>>3747192I like rangefinders simply because they're not SLRs. I just shoot for fun, so i want something thats a little different and fun to use, if not T E C H N O L O G I C P E R F E C T I O N. Plus, they're small and handy and still give you all the control you lack in other small packages like point and shoots. Pic related: my favorite of all time.
Also, they strike the technological sweet spot for me. Mechanical, no batteries or electronics to fail, but they actually have a focusing mechanism, unlike my other old fuck-around cameras like my Zeiss Ikon Nettar or my Universal Mercury II. All the cameras I own Ive gotten cheaply and repaired back to working order, so theyre also very serviceable.
I know not all of this is true for all rangefinders, but its generally true for ones from the 50s and 60s, which are my favorites