Why I still carry a 35mm rangefinder

I own two digital cameras and I earn most of my living with them. They are faster, more forgiving and cheaper to run. So why does a small film rangefinder go to every shoot?

It slows the room down

Thirty-six frames means thirty-six decisions. Everybody on a set can feel that. People stop performing when they hear one soft click instead of a burst, and they relax when the camera is the size of a sandwich.

It limits me

There is no screen on the back. I do not know what I have until the lab calls. I now trust a feeling I used to check, and the checking was making my pictures worse.

What it costs

Film and development add about fifty dollars to a portrait session. I include it in the Studio session package and mention it to every client, because some people would rather not wait ten days. For them, I shoot digital and grade it to look like film. It is a good grade. The film frames are better.

What I would tell a beginner

Buy a used, cheap one. Shoot one roll a month. Look at the contact sheet before you look at anything else.