Are there any hand-held rangefinders good for zone focusing?

runswithsizzers · 2026-02-08T13:40:53-0500

To be clear, I am not looking for a rangefinder camera. I want a device to measure distances to help me set the focus distance on cameras with zone focusing.

A quick online search shows the major markets for this kind of device seem to hunters and golfers. I think devices made for hunters and golfers are possibly optimised for longer distances? As a photographer, I am more concerned about accuracy in the range of 1 to 25 meters than I am at 100 or 1000 meters.

Any tips or specific recommendations from photographers?

Ardpatrick · 2026-02-08T13:59:45-0500

This is a matter of ongoing interest to me too:

Mamiya 7 210mm lens focus

I have been playing a little with a Mamiya 7 210mm f8 lens. It's interesting, but difficult to work with, because its focus is not linked to the rangefinder in the camera. What I've gleaned online is that a lot of people who use this lens use it in landscape settings focussed at infinity. I...

www.photrio.com

mshchem · 2026-02-08T14:02:25-0500

Kodak sold the "Service Rangefinder" after WWII to accompany their nice folding 620 cameras. The Service name refers to it's use by servicemen during the war. Has a foot that is smaller than a normal accessory mount to fit the Kodak. If you can find a clean one they work great. Lots of post war Japan made versions too.

Look at this product I found on google.com https://share.google/EucquzAMSKn4F8r2r

mshchem · 2026-02-08T14:04:03-0500

mshchem said:
Kodak sold the "Service Rangefinder" after WWII to accompany their nice folding 620 cameras. The Service name refers to it's use by servicemen during the war. Has a foot that is smaller than a normal accessory mount to fit the Kodak. If you can find a clean one they work great. Lots of post war Japan made versions too.

Look at this product I found on google.com https://share.google/EucquzAMSKn4F8r2r

Might come in handy for territorial disputes

GregY · 2026-02-08T14:14:40-0500

There are many mechanical rangefinders made specifically for cameras

Pardon Our Interruption...

blee1996 · 2026-02-08T14:36:44-0500

The small Voigtlander shoe-mount rangefinder is quite good. The older Leica style shoe-mount rangefinder has longer RF base and might be more accurate. But in any case, find one that is in good working condition (especially the half-silvered mirror). Typically they have adjustment screws and are not that difficult to calibrate yourself.

Shaps · 2026-02-08T14:38:19-0500

I was looking for the same measuring device when I was waiting for my 6x17 3D printed camera to arrive. It had a focusing helicoid marked in meters. I wanted to be accurate with my focus nd not rely on DOF. So I bought this

GLM400CL Laser Measures | Bosch Professional

GLM400CL

www.boschtools.com

this Bosch Lazer is made to use outdoors ( works inside too) AND has a camera, with zoom, that shows you exactly where you are reading. All of my photographs with my 6x17 and now my 6x9 (same build as the 6x17) are tack sharp. Well worth the money.
When I got my 6x9 camera I wanted to use it handheld and wanted a smaller kit than I used for my tripod mounted 6x17. So I bought a small hNdheld pencil type lazer. It worked fine but outside I could not see what it was reading although the people I was photographing could see it on their body. Yes I was careful not to point it at their face. So I now I use the Bosch for both cameras.

xkaes · 2026-02-08T14:54:50-0500

Unless you want to lug around another camera, I'd search for older photographic rangefinders. These are more accurate than most rangefinder cameras, and they are small and light. As mentioned above, these usually have a "flash shoe" on the bottom to fit on any camera -- so you can set the distance on the lens accurately. Lots of large format camera users carry these because they need to know the distance for the front and back of the DOF they want. They are usually about 3" long and 0.5 " width & height -- easily fit in any pocket. You can probably get a good one for $10.

runswithsizzers · 2026-02-08T15:14:58-0500

Thanks to all. Those Kodak Service Rangefinders and similar look intriguing. However, it looks like a significant percentage of those being sold on eBay are advertised as "for parts / not working" and several listings mention the optics are hazy.

And there is apparently another complication -- as one seller mentions, "More recently, Obi-Wan Kenobi used this item as a comlink, and the market for them has changed dramatically..." It sounds like these may have become a popular accessory for cosplay, and that is inflating the prices??

Does anyone know of something similar to the Kodak Service Rangefinder that might have been manufactured more recently, and without cult / collectable value?

blee1996 said:
The small Voigtlander shoe-mount rangefinder is quite good.

Those do look good! I need to investigate, they still being maufactured. One eBay seller has one described as "brand new in the box" (for $330 USD -- ouch!), but I've seen used ones at more affordable asking prices.

Kino · 2026-02-08T15:15:03-0500

You could also do the protractor with a plumb bob and self-calibrate the distances you desire.

Shaps · 2026-02-08T15:16:53-0500

Here’s some of my quest for a small rangefinder. After several attemps on Ebay to find ones that actually worked, some sellers claimed they did-but they didn’t, I went back to using my Bosch lazer.

reddesert · 2026-02-08T15:37:27-0500

There is a lot of information already out there if you try to find it. Please read Mercury Camera's page:

https://mercurycamera.com/accessories-2/accessory-range-finder-roundup/

retina_restoration · 2026-02-08T15:37:42-0500

Do you use an iPhone? Specifically the "Pro" models 12 or later? (Only the iPhone 12 Pro and later Pro models have Lidar tools built it) If so, there’s this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/filmmeter/id6753060069

Shaps · 2026-02-08T16:01:24-0500

retina_restoration said:
Do you use an iPhone? If so, there’s this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/filmmeter/id6753060069

I just loaded it i to my Iphone 15. Does not support Lidar which I think is the measuring tool?

retina_restoration · 2026-02-08T16:21:02-0500

Shaps said:
I just loaded it i to my Iphone 15. Does not support Lidar which I think is the measuring tool?

It uses Lidar, correct. From the maker: "LiDAR distance measurement requires iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, or later Pro models equipped with the LiDAR scanner."

Ardpatrick · 2026-02-08T16:45:22-0500

retina_restoration said:
It uses Lidar, correct. From the maker: "LiDAR distance measurement requires iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, or later Pro models equipped with the LiDAR scanner."

I’ve used the LiDAR Scanner on my iPhone 12 Pro with my Mamiya 7 210mm lens (non-rangefinder coupled). It works very well actually but you kind of have to walk from your point of focus to your camera to get a reading. The LiDAR Scanner cannot be trained on a focus point more than a few feet away.

That creates constraints under certain situations.

However I haven’t tried the app you linked to. It could be useful.

retina_restoration · 2026-02-08T16:48:19-0500

Ardpatrick said:
I’ve used the LiDAR Scanner on my iPhone 12 Pro with my Mamiya 7 210mm lens (non-rangefinder coupled). It works very well actually but you kind of have to walk from your point of focus to your camera to get a reading. The LiDAR Scanner cannot be trained on a focus point more than a few feet away.

That creates constraints under certain situations.

I have not found that to be true at all. I've gotten extremely accurate readings up to 25 feet away, pointing at the subject from camera position.

Ardpatrick · 2026-02-08T17:29:13-0500

retina_restoration said:
I have not found that to be true at all. I've gotten extremely accurate readings up to 25 feet away, pointing at the subject from camera position.

Interesting. Are you using the App you linked to, or something more generic?

runswithsizzers · 2026-02-08T17:37:54-0500

retina_restoration said:
Do you use an iPhone? Specifically the "Pro" models 12 or later? (Only the iPhone 12 Pro and later Pro models have Lidar tools built it) If so, there’s this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/filmmeter/id6753060069

Last time I upgraded our phones, I screwed up and got the iPhone 15 (not Pro) without doing quite enough research. Only later did I discover how many additional photographic functions are supported on the Pro model.

Ardpatrick · 2026-02-08T18:04:31-0500

For longer distances I’ve used the measure tool in Google maps to get a sense of the distance to a point of focus from my location. It can’t calculate for slope differential, but for straight line measurements it’s more accurate than I can achieve with thd markings on my lens barrel.

Sooner or later I planned to buy a hunter / golf rangefinder. Modern, cheap-ish, widely available, robust, does calculate slope, and is likely also more accurate than what I can dial into the lens barrel.

loccdor · 2026-02-08T18:14:01-0500

With regards to laser rangefinder tools, many of them struggle in bright sunlight. The one I tried was very accurate but that was its achilles heel.

The Soviet Blik rangefinder was the cheapest decent cold shoe rangefinder when I searched for one years back.

At this point I've practiced guessing distance enough that I rarely bring it along.

retina_restoration · 2026-02-08T18:50:36-0500

runswithsizzers said:
Last time I upgraded our phones, I screwed up and got the iPhone 15 (not Pro) without doing quite enough research. Only later did I discover how many additional photographic functions are supported on the Pro model.

Yep. It's the ONLY reason I've bought the Pro model the last two times.

BrianShaw · 2026-02-08T18:55:01-0500

I've not had any luck with Kodak Service Rangefinders. I've bought several and they all have bad mirrors. The German Watameter, though, has worked out quite nicely. Every one I've bought works good and is easy to calibrate.

Chan Tran · 2026-02-08T18:57:47-0500

I can estimate distance much better than I can set that distance on the focusing ring so the accurate rangefinder isn't useful to me. What about a laser distance sensor? You may not want to use it for people they are accurate at close distance 30ft or less and not too expensive. Farther distance you really don't need.
Something like this should be just fine https://www.amazon.com/RockSeed-Dis...11646395011_d_sccl_2/142-2080171-9458716?th=1

retina_restoration · 2026-02-08T19:04:02-0500

BrianShaw said:
I've not had any luck with Kodak Service Rangefinders. I've bought several and they all have bad mirrors. The German Watameter, though, has worked out quite nicely. Every one I've bought works good and is easy to calibrate.

It's hit-or-miss with these — especially the silver colored ones that came after the black enameled ones. The silver ones are very difficult to take apart and clean, but the black enameled ones (actually called the Kodak Pocket Rangefinder — a different name) are quite simple to open up and clean.

Are there any hand-held rangefinders good for zone focusing?

Attachments

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency