Measuring appliance, more particularly a tachymeter, theodolite, laser scanner, profiler or laser tracker, for performing distance measurements to an object, with a distance measuring module comprising an optical transmitter channel and an optical reception channel, with a reference light path and with an evaluation device, wherein the optical transmitter channel comprises a transmitter unit for transmitting laser measurement radiation and an optical outlet element, the optical reception channel comprises an optical inlet element and a reception unit for receiving laser measurement radiation, the measuring appliance renders a measurement light path to the object and back again producible outside of the distance measuring module between the optical outlet element and the optical inlet element, the reference light path has a predetermined reference distance, comprises an attenuation device with an attenuation variable in space and/or time and is configured in such a way that it renders laser measurement radiation produced by the transmitter unit guidable to the reception unit via the attenuation device, and the evaluation device is configured to derive a distance to the object using laser measurement radiation returning from the object, received by the reception unit, and laser measurement radiation guided over the reference light path, received by the reception unit, wherein intensity-dependent systematic errors when deriving the distance to the object are compensated, the reference light path being laid out in such a way that it receives a portion of the laser measurement radiation of the transmitter unit prior to the passage through the optical outlet element, guides said portion to the attenuation device without contact with the surroundings of the distance measuring module and forwards an attenuated portion downstream of the attenuation device to the reception unit through the optical inlet element, characterized in that the reference light path is laid out further in such a way that a section of the reference light path directly upstream of the optical inlet element lies outside of the distance measuring module. the optical transmitter channel comprises a transmitter unit for transmitting laser measurement radiation and an optical outlet element, the optical reception channel comprises an optical inlet element and a reception unit for receiving laser measurement radiation, the measuring appliance renders a measurement light path to the object and back again producible outside of the distance measuring module between the optical outlet element and the optical inlet element, the reference light path has a predetermined reference distance, comprises an attenuation device with an attenuation variable in space and/or time and is configured in such a way that it renders laser measurement radiation produced by the transmitter unit guidable to the reception unit via the attenuation device, and the evaluation device is configured to derive a distance to the object using laser measurement radiation returning from the object, received by the reception unit, and laser measurement radiation guided over the reference light path, received by the reception unit, wherein intensity-dependent systematic errors when deriving the distance to the object are compensated, the reference light path being laid out in such a way that it receives a portion of the laser measurement radiation of the transmitter unit prior to the passage through the optical outlet element, guides said portion to the attenuation device without contact with the surroundings of the distance measuring module and forwards an attenuated portion downstream of the attenuation device to the reception unit through the optical inlet element, characterized in that the reference light path is laid out further in such a way that a section of the reference light path directly upstream of the optical inlet element lies outside of the distance measuring module.