= Hugo Meyer Focalite Rangefinder Design No.

The product could have some indications of cosmetic wear, but is fully The Hugo Meyer rangefinder is found on many Speed Graphics.Applied: An product that has been utilized earlier. Offered as an alternative to the more common Kalart rangefinder on both civilian andmilitary models. These rangefinders can be identified by their oblong windows, Kalart rangefinders all have round windows. If the rangefinder is sticky it should be removed from the camera and the cam surfaces cleaned. Removing it requires removing the actuating arm from the shaft and removing the four screws holding the rangefinder body to the camera. They shouldīe cleaned with a suitable degreasing solvent like lighter fluid (Ronsonol) and The cover plate on the camera side is held in place by a single center There is a torsion spring associated with the actuating arm, be careful no to loose it and note its position. The mirrors can be accessed for cleaning by removing the windows. To set up the rangefinder, use the follwoing procedure: With two small screws, one at the top and one at the bottom. First check the infinity setting for the lens.Generally Speed Graphics are set up with the lens infinity stops set with the bed extended about 1/16 inch from it maximum rearward position. Focus the lens manually on a target at least one half mile away and set the infinity stops at this position.Set the eccentric on the camera bed, on which the actuating lever rides.To its maximum forward setting, the slot will be horizontal. Set the camera up 36 inches from film plane to focusing target.Using a target similar to the one used for Kalart rangefinders with a separate target for taking lens and rangefinder. The cross lines for the rangefinder are drawn at the same distance from the lens target as the rangefinder upper window is from the lens. This is to avoid parallax which can make adjustment impossible. Focus the camera carefully on the target and tighten the focus lock.Hold the actuating lever against the cam and tighten the lock screws.There are three adjustments on the rangefinder.To remove the screws, just loosen them and the label will swing away There is a lateral coincidence adjustment on the side of the Through which the adjustments can be reached. With the camera set at 36 inches adjust the lower adjustment for.The camera on a target at infinity and adjust the upper screw for Two adjustments until there is no further change. Check in middle distances for coincidence.Check the lateral adjustment at infinity before doing the rest of the.The procedure automatically adjusts the rangefinder for the focal lengthīrought to you by Speed Graphic FAQ.To a generation that has grown up with autofocus lenses and digital LCD screens it may be hard to imagine, but from the birth of photography right up to the 1960s it was very common to own a camera that totally lacked any mechanism to confirm accurate focus.

These cameras that featured neither rangefinders nor focusing screens were known as scale focus or zone focus cameras, or viewfinder cameras. The user would set the distance to subject on the lens barrel and hope for the best.Įven with this limitation taken into account, there were some incredibly good scale focus cameras produced in the mid-20th century. The Olympus Trip 35, for example, was one of the best-selling cameras of all time, selling more than ten million copies worldwide over a fifteen year period of production. But that doesn’t change the fact that it (and countless other viewfinder and zone focus cameras) isn’t as accurate as a rangefinder camera or SLR.Įnter human ingenuity and the drive for improvement. For as long as photography has existed there have been accessory companies producing gadgets that solve problems and make life easier. It was quickly realized that adding a separate rangefinder mechanism to a zone focus camera amounted to an affordable and impactful improvement to these hard-to-focus but otherwise excellent machines. There were dozens of auxiliary rangefinders produced from the 1930s, up to the Fotoman which is produced today in China, however the level of quality and features of these numerous rangefinders vary dramatically. The top-quality versions are the Leitz Fokos, Kodak Service Rangefinder, Kodak Pocket Rangefinder, Brownie Measure-Rite, AMF, Saymon Brown and the unusual Kuhn Flexameter. Some common models are the BLIK by Lomo, Hugo Meyer Pocket Range Finder, Walz, Widor, Ideal, Certo Certus, Medis, Pollux, Rowi, Prazisa and Gallus to name quite a few.

Hugo meyer rangefinder focalite