Decoding the language of all things Leica......

Paul Jenkin

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As a relative newbie to rangefinder cameras and as the recent purchaser of an M6 / Summicron-M 35mm/f2, CV 28mm/f1.9 and CV 75mm/f2.5 I've sort of 'hit a wall' when it comes to jargon.

I keep my eyes on the classifieds to see if there's anything in there that looks interesting and a bargain. So far, no-one's offering up a minty Summicron 50mm for £50 - but I live in hope!

However, in the various forums, I've seen reference to Snookys, Visoflexes and all manner of strange sounding gadgets - some of which might actually be useful - and yet I haven't got a clue what any of them do or even what they look like.

Is there a site that shows all the Leica gear and, in particular, compatible accessories and that shows what they are used for? I know this might be a bit to ask but the prospect of 'Googling' all the names I see mentioned seems like an uneccesary task if there's somewhere on the web that can get me up-to-speed in one go.

Incidentally, my main interests are landscape, travel, portraits and even a bit if street photography - if that helps make the list any more compact.....

Hope to hear from you.

Paul.
 
Decoding the language of all things Leica

Decoding the language of all things Leica

first of all, Paul, welcome to the Rangfinder Forum and it won't take more than a a few decades to learn some of the Leica mumbo jumbo...

Briefly, in the old days, when dealers ordered Leica stuff, cable rates were very expensive...So Leica created five-letter code groups for each item it made... Rush, Nooky, a dealer could cable; and Leica knew what to ship...

For example, I will post JPEGs of a NOOKY [a vintage close-up attachment] and, in another method of five-number code groups, a 12585, which is a Leica lens hood for 35mm and 50mm Leica lenses that have a 42mm rim and a Visoflex, a Leica device to convert a Leica rangefinder to a Leica SLR before the Leica SLR's were produced...


Ya see? It's easy, isn't it?... By the way, I am going to try to post pix that I find on Google Images... The 3d pix, of a Visoflex on a Leica M7 is from a German site, Leica Historica...


So when you find a Leica word you don't understand, try Googles Images...Most of the major items can be found there...Ebay is another place to try...I hope this helps; if not ask again...
 

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The Leica Pocket Book (Hove Collectors Books) & its complementary volume "Leica Accessory Guide" are useful. The Pocket Book is in its 7th ed (I think). They're published in England.
David
 
Thank you guys for the information and the smiles - 'rush nooky' indeed!

I'll have a look for the books as they will save having to go ferreting round the internet (probably with credit card in hand....and we all know how expensive that scenario can become.)

All the best. PJ.
 
Decoding the language of all things Leica

Decoding the language of all things Leica

Paul, if you want a really interesting overview, look at the website of RFF's owner/operator....

Cameraquest.com
 
Decoding the language of all things Leica

Decoding the language of all things Leica

payasam said:
My god what filth on this forum. I must FOOKH off.
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For those who don't know, Leica really did have a FOOKH -- in fact, an early FOOKH in black and then, later, a silver one... The silver one is from Kevin, who really knows how to charge for a FOOKH...
 

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I would recommend picking up an early leica manual, say from the 50's or 60's. They're usually cheap, and make for some fun reading. Also, not only do they list scores of fantastic attachments and accessories, but describe how to use them as well. A quick flip through mine turns up BOOWU, CHICO, FILCA and several others.
 
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