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Features

6 Rangefinder Style Cameras With Vintage Charm, Modern Performance

Brett Day
No Comments
07/15/2020
6 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Fujifilm X100V review product images 41-8000s160

Last Updated on 07/16/2020 by Chris Gampat

If you’re looking for a camera with gorgeous retro styling, but you don’t want to give up performance, you need to see these Rangefinder Style cameras.

If you long for a camera that can offer classic retro looks, but you don’t want to give up performance, the Rangefinder style cameras we have rounded up for you here will fit the bill perfectly. There are Rangefinder style cameras that fit all types of budgets, and there are APS-C, Full Frame, and Medium Format offerings to choose from. All of these Rangefinder style cameras look amazing, and they will help you create images you’ll be proud of. Check out six of our favorite Rangefinder style cameras after the break.

Captured with the Panasonic GX8

Modern cameras have come a long way in terms of design, but many still don’t have much about them in regards to character. A lot of modern cameras are just boring boxes that don’t inspire a photographer to pick them up and use them. This, however, cannot be said about a lot of modern Rangefinder style cameras. The classic looks of Rangefinder style cameras are hard to ignore, and you’ll find that plenty of heads will turn your way when you have one with you. They harken back to a time when cameras were tools made by craftsmen and were used by masters of the craft.

Today’s Rangefinder style cameras aren’t all just about looks, though: they pack a punch in terms of performance as well. Pick up one of the cameras below and not only will you feel the nostalgia coursing through your fingers, but you’ll also enjoy the images you produce, and the levels of performance you get from them. Check out six of our favorite Rangefinder style cameras below.

Fujifilm X Pro 3

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Superia is beautiful (Classic neg)
  • We love the lack of no major screen
  • Autofocus can be fine-tuned for different situations
  • Everyone loves the look of Classic neg
  • You can push the shadows for forever and get details – the highlights not as much, but they’re still there
  • USB C charging ensures that you can keep using the camera
  • Video features deliver pretty video
  • Arguably, you don’t need to edit the RAW files because the JPEGs let you do so much
  • For street and documentary shooting, the hidden screen will keep you in the zone when shooting
  • Face detection is fantastic when not trying to track erratic movements
  • Acros and clarity enhancements are going to make you fall in love with Fujifilm all over again
  • The Chrome effect for skies is very nice
  • Autofocus is fantastic for events and most professional work
  • Fujifilm’s collection of small primes pair wonderfully with this camera
  • The best camera to embrace high ISO noise on the market
  • Using the OVF will prolong battery life at the expense of slower autofocus
  • The wider lenses make zone focusing easy. This is imperative for street photography
  • Multiple exposure mode is a very welcome addition
  • Very good battery life

Cons

  • Has problems keeping subjects in focus when they’re continuously moving
  • When you need the screen, it’s a bit of an annoyance
  • This camera desperately needed Blackout Free EVF shooting
  • Touchscreen menu navigation should be on this camera
  • Autofocus needs improvements still
  • When we rate images in-camera, the rating isn’t brought into Capture One Pro
  • Enhancing the clarity makes the camera take extra time to render the image
  • For street shooting, the wide and tracking AF area still lets you select a zone. And it shouldn’t. This can throw off shooting in real-life street situations
  • Shooting from the hip? You may accidentally hit the function button and not the shutter release
  • Exposure dial needs a locking mechanism
  • Multiple Exposure mode saves the final images only as JPEGs

Buy now: $1,799

Leica M10-D

Rangefinder Style cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Quiet shutter
  • A bit of an improvement in battery life
  • Leica Fotos integration is very nice
  • Same great image quality as the Leica M10
  • Looks and feels like a film camera
  • Very low profile

Cons

  • Pricey
  • We really, really wish this were a true mechanical shutter

Buy now: $7,503.51

Pro Tip: These small, stylish Rangefinder style cameras are a joy to hold, and honestly, they look so good you’re going to want to pair them with a strap that looks equally as good. We have reviewed a lot of straps over the years, so head to our review section to see reviews on the straps like the Vi Vante Tread Classic and many more.

Panasonic GX8

Rangefinder Style cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • The absolute best color Panasonic has ever delivered out of the camera
  • Incredible build quality
  • Very nice EVF
  • Nice shutter sound
  • Fast-focusing capabilities even in the lowest of lighting situations
  • Lots of buttons and dials
  • Dials feel very, very nice
  • In-camera stabilization is quite nice

Cons

  • Layout and placement of dials and buttons are a bit awkward
  • Highlight retention could be better
  • Pretty expensive

Buy now: $1,199.99

Olympus Pen F

Rangefinder Style cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • The absolute best and in some ways almost perfect image quality from an Olympus ILC camera yet
  • Handles very much like an old analog camera
  • Feels amazing in the hand for street photography
  • Thumb rest is absolutely fantastic
  • Autofocus performance is more than satisfactory
  • Not too large of a camera body.
  • The knob that lets me shoot in black and white mode has me addicted to not only shooting in black and white but also being very happy with the JPEGs
  • Flippin’ fantastic JPEG output
  • Great EVF
  • The electronic shutter is super nice
  • The most beautiful digital camera made thus far
  • 80MP High res mode is there but I’m honestly not sure it should be. It wasn’t really designed for that user
  • We haven’t been this excited about a camera since the Olympus OMD EM5 came out

Cons

  • Price point
  • We really wish Olympus put weather-sealing into the camera

Buy now: $899

Captured with the Fujifilm X100V

Pro Tip: These Rangefinder style cameras are gorgeous, and we’re sure you will want to keep them that way. If you want to make sure your investment lasts a long time, you need to be cleaning it. Cleaning your camera often will not only help keep its great looks, but it will also help it perform at its peak too. All you need is a simple, inexpensive cleaning kit to keep your gear in tip-top shape.

Fujifilm X100V

Rangefinder Style cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Feels good in the hand
  • Focuses quickly but the all wide tracking needs a revamp
  • Beautiful overall
  • We like the new ISO dial
  • So simple to use
  • Image quality is nice
  • Built in ND filter option
  • With the right tweaks the autofocus can be very good for street photography
  • We find autofocus with the OVF to be faster than with the EVF
  • Touchscreen focusing is wonderful
  • At $1,399, it’s very worth it

Cons

  • Battery life drains too fast
  • Could use a leatherette grip and not this plastic fantastic stuff
  • Exposure compensation dial needs a lock button
  • Touchscreen menu is needed
  • Maybe even a few more Fn buttons
  • Viewfinder diopter adjustment doesn’t lock
  • When you set the camera to viewfinder only for shooting and LCD for playback, the menu system works only in the viewfinder.
  • There are situations where Image Stabilization would really benefit this camera due to the quick “hit and run” style of shooting
  • LCD needs to adapt to lighting automatically
  • Autofocus suffers in very low lighting and in zone setting

Buy now: $1,399

Fujifilm GFX 50R

Rangefinder Style cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Great image quality
  • Excellent high ISO output
  • High speed sync with the Profoto Air system is a delight
  • Autofocus that isn’t all that bad
  • Weather sealing that is top notch
  • Lightweight
  • Not at all that large overall
  • The ergonomics are very good

Cons

  • This system really needs lenses faster than f2
  • The autofocus could still use some revamps

Buy now: $4,499

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