rangefinder

I was looking for something and came across this:

It's a rangefinder - I bought it (and several spares) during my camera collecting phase in the 1970s and 1980s.  I had a number of old cameras that didn't have built in rangefinders or visual focusing.  So the idea was I could find the range to the subject of a picture with the rangefinder and then transfer that distance to the camera lens focus ring.  You look through the eyepiece and line up the two images by turning the focus wheel - then the distance can be read from the dial / pointer.

The problem was that the rangefinder just wasn't accurate - it was easier to guesstimate the distance and rely on depth of field.

But it is a beauty, all metal and glass and apparently made in New York.

I looked on ebay and found several similar listings:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/177314621326

Here is one labeled Saymon-Brown
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305024092747

an ad for the Saymon-Brown rangefinder:

source: https://live.staticflickr.com/7043/6799995640_6c4eb77d94.jpg 

The semi-obligatory inflated price:

The leather case must have been cowhide !  Yikes !

I guess people still will buy almost anything !  :)

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm