Hey Joe! I can very much appreciate your position - right up to the type of photography i do - a lot of close-up work. Rangefinders are wonderful - no "mirror slap", etc. - but pretty useless when shooting at lifesize. There is simply no substitute for looking through the lens that's doing the shooting. (Gonna tell my age here - but I used to shoot a bunch with an old Speed Graphic (portable 4x5 camera with rangefinder) - and more often than not, I'd have the curtain over the head to compose). Again - this is entirely relative to the type of photography being done - in my case, mostly static natural subject, I had the time to put the curtain over my head, compose the shot, load the holder, and expose. Shooting people, or any animate object, for that matter, is a different story. I can see the benefits of a rangefinder when on the move, shooting from the hip - candids of people, etc. - but there's nothing like being able to preview depth-of-field, composition on a magnified scene, and seeing the filter effects right through the lens (again, for MY type of photography). Bottom line - use the equipment that works best for what you are shooting - I wouldn't use a tank for squirrel hunting, same as I wouldn't use a .22 if I were in WWII. Wolf