Telex Auxiliary Rangefinder

Overview

Telex auxiliary rangefinder, made in Germany. Almost identical to another German rangefinder, the Wata Watameter. Both were probably made by the same company but I don’t know which or when. Usage: you look in the left window and turn the wheel to line up the double-images and achieve focus, then transfer the distance on the wheel to your camera’s focus scale. A very handy item to have around if you have any zone focus cameras or rangefinder cameras with non-functioning rangefinders, and if you’ve come this far I’m guessing you probably do.

There are many different types out there, some common (Ideal), some obscure (Prazisa). Some measure in feet, some in meters, look for what suits your needs. I’ve seen metal ones, bakelite ones, ones with a built-in selenium light meter, ones with accessory shoe mounts, ones with pocket clips, ones with nice little leather cases that fit on a shoulder bag or camera strap. Most of them seem to be of German or American make, save the Prazi and the Russian BLIK.

Plus, even if you don’t use it, it looks pretty cool just sitting there…

Repairs

Pretty fuzzy glass when I got it, and the focus was way off. Took it apart completely, cleaned up the glass except the colored glass (never clean the colored glass or any old mirrors). Focus is adjusted with a set screw in the center of the focus wheel. Generally to set focus you start with infinity (something a hundred feet away or more), and double-check against an object on the near end of the scale. A quick minor adjustment and I now consider it at least as accurate as the old eyeball method.

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