a Leitz NOOKY-HESUM with the original red box c1935. Engraved with “SUMMAR” and “HEKTOR” 5cm lenses, but without the ratio scale added later.
Toronto. When supplementary lenses, extension tubes, and ‘spider legs’ proved successful in the early 1930s, Leitz came up with more ways to allow the tiny Leica to operate closer to the subject. One idea was to use a variable depth (focusable) extension tube with corrections to the viewfinder and rangefinder.
In the mid 1930s, the NOOKY was announced for the ELMAR and the NOOKY-HESUM (shown at left) for the 5cm SUMMAR or 5cm Hektor (the SUMMITAR was a later addition). When the M-series arrived a bayonet mount version called a SOOKY was added.
These little accessories allowed hand held shots using the camera’s viewfinder and rangefinder for framing and focussing. The colour photo at top left was taken with my iPhone 16 digital camera under an LED desk light bulb.
You may find Leitz versions of these neat gadgets at our May 24th fair, or other neat finds, to expand your collection of old camera accessories. As we approach the fair date (early April), a poster and directions will be pinned to the top of this site.
