Some time back I traded a Nikon camera for a IIIf Leica . Included in the deal were 3 small shoe mounted rangefinders. I've searched in an attempt to identify them. No luck. Maybe someone in this society can help. The finder is about 2 inches, has a pyramid on the top with a logo inside the pyramid. The box which contains it is silver with a blue top. The name printed on top is either Askania or askamnia. One other line on the box says entfernungsmesscr.

-- Ed DeAngelis (edeange769@aol.com), January 02, 2002

Answers

Ed, I don't believe this is a Leitz/Leica product. They did make an accessory rangefinder, but theirs has the E. Leitz Wetzlar logo on it. The code names were like, FODIS, FOFER, and FOKOS. I don't see a reference to Askania, etc. in Lager. Maybe one of our other contributors can identify it. Is there any way you can post a picture of it?

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), January 02, 2002.

Sounds like they might be Russian made.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), January 02, 2002.

I think it could be a 1935 German-made Askania rangefinder--quite rare stuff!

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), January 02, 2002.

Hoyen Lee, You are right, and I thank you. There is now a firm by that name in the microscope business. I will probably contact them for historical info. Ed

-- Ed DeAngelis (edeange769@aol.com), January 03, 2002.