An Australian Antiquity Unearthed - 'Focus Range Finder'

<p>I was recently offered a box of vintage camera gear, by an old guy who was having a bit of a clearout. The stuff included a 1946 Mamiya Six, a Voigtlander Brillant of similar vintage, a decidedly earlier Box Brownie No 2 and a decidedly later Taron Auto EE. Hiding underneath all these cameras was a strange device called a 'Focus Range Finder', complete with box and instruction sheet which I've scanned and attached below. It's a very simple but solidly-made device, just using angle of view with none of those new-fangled prism things. The sheet isn't very comprehensive about its provenance, other than it was made here in Oz and cost all of 16/6d. Question is - when was it made? The instruction sheet is actually quite faded with age, which I've been able to compensate for by upping the contrast, etc, etc., in the scan. That price of 16/6d suggests maybe pre-WW2, as does the poor quality of the faded paper.</p>

<p>Oz-made photographic items are relatively rare, so I did some Googlin' but came up with Nix. So, all you fellow erudite Antipodean collectors out there, any ideas when this strange device would have been made? (Perplexed Pete In Perth)</p>

<p>Damn! The scan was apparently too big, so got rejected. I've reduced it down to 700 thingies deep, so hopefully it wlll now get accepted. (Pete)</p><div></div>

<p>Sorry I can't contribute, but I have to say I have never seen this type of thing and find it fascinating - thanks for showing it off! </p>

<p>Now that's quite an interesting/innovative design. I love how it's gravity powered.</p>

<p> </p>

Perfect for us flat-Earthers.

<p>I have low gravity at my house so I don't think it'd be much use to me.</p>

<p>I remember having read somewhere that the designer of the Rectaflex invented an autofocus mechanism based on a similar principle of operation, determining camera inclination and setting the distance accordingly.</p>

<p>Been doing a little googling, but info about Pendulum Style Rangefinders appears very scarce indeed. I only found a reference to them in Robert White's book on Camera Accessories 1890-1970</p>

<p>I suppose the main flaw is that the photographer's height isn't fixed. 6 inches taller or shorter and the distance must be close to 10% out. An enlightened maths teacher could do worse than give one of these to the class to play with and figure out how it relates to their trig lessons.</p>

<p>We just got a triangle and were told to figure out how high a tree was ;)</p>

<p>I don't recall ever having needed the Pythagoream theorum outside of the class room....</p>

Does it only work when user and subject are on the same level surface?

<p>I think Canon used an electronic version of ths system in a movie or video camera years ago. You would point the camera down at a person's feet, hold down a button and then tilt the camera back up to shoot. </p>

<p>The USMC taught me how to tell how far away the enemy was. He was never far enough away as far as I was concerned.</p>

<p>Trigonometry at work!</p>

<p>I think my old Boy Scout manual had a procedure for distance ranging that was something like this, but I haven't seen this before.</p>

<p>Very high "Gee!" factor here. ;)</p>

<p>I had something like this once. It was called a surveyor's transit.</p>

<p>The Boy Scout methods involved pacing, although they could probably be adapted.</p><div></div>

sorry Pete no help!! Glad to hear from you!! Hope you're doing well! Very cool JDM .. I had this also in the Boy Scout manual (later edition) for distances and heights! Practical applications!

<p>Now that's a clever little device, <strong>Pete</strong>. I have several little antique hand-held surveyors' instruments that look similar, but they work on spirit level and quadrant principles. That pendulum trick is new to me! Great find.</p>

<p>The Polaroid Color Pack III has one of these on the side. Here's a link to a picture of it. I have one of these cameras and have used this gizmo on it, seems to work. <a href="http://www.rwhirled.com/landlist/pics/campics/CPIII-detail.jpg">http://www.rwhirled.com/landlist/pics/campics/CPIII-detail.jpg</a></p>

<p>Thanks for all the interesting responses, guys! I've dusted off a lot of what I learnt at school about trigonometry as a result, although I'm still in the dark about the heritage of this gravity-fed beast. Anybody want to hazard a guess, going purely by the style of the instruction sheet? I'm favouring the 1930s.<br>

Chuck and Rick, thanks for your kind thoughts about that other old beast, namely me. It's not been the best of years for me health-wise and just as I'm recovering from my last bout of surgery, I have to return in a few weeks for another date with a surgeon. But as somebody wise (and old) once said, the alternative doesn't bear thinking about, does it? (Pete In Perth)</p>

<p>Many years ago I dated a girl who owned a "Bell, and Howell" 35mm "auto focus" camera that used the same gravity system.</p>

<p>That's a great little device you have there Pete, no good though if you have knees...all that bending down to 1 meter. Of course, for us Aussies, you have to invert that diagram!</p>

<p>Hi, Tony Well, seeing this amazing device was made in Oz, I guess it's the Northern Hemisphere guys who would have to look at the instruction sheet upside down .............. (Pythagorean Pete In Perth)</p>

<p>Hi Pete, a really interesting device, I feel tempted to try to build one for my use. You have an amazing collection of photo devices.<br>

I hope you get wll of your surgeries.</p>

<p>Yeah, Pete. I hope everything went well with the surgery.<br>

Here's to a speedy recovery! Cheers!</p>