Optical ranging apparatus, comprising: • a target object (33; 51, 61), • a beam source which is designed as an electro-optic component and emits a laser beam, the laser beam having a laser beam diameter, • a detector which is designed as a further electro-optic component and receives a reception beam that was reflected or scattered at the target object, • a beam shaping system having a transmission optical unit, which shapes the laser beam, and a reception optical unit, which shapes the reception beam, • a laser beam shaping element which is arrangeable in the beam path of the laser beam, the laser beam shaping element being designed as transmission aperture arrangement having a first array (71; 81; 91) of transmission pixels (72 ij, i, j = 1 to 3; 82 ij, i, j = 1 to 5; 92 ij, i, j = 0 and i, j = 1 to 4), and • a first control unit, with the transmission pixels (72 ij; 82 ij; 92 ij) being switchable by means of the first control unit between a transmission state which does not transmit the laser beam and in which the transmittance (TS ij) is less than 10% and a transmission state which at least partly transmits the laser beam and in which the transmittance (TS ij) is between 10% and 100%, and at least one preset first transmission pixel arrangement of the first array and at least one preset second transmission pixel arrangement of the first array being provided in the first control unit, characterized in that the target object is formed as an individual retroreflector (33; 51) made of a triple prism or as a surface retroreflector made of a plurality of prisms arranged next to one another on a planar surface, in that the laser beam diameter of the laser beam is smaller than the dimensions of the triple prism when the laser beam is incident on the individual retroreflector (33; 51), and the laser beam diameter of the laser beam is larger than the dimensions of the prisms when the laser beam is incident on the surface retroreflector, and in that the first control unit sets the at least one preset first transmission pixel arrangement of the first array in the laser beam shaping element when the laser beam is incident on the individual retroreflector (33; 51) and sets the at least one preset second transmission pixel arrangement of the first array in said laser beam shaping element when the laser beam is incident on the surface retroreflector, with, in the first transmission pixel arrangement, at least 50% of the transmission pixels (72 ij, 82 ij; 92 ij) of the first array arranged in the beam path of the laser beam being arranged in the transmission state which does not transmit the laser beam and a transmission pixel (82 33; 92 00) or a plurality of adjacent transmission pixels (92 00, 92 22, 92 23, 92 32, 92 33) forming a transmission aperture (83; 93, 96) for the laser beam, which generates a partial beam and widens the latter to one or more aperture angles (α 1, α 2) which are no smaller than a minimum limit angle (α min) of 1.0 mrad, and with, in the second transmission pixel arrangement, at least 50% of the transmission pixels (82 ij, i, j = 1 to 5; 92 ij, i, j = 0 and i, j = 1 to 4) of the first array arranged in the beam path of the laser beam being arranged in the transmission state which at least partly transmits the laser beam and the transmission pixels in the transmission state which is at least partly transmissive forming a shaping aperture (86; 87) which shapes the laser beam into a shaped laser beam with one or more aperture angles (β 1, β 2) and the aperture angles (β 1, β 2) being smaller than a maximum limit value (β max) of 0.3 mrad. • a target object (33; 51, 61), • a beam source which is designed as an electro-optic component and emits a laser beam, the laser beam having a laser beam diameter, • a detector which is designed as a further electro-optic component and receives a reception beam that was reflected or scattered at the target object, • a beam shaping system having a transmission optical unit, which shapes the laser beam, and a reception optical unit, which shapes the reception beam, • a laser beam shaping element which is arrangeable in the beam path of the laser beam, the laser beam shaping element being designed as transmission aperture arrangement having a first array (71; 81; 91) of transmission pixels (72 ij, i, j = 1 to 3; 82 ij, i, j = 1 to 5; 92 ij, i, j = 0 and i, j = 1 to 4), and • a first control unit, with the transmission pixels (72 ij; 82 ij; 92 ij) being switchable by means of the first control unit between a transmission state which does not transmit the laser beam and in which the transmittance (TS ij) is less than 10% and a transmission state which at least partly transmits the laser beam and in which the transmittance (TS ij) is between 10% and 100%, and at least one preset first transmission pixel arrangement of the first array and at least one preset second transmission pixel arrangement of the first array being provided in the first control unit,