Laser accessory range/distance finder

[Zenjitsuman]

Has anyone used a laser distance measuring device to determine the camera to subject distance on a non coupled lens or to increase the accuracy of focusing fast f-stop lenses?

I would like to find a device that you could aim at a subject read the distance and transfer the reading to the lens.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Gun and golf stores stock 'em. Ask for a laser rangefinder. You probably won't want to carry the sort of device available from a DIY store.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Real estate agents and construction site workers often have pocket size electronic measuring devices for the likely distances you'll be interested in.

Something for golfers and/or hunters may tell you whether the subject is at 200m or 205m, but since most lenses regard anything over about 10m as 'infinity' anyway that's not relevant.

 

[BobYIL]

Laser rangefinders can measure distances down to millimeter accuracy. However, the distance markings on the focusing collars of lenses are not that precise at all. Also for the majority of the lenses the amount of play of the helicoids (rotational difference between clockwise and counterclockwise movements of the focusing collar while NOT moving the lens group at all) should be taken into consideration. Especially for the wide apertures of normal and tele focal lengths I would rather be sticking to the native focusing mechanism on the lens.

(Bear in mind that even on the most sophisticated mechanical range-determining-mechanism on a camera like the Leica rangefinder, some wide aperture lenses are sent to recalibration together with the body.. )

 

[Livesteamer]

Long ago I saw where someone had mounted a small laser to the eyepiece of his Leica M. It sent two beams out the front of the camera and the beams came together where the rangefinder was focused. Only works with coupled lenses. Joe

 

[john_s]

Laser rangefinders can measure distances down to millimeter accuracy. However, the distance markings on the focusing collars of lenses are not that precise at all....................

This is certainly my experience. I have used a number of cameras and have observed quite large differences between the distance numbers on the barrel and the correct focus distance as determined by a tape (and confirmed by sharp pictures). There is some inaccuracy caused by deciding which part of the lens/camera is the actual zero measuring location, but the discrepancies are very much greater than that. It seems that the barrel markings can be quite approximate.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Long ago I saw where someone had mounted a small laser to the eyepiece of his Leica M. It sent two beams out the front of the camera and the beams came together where the rangefinder was focused. Only works with coupled lenses. Joe

I bet someday they will link those distance measurements to the lens itself. Then we will have a camera that focuses itself. They could call it "autofocus"

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

For about $40 at Home Depot you get a very precise laser measuring device good for the range of distances involved in construction (e.g. 5-200 feet).

The golf devices are good for 20-400 yards, so not what you want for photography.

If you have a camera with distance scales and no rangefinder, it seems this could be useful.

 

[JHutchins]

Long ago I saw where someone had mounted a small laser to the eyepiece of his Leica M. It sent two beams out the front of the camera and the beams came together where the rangefinder was focused. Only works with coupled lenses. Joe

Sort of a modernized McGuyvered version of a Kalart Focuspot from an old SpeedGraphic.

 

[Denverdad]

Not exactly what you asked for (no lasers involved), but I've always thought this DIY distance measuring device would provide a simple and elegent solution for rangefinding. Like an optical rangefinder it uses a triangulation method, and since the baseline offset is the distance between your eyes, I would think that the accuracy would also be comparable. Best of all, it costs essentially nothing to make.

Jeff