A range finder includes a device for transmitting a laser beam and a device for receiving the laser echoes backscattered by a target, comprising a frontal optical system focusing the echoes on a detection zone which comprises at least one elementary detection zone associated with an individual detector with a large bandwidth, referred to as a temporal detector, and means for transporting the detection zone to the individual detector. An elementary zone is furthermore associated with a low-noise individual detector, referred to as a spatial detector, and the receive device furthermore comprises, connected to the transporting means, a switch suitable for associating said elementary detection zone with the temporal detector and with the spatial detector, alternately or in a static manner.