Rangefinder/slr History

[Bill Ely]

Could any of you historians out there provide a brief background as to why there was such an abandonment of the rangefinder in favor of SLR cameras in the late 1950s/early 1960s? Photojournalists/war photographers, etc. really seemed to embrace the SLRs about that time, and I've never understood exactly why. Was it reliability? Better selection of lenses/accessories? Cost?

I know that some such professionals continued with the rangefinder (predominately Leica), but the shift to the SLR was dramatic.

Thanks, in advance, for the little history lesson!

Bill Ely

 

[bmattock]

Longer lenses.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Kim Coxon]

Also helped by the instant return mirror.

Kim

 

[furcafe]

In addition to the factors mentioned by Bill & Kim, there's the simple fact that being able to look through the lens is a big selling feature in & of itself (no more dealing w/parallax, etc.). Once the camera manufacturers figured out a way of getting an SLR to be almost as fast as an RF (instant-return mirror being the big innovation here) w/even the same range of lenses & accessories, & the same, or greater, level of reliability, that was all she wrote. The manufacturers also had an incentive to push the "new" technology (remember that buses were once considered high tech replacements for trolleys & trains) & in many ways SLRs are easier & cheaper to make (meaning more profit, though I think the lenses are more complicated, so that might be a wash). I don't think the increased size & weight were big factors because all 35mm cameras were already much smaller & lighter than the medium & large format cameras that had been standard for most photojournalists before & during WWII (Speed Graphic, Rolleiflex, etc.) & RFs had grown a little to accomodate new features (M3 v. Barnack Leicas, etc.).

Could any of you historians out there provide a brief background as to why there was such an abandonment of the rangefinder in favor of SLR cameras in the late 1950s/early 1960s? Photojournalists/war photographers, etc. really seemed to embrace the SLRs about that time, and I've never understood exactly why. Was it reliability? Better selection of lenses/accessories? Cost?

I know that some such professionals continued with the rangefinder (predominately Leica), but the shift to the SLR was dramatic.

Thanks, in advance, for the little history lesson!

Bill Ely

 

[Sparrow]

In addition to the sensible things, by the time I got to college in 1971 we looked way cooler drifting round town with a SP500 than a M3s, fashion has a big part in everything, d’ya think

 

[laptoprob]

And if logic fails, how about novelty? Well timed new inventions always do well, no matter differences in quality or performance or other (dis)advantages.

 

[Sparrow]

Yes Rob, come 1974 or 5 had to have a OM1, best of both worlds?

 

[kmack]

No one has mentioned zoom lenses yet. The ability to have a single lens that will give you the ability to shoot from 30 to 70mm is a big selling point, and why I keep my AE-1.

 

[SteveM_NJ]

Also - the camera manufacturers can't sell you new gear if they don't come up with something to entice you away from your old gear... ( new models means new sales)

 

[GeneW]

1. versatility: wide angle to long tele to macro with good viewing

2. reliability: the Nikon F in particular set high standards for reliability and durability in tough environments

3. fashion: the 'cool' factor

Gene

 

[ch1]

1. versatility: wide angle to long tele to macro with good viewing

2. reliability: the Nikon F in particular set high standards for reliability and durability in tough environments

3. fashion: the 'cool' factor

Gene

And to elaborate on #2 - the Nikon F was really the Nikon S body with the rangefinder mechanism replaced by the reflex mirror. So Nikon was able to begin SLR manufacturing relatively easily since it was an evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, step production-wise.

 

[NIKON KIU]

Could any of you historians out there provide a brief background as to why there was such an abandonment of the rangefinder in favor of SLR cameras in the late 1950s/early 1960s? Photojournalists/war photograph...... Was it reliability? Better selection of lenses/accessories? Cost?


Thanks, in advance, for the little history lesson!

Bill Ely

Hi Bill,
The year was 1959 Nikon was about to introduce their first full automatic reflex( says it right on the early boxes), it was the first SLR camera to have instant return mirror, interchangeable viewfinders, 100% image viewfinder, motor-capable.... It was called a Nikon F....changed everything.
Kiu

 

[KoNickon]

I think the others have hit on the main reasons -- the ability to use long lenses and wides without the need for an external (and easily lost) finder; the ruggedness of the cameras, especially the Nikon F; the fact the manufacturers wanted to sell something new.

Zooms really didn't come along until the '70s, but no question they became a major reason for using an SLR.

People will take issue with this, but I do believe SLRs are better able to take abuse than rangefinders. Leica-design RFs (I include the Hexar RF, the Bessas and the ZI in this group) can get knocked out of adjustment rather easily, and a photographer wouldn't know this until the film gets developed. I think the Contax-Nikon design is much better in this regard. With an SLR, you know if you're in focus or not.

 

[principe azul]

Well, according to legend, it was the Nikon F that did it. And of course Nikon later came up with lots of fancy gadgets to go with it.

 

[ch1]

What's also interesting is how Nikon established it's presence via war.

The Korean War established the Nikon RF and their SLR found it's "place" during 'Nam.

Perhaps because the PJ's and WC's "found" Nikon in the former, they gravitated to it (now as a SLR) in the latter.

Oh and yes, they sent the "F" to the Moon (together with the MF Hassleblad - just so we don't restart THAT thread!) :angel:

 

[ch1]

What's also interesting is how Nikon established it's presence via war.

The Korean War established the Nikon RF and their SLR found it's "place" during 'Nam.

Perhaps because the PJ's and WC's "found" Nikon in the former, they gravitated to it (now as a SLR) in the latter?

Oh and yes, they sent the "F" to the Moon (together with the MF Hassleblad - just so we don't restart THAT thread!) :angel:

 

[VinceC]

I think Nikon had pretty clearly established the F before large-scale U.S. military (and media) involvement in Vietnam. In particular, the U.S. distributor got Fs into the hands of important news organizations in 1959-60, and the Nikon F was introduced as a full system from the very start.

A few other things not mentioned:
Close focus. This is big. Focusing in closer than 2.5 to 3 feet without a bunch of add-on gizmos was huge. Opened up whole new ways of seeing.

Can't overstate the importance of through-the-lens viewing.

Telephotos and the amateur market. ... Pros and real enthusiasts want to go wide. But beginners want to go long. Look at the majority of older two-lens kits on EBay ... a camera body, a 50mm lens and 135mm telephoto. By the mid-1970s, the telephoto zoom ruled. I have to admit, I learned most of my photography with a combination of a 50 and a 75-205 zoom. I was pretty experienced by the time I started regularly using wides.

 

[Honu-Hugger]

The common thinking at the time (early 60's) was that the SLR was going to make the RF obsolete; Nikon, Canon, and Contax all abandoned their RF programs entirely and dedicated their resources to SLR's. Leica was headed down the same road as BMW (motorcycles) with the K's thought to be the replacement for the R's and the water-cooled Porsches thought to be the replacement for the 911's. Diehards like us would not give up on our favorites and Leica, Porsche, and BMW realized there was still a strong market for the "old technology" so in the end, while initially thinking the "new" would replace the "old" chose to offer both.

 

[ch1]

If you "read between the lines" of this thread you will, of course, see a parallel with the film vs. digital approach to imaging!

As they say:

"Kind of like history repeating itself - only different."

 

[RJBender]

Exakta produced the first 35mm SLR in 1936.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exakta
http://cameraquest.com/exaktacl.htm
They're cool!

R.J.