Editing Rangefinder camera (section)

=== Viewfinder parallax ===
[[File:Rangefinder window.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.36|Example of the unfocused and focused image in rangefinder window]]
The viewfinder of a rangefinder camera is offset from the picture-taking lens so that the image viewed is not exactly what will be recorded on the film; this [[parallax]] error is negligible at large subject distances but becomes significant as the distance decreases. For extreme close-up photography, the rangefinder camera is awkward to use, as the viewfinder no longer points at the subject.

More advanced rangefinder cameras project into the viewfinder a brightline frame that moves as the lens is focused, correcting parallax error down to the minimum distance at which the rangefinder functions. The angle of view of a given lens also changes with distance, and the brightline frames in the finders of a few cameras automatically adjust for this as well.

In contrast, the viewfinder pathway of an SLR transmits an image directly "through the lens". This eliminates [[parallax]] errors at any subject distance, thus allowing for [[macro photography]]. It also removes the need to have separate viewfinders for different lens focal lengths. In particular, this allows for extreme telephoto lenses which would otherwise be very hard to focus and compose with a rangefinder. Furthermore, the through-the-lens view allows the viewfinder to directly display the [[depth of field]] for a given aperture, which is not possible with a rangefinder design. To compensate for this, rangefinder users often use [[Depth of field#Zone focusing|zone focusing]], which is especially applicable to the rapid-fire approach to street photography.