Quick accurate way to set distances with Lens Align etc....

Setting distances for lens align with a tape measure requires the easy way two people, and time. The harder way DIY. fiddling with Tape sag, slippage and the like.

Buy a Bosch or the equivalent Laser distance measurer,Home Depot, palm size, and Presto virtually instant distances displayed. Change distance in a heartbeat..

Robert Sabin

Robert Sabin wrote:Setting distances for lens align with a tape measure requires the easy way two people, and time. The harder way DIY. fiddling with Tape sag, slippage and the like.

Buy a Bosch or the equivalent Laser distance measurer,Home Depot, palm size, and Presto virtually instant distances displayed. Change distance in a heartbeat..

Robert Sabin

$50- $150!  Do you see a cheaper one?  Tape measures cost a bit less...

Cynthia Crawford wrote:

Robert Sabin wrote:Setting distances for lens align with a tape measure requires the easy way two people, and time. The harder way DIY. fiddling with Tape sag, slippage and the like.

Buy a Bosch or the equivalent Laser distance measurer,Home Depot, palm size, and Presto virtually instant distances displayed. Change distance in a heartbeat..

Robert Sabin

$50- $150!  Do you see a cheaper one?  Tape measures cost a bit less...

$10,000+ for a 200-400mm, 600mm,500mm, $3500-$7K for a Body,$500 fpor a tripod,$300 for a Ball head, Incalcuable time in your life, Irreplaceable photo ops,  

$5-100 is a steal, especially if You, like Artie, LensAlign after every trip, or every few months.
If You save$10 an hour, pays for itself in one or two LensAligns....

Tape measure, unless very very carefully done, ie without sag, two people, is not as accurate as dead on Laser beam....

Pay peanuts, Get Monkeys....

$23.19 cents, Amazon 4 Star Review, 131 feet...


Click here: DMiotech 131 Feet / 40 Meter Digital Laser Distance Measure Rangefinder Meter Tape Diastimeter Large LCD with Back

"Tape measure, unless very very carefully done, ie without sag, two people, is not as accurate as dead on Laser beam...."

I doubt a high degree of accuracy is needed when setting up the distance for a lens test. Although a laser beam rangefinder may be convenient, it seems a little bit overkill in this case.

aolander wrote:"Tape measure, unless very very carefully done, ie without sag, two people, is not as accurate as dead on Laser beam...."

I doubt a high degree of accuracy is needed when setting up the distance for a lens test.  Although a laser beam rangefinder may be convenient, it seems a little bit overkill in this case.

Disagree for Portrait Photography, Macro work, commercial product photography, and more..

I like $23.19 for a cost-effective Laser...Speed too..

Robert Sabin wrote:

aolander wrote:"Tape measure, unless very very carefully done, ie without sag, two people, is not as accurate as dead on Laser beam...."

I doubt a high degree of accuracy is needed when setting up the distance for a lens test.  Although a laser beam rangefinder may be convenient, it seems a little bit overkill in this case.

Disagree for Portrait Photography, Macro work, commercial product photography, and more..

I like $23.19 for a cost-effective Laser...Speed too..

  All marco work and commercial product photography should be done using  Live View. Lens auto-focus isn't used.
  In terms of adjusting lens autofocus, especially telephoto lenses - requires that it be done outdoors. Step-off distances using stride-length (3' per stride) works fine. A target at 45' or 55' ... doesn't make a bit of difference; 25 or 30;  60 or 80, etc.
  The use of a laser isn't needed, nor even a measuring tape per se. Tapes or laser's imply precision... in truth, camera AF systems only get you into the "acceptable ballpark" of "perfect" focus. And the bigger issue (even when a camera is adjusted), repeatability of the camera's AF varies shot-to-shot, some cameras worse than others, along with which sensor in the viewfinder is used.

Except for "all" macro work should be done using Live View, I agree with what Okie has said. Pacing off your distances is more than adequate for accurate AFT.