Editing Rangefinder camera (section)

=== Absence of mirror ===
The absence of a mirror allows the rear element of lenses to project deep into the camera body, making high-quality wide-angle lenses easier to design.  The [[Cosina|Voigtländer]] 12&nbsp;mm lens is the widest-angle [[rectilinear lens]] in general production, with a 121-degree angle of view; only recently have equivalent SLR lenses become available, though optically inferior.  The absence of a mirror also means that rangefinder lenses have the potential to be significantly smaller than equivalent lenses for SLRs as they need not accommodate mirror swing. This ability to have high quality lenses and camera bodies in a compact form made [[Leica camera]]s and other rangefinders particularly appealing to photojournalists.

Since there is no moving mirror, as used in SLRs, there is no momentary blackout of the subject being photographed.