Kodak focusing target?

[Alex Varas]

Hello,

Moving the workshop and I lost the target I had for adjusting the close focus of RFs, I think it was made by kodak, two triangles (one inverted?).
If anyone has a good pdf of image of it I would appreciate if you can share it.

And it’s not in the Medalist service manual or part list as I thought…

Thank you in advance!

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I found this forum thread and there was a link for a pdf. Good luck.

PDF: https://www.photrio.com/forum/attachments/medalist-rangefinder-target-3-pdf.371182/

Forum thread I found it in:

Kodak Medalist rangefinder- quick overview

SImilar to the Medalist wind system overview, here are some notes on the rangefinder. Even less instruction. (There are some silvered surfaces on central prisms for a short time...)

www.photrio.com

 

[Alex Varas]

Hehe, thank you, Alan.
I did asked Dan before he suggested posting here for help and now both Dan and I got the file one more time… till we loose it again )

 

[Dan Daniel]

Oh, THAT's what you wanted! Sorry, I thought that you were looking for a more generic rangefinder target. Although i guess that the Kodak one would be a good vertical alignment target for most any rangefinder.

I had that image on a wall of a shop I shared with someone lese, and he became convinced it was some esoteric black magic thing...

 

[brbo]

I use this one.

It's easy to establish whether you have front or back focus and how much.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Hehe, thank you, Alan.
I did asked Dan before he suggested posting here for help and now both Dan and I got the file one more time… till we loose it again )

Google Gemini AI is very helpful. They also gave me this instruction for its use:
The Kodak Focusing Target (specifically the one used for the Kodak Medalist) is a specialized calibration tool designed to adjust the split-image rangefinder for precise focus, particularly at close distances. Unlike a standard infinity target (like a distant building or the moon), this target is meant to be used at a specific measured distance to ensure the mechanical cam and the lens are perfectly synchronized.

Physical Appearance​

The target is characterized by its high-contrast geometric design, typically consisting of:

• Two Large Triangles: One upright and one inverted, often meeting at their points or arranged to create a distinct vertical break.
• A "Split" Alignment: Because the Kodak Medalist and similar rangefinders use a split-field system (where the top half of the image moves independently of the bottom), the target is designed so that the vertical edges of the triangles only form a straight, continuous line when the focus is perfect.
• High Contrast: It is usually printed in sharp black and white to make the "break" in the line as obvious as possible to the technician.

---

How It Is Used​

The target is primarily used for close-focus adjustment (typically at 15 feet, as specified in the Kodak service manual, though some technicians use 10 feet for modern precision).

1. Placement: The target is placed at a precisely measured distance from the film plane.
2. Visual Alignment: The technician looks through the rangefinder eyepiece. If the camera is out of adjustment, the vertical lines of the triangles will appear "broken" or offset.
3. Mechanical Adjustment: While viewing the target, the technician adjusts the rangefinder cam follower or the internal adjustment screws until the two halves of the target align to form a single, unbroken geometric shape.
4. Verification: Once the rangefinder aligns on the target, a ground glass is often placed at the film plane to verify that the lens is also throwing a sharp image at that exact distance.

Why It Is Unique​

While you can focus a rangefinder on any vertical line (like a door frame), the Kodak target was engineered to eliminate "guesswork." The triangular shapes provide a vernier-like precision; because the diagonal edges of the triangles move toward each other, even a microscopic misalignment is immediately visible to the eye.

Note: If you are looking for a copy to print, members of film photography forums like Photrio often share PDF versions of the original Medalist target, as the physical originals are now rare collector's items.

 

[Dan Daniel]

Ah, AI slop. Close enough to sound official, but enough errors to make it useless. Interesting to see something I know pretty well run through the sausage grinder.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Ah, AI slop. Close enough to sound official, but enough errors to make it useless. Interesting to see something I know pretty well run through the sausage grinder.

Well it did find the template and thread for me. So we have to give it some credit.

 

[Kilgallb]

Yesterday Claude told me to buy panchromatic paper to do monochrome prints from. Colour negatives. Sloppy!

 

[Dan Daniel]

Well it did find the template and thread for me. So we have to give it some credit.

Yep! As with using a search engine like Google. It still requires people to evaluate and implement properly. Which implies extrinsic knowledge developed through experience outside of search engines and AI. You have that, I assume people have that here. I do wonder what will happen as people are raised with this and things become more and more recursive and the loop of what is considered 'knowledge' gets smaller and inbred as, for example, another AI run uses previous AI runs, amplifying flaws, etc. Well, topic for another place!

 

[halfaman]

Yep! As with using a search engine like Google. It still requires people to evaluate and implement properly. Which implies extrinsic knowledge developed through experience outside of search engines and AI. You have that, I assume people have that here. I do wonder what will happen as people are raised with this and things become more and more recursive and the loop of what is considered 'knowledge' gets smaller and inbred as, for example, another AI run uses previous AI runs, amplifying flaws, etc. Well, topic for another place!

It is difference between learn and know and why I don't use AI. Learning is the journey, knowing is only the destination.

 

[koraks]

Lets discuss focusing targets here and do the AI discussion where it's been done several times already: the dedicated forum for it.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I still find the USAF1951 to be the most informative.