Rangefinder accessory

Ariston

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Where can I find a good, compact rangefinder that can be mounted on a cold shoe? Old and used is okay, I just don't know what search term to even use. Thanks!
 

BrianShaw

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“Kodak service rangefinder” is one... made by Kodak. There are others from other manufacturers but I can’t recall their names.
 

MattKing

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Sirius Glass

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https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...era.TRS0&_nkw=rangefinder+for+camera&_sacat=0 yields:
 

nosmok

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Have several, the pick of the litter is the Watameter in terms of ease of use but it only mounts horizontally. I use a Kodak Service RF when I need a vertical mount. Keep in mind you may need/ want to have them calibrated-- checking them against a tape measure yourself is a real drag at the longer distances.
 

EdSawyer

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The Voigtlander one is the best I have tried. It's been remade in modern form by Fotoman in recent years.
 

Kodachromeguy

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EdSawyer said:
The Voigtlander one is the best I have tried. It's been remade in modern form by Fotoman in recent years.
Click to expand...
I bought a Rowi rangefinder that looks just like some of the Voightlander units. Same subcontractor? Note: you may need to select a metric or English unit depending on how your lenses are marked.
 

guangong

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Bought a Watameter to use with Retina B, but never bothered to use one for Rollei 35, Minox or Minolta 16, where I use guestimation and depth of field. On the other hand, for fast lenses, closeups and MF a rangefinder is nice to have. The ease of calibration is an advantage of the Watameter.
However, noting distance on lens when using RF or SLR will develop skill in estimating distances in no time.
 
OP
OP

Ariston

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Thanks everyone - all these responses help a lot.

Kodachromeguy said:
I bought a Rowi rangefinder that looks just like some of the Voightlander units. Same subcontractor? Note: you may need to select a metric or English unit depending on how your lenses are marked.
Click to expand...
Thank you for reminding me! I would have forgotten.
 

shutterfinger

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OP is in US A. Ebay search is for US A. Does not surprise me that a US A search does not work in another country.
 
OP
OP

Ariston

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BrianShaw said:
FYI... Didn’t work for me either, and I think I’m still in USA.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it didn't work for me either, but I appreciated the effort. I don't know how to post search results from another site, either. But all the responses have helped me search for myself.
 

MattKing

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I think the problems one encounters with trying to share eBay search links may arise from how eBay attempts to interact with registered users - the search link may be particular to that user.
So if you aren't "Charles" (shutterfinger), plugging that link into your browser confuses your browser.
 

reddesert

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Just describe it in words. It's a search for "accessory rangefinder" in the Cameras & Photo section.
 

DWThomas

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I own two such devices, a Waltz calibrated in feet, and a Watameter calibrated in meters. Both are horizontal, and appear to work, measurement wise. But it does appear that those accessory shoes (and stuff that mounts therein) were not exactly standardized decades back. So I confess to hardly ever using them, as they either don't quite slide in -- or are sloppy loose -- in the cameras I had expected to use them on.

I initially was coveting the Voigtländer, but most of those that I encountered on ePrey were going for prices like they should have a camera with them!

Unless I'm close enough to use a short tape measure, my estimate and set has generally worked well enough.
 

Deleted member 88956

Checking against
any SLR for comparison is quick and easy
 
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