Rangefinding telemeter

For other uses, see Rangefinder camera.

The range-finder of ORP Wicher

Greek soldier using LASER rangefinder

A rangefinder is a device that measures distance from the observer to a target, for the purposes of surveying, determining focus in photography, or accurately aiming a weapon. Some devices use active methods to measure (such as sonar, laser, or radar); others, available since the nineteenth century, measure distance using trigonometry (stadiametric rangefinders and parallax, or coincidence rangefinders). They usually use a set of known distances or target sizes to make the measurement.

Rangefinders may be used by military or law enforcement snipers as a means of calculating the distance to the target to set up a perfect shot. The rangefinder is not always the best option though, as it sends out a light source that may give away the snipers' position.

See also

Media related to Rangefinders at Wikimedia Commons

• Stadimeter
• Laser rangefinder
• Rangefinder camera
• Macrometer

External links

• Range-Finding in the Army / How to use range-finders to get results: the erect and inverted types, Popular Science monthly, February 1919, page 118-120, Scanned by Google Books

• "Rangefinder Comparison - A National Forest Service document" [1]

• "Light Pulse Generator for rangefinder testing" [2]