Everything about rangefinder lenses

What is a rangefinder lens?

Rangefinder lenses are specially developed for rangefinder cameras. The lens forms the optical-mechanical system of the camera. This system focuses the image, which in turn is determined by the optical system (the viewfinder).

A unique way of focusing

Focusing with a rangefinder lens requires precision. The image that you see through the viewfinder is not always the same as the image that the lens sees. During focusing, you see a combination of these images. This is also referred to as a "parallax error". As soon as the two separate images overlap, the subject is in focus. You can compensate the image by manually focusing.

Fast, high-contrast images

A big advantage of a rangefinder camera is that you're placing the lens closer to the image plane. You can see the result of this especially well when shooting with a wide angle. There's hardly any distortion. So your images come out sharper. In addition, these lenses offer extra depth, which ensures an exceptional result. And if you choose a Leica lens, you will benefit from the fastest aspherical lenses in the world. This allows you to get the most out of your camera and to ensure that any image errors are quickly corrected.

Brands

Leica | Zeiss | Voigtlander