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Mickie Repecka
Mickie's Place Outdoor Gear

Range finders are one of the newest gadgets for sporting on the market today. A range finder simply tells you, to a certain accuracy, how far away an object is. It sounds straight-forward enough, but in reality, finding range is a fairly complicated business.  Do you really need to spend the money? Well, if the sight of your arrow flying right over the back of that big 10 pointer left you heartbroken and questioning your distance judgment skills, perhaps a little hi-tech pocket-sized assurance is right for you. If you can’t figure out which club to use because you can’t tell know of that flag is 75 yds or 2 miles, then maybe you should dig your coins out of the money jar and count ‘em up. A range finder is in your future. All the golf pros use them on the circuit now.  A little digital help never hurt anyone’s handicap!
How do range finders work? There are 2 types, mechanical and laser.
A mechanical range finder uses an eyepiece that gives the user two images of the object being measured; when these are brought into coincidence (overlap the two images into one), the distance can be read off the scale on the adjustment lever or control. The scale is calibrated to read distance but really is only a measure of the amount of movement needed to turn a prism or mirror, mounted on the end of a fixed base, to overlap the two images.  These generally have poor accuracy (+/- 5 yards under 100 yds and +/- 10 yards at 500 yds) and are used just to get an approximate number. This tool is not good enough for the bow hunter or golfer.
A laser range finder uses a pulse of light and a receiver that records the reflection time. Depending on the quality of the LRF, these units can be highly accurate.  Commercially available range finders can measure up to 1500 yds within 1-3 yds. Close-up range finding work is harder for the long-range units. Some have a minimum distance of 40 yds, which is not good enough for bow hunting or golfing. Typically, the closer-in units, like the 400 yd models have better resolution on targets in the 10-20yd range.
The Laser Range Finder’s ability to get an accurate measurement of the distance to a specific target is largely based on the target’s reflective characteristics. Remember, the range finder is pulsing light to the target and then timing its return.  If the target is dark and not very reflective, the unit will not be as accurate or will not be able to get a reading at all. 
The presence of rain or fog in the air will also negatively affect the range finder.  Water droplets refract light, so will confuse the unit by sending varied return signals. Some units have an override system to sort through the various return signals to get the “true” measurement.  This number may be less accurate than operating under normal, dry conditions.
You might use a laser range finder to find distance to a pin in golf, distance to a deer in hunting, or distance measurements in marine applications. In any case, expect to pay under $100 for a mechanical range finder and anywhere from $111-$439 for a laser range finder depending on brand and capabilities.