also improved from the early head-up viewfinder (or optical viewfinder, that is, the viewfinder used on point-and-shoot cameras).

4.The framing method of the rangefinder camera is different from that of the DSLR camera, and the framing method is not through the lens, but through the independent viewfinder, so there will be a certain parallax in the framing at close range (the advanced rangefinder has a parallax compensation mechanism).

Make model: Leica rangefinder digital camera.

System: Leica M11

Different lens compositions have different focal length advantages. In terms of lens composition, the rangefinder camera does not have a mirror, and the SLR has a mirror. In terms of focal length advantages, short and standard focal lengths are the strengths of rangefinder cameras, while telephoto and macro are the strengths of DSLR cameras. The details are as follows:

1. The rangefinder camera does not have a mirror, which is to reduce the thickness of the camera, to reduce the vibration, and to use the shutter between the lenses to achieve full synchronization of the flash. DSLRs have reflectors.

2. Due to the focus baseline and the limitation of no mirror, the general wide-angle lens can be very close to the negative, and the structure and imaging are better than that of the SLR. Therefore, the short, standard focal length is the strong point of the rangefinder camera, and the telephoto is almost imaginary. The advantage of the SLR is that the focal length covers a wide range, and it has an incomparable advantage in the telephoto and macro axis.

3. When shooting, the rangefinder camera can see the scenery outside the frame through the viewfinder, and you can press the shutter to complete the shooting after weighing it again. On the other hand, DSLR cameras can only see the shooting frame when shooting, and the display screen will go black after we press the shutter, and then resume.

1. The structure is different, the production cost of the rangefinder is naturally high, the mirror-lens mirroring is a reflector and a Wuling mirror inside, and the optical glass of different shapes is the internal piece of the rangefinder viewfinder, and each piece can move each other to achieve focusing, and the manufacturing cost is much higher than that of the single-lens reflex.

2. The lens structure also leads to high production costs, SLR is WYSIWYG optical framing, the lens processing accuracy requirements are not so high, and the rangefinder is a purely mechanical framing must be processed in strict accordance with the precision, even if the error is a few tenths of a millimeter, the focus will be wrong. For every millimeter of precision in industrial production, the cost will increase by two or three times. It is not difficult for you to produce parts with a permissible error between millimeters, and you have to ensure that each part is millimeters.

3. The sideshaft is a niche product, the SLR is a mass product, and the niche product has a small market, which must be high. If Ferrari produces 5 million vehicles a year, it is estimated that it will not produce much like Volkswagen.

A DSLR is framed through a lens, which is a mirror called a reflector, which allows you to see through the lens what you actually see.

Ordinary cameras don't have reflectors, and the light hits the CCD directly, and then images it onto the LCD screen, and the framing is done through the LCD screen, after all, it's not the human eye, so the view is biased.

The rangefinder is an additional viewfinder with a focal length that matches the lens, and you're seeing the same thing on the other optical axis, so there might be a little bit of a deviation.

The so-called single-lens reflex, double-mirror, rangefinder electronics, all refer to the framing method, and its imaging principle is similar.

In single-lens reflex cameras, what the optical viewfinder sees is the same as what the lens sees.

Ordinary digital cameras are non-interchangeable lens LCD screen viewfinder cameras, without an optical viewfinder, electronic viewfinder is carried out through the LCD screen.

A rangefinder camera means that the framing optical axis is located next to the optical axis of the photographic lens and is parallel to each other. There is a slight difference between what the optical viewfinder sees and what the lens sees.

About single-lens reflex cameras.

What is a DSLR camera

--Is it a normal dual lens?

A: Not at all. Single-lens reflex (SLR) and double-reflex are just concepts divided by the different structures of the camera (specifically referring to the different framing structures of the camera), which are not ordinary and advanced.

Reflex camera (not copied, all original posts).

--What does rangefinder mean? (Not copied, all original posts).

See what is a rangefinder camera, viewfinder construction, how to frame it, and drawings

Regarding the rangefinder camera, the attached drawings