Do you know anything about this Voigtländer acessory ?

[JonR]

Bought this one today....
Can anyone give me some more fact about it.... When was this manufactured, for what camera, any other comments, price level today etc!?



Jon

 

[Roger Hicks]

Bought this one today....
Can anyone give me some more fact about it.... When was this manufactured, for what camera, any other comments, price level today etc!?

Jon

Dear Jon,

Looks like a shoe-mounted RF, usable with any camera. Not outstandingly valuable, though a Voigtländer version is worth a lot more than no-name generics.

Cheers,

R.

 

[JonR]

Thanks for comment Roger - I have never seen one of those before and I guess it comes from the early days of 35-mm cameras... It will work well on my Retina Ia I guess!

By the way - reread you Rangefinder book the other day - it is really a nice book with all the pictures etc and I enjoy looking at it from time to time --- you should do another one!

Jon

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Jon,

Thanks for the kind words. I received a call recently about a reprint, and told them that given the 6 years since it was written, a second edition would be more appropriate. I'm still waiting to hear back.

Separate rangefinders were widely used with rollfilm cameras too. They were available new well into the 50s and maybe into the 60s too. Just recently, I believe, Fotoman has reintroduced them for their scale-focus, large-format cameras.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I have one of those Voigtlander accessory range finders. They are not format dependent - work just as well with 35mm/120/etc.
As roger points out, Fotoman do currently have a modern version of the same thing, with better optics and clearer viewfinders.

 

[shimo-kitasnap]

I wonder if you could use it to estimate golf drives off the tee? Might be fun to try at a driving range and compare it to the distance markers down range.

 

[naren]

hmm... guess this accessory makes me think I don't have a total understanding of what a rangefinder is and how they work (well I did realize before). So an external one will naturally have more parallax error, right?

 

[Roger Hicks]

hmm... guess this accessory makes me think I don't have a total understanding of what a rangefinder is and how they work (well I did realize before). So an external one will naturally have more parallax error, right?

Parallax error doesn't really apply, as thiis is a rangefinder pure and simple, not a combined rangefinder/viewfinder.

Early Leicas (up to M3) had built in, coupled rangefinders and separate viewfinders; you moved your eye from one window to the other. The Voigtländer Bessa-T has a built in coupled rangefinder but no built-in viewfinder: you must use an accessory finder.

Thrre have been accessory range/viewfinders, for example the close-up set for Retina, but they are very rare indeed.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[rxmd]

Nowadays it might be easier just to get a laser rangefinder from a hardware store, as it will be considerably more precise, more convenient and less prone to adjustment problems.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Thrre have been accessory range/viewfinders, for example the close-up set for Retina, but they are very rare indeed.

Cheers,

Roger[/QUOTE]

Hi Roger,
I think I recall that the Voigtlander Prominent had something (was it called a Proximar?) but that may have been for close-ups.
L

 

[PICHA]

A rangefinder with only one window ? Very strange.

 

[Pablito]

A rangefinder with only one window ? Very strange.

there are two windows on the other side, you are looking at the side with the eyepiece.

 

[PICHA]

Oops, mistake ! 😱