Left 5x magnification LVFOO. Right 5x magnification OTVXO
Toronto. Leitz came up with a mirror box housing that converted its famous Leica rangefinder to an SLR for close-ups and telephoto shots. The first version (Visoflex I) came with the 5x vertical magnifier (LVFOO). A 45 degree 4x magnifier for eye level use was also offered (PEGOO).
A second much slimmer version, the Visoflex II (and later a more refined Visoflex III) came with a right angle 4x magnifier. A separate 5x vertical magnifier (‘chimney’) was also offered (OTVXO). Other high end camera and accessory makers offered similar mirror boxes, bellows, and ‘chimneys’; some for the Leica and some for their own cameras.
Visit our 2025 events and see what items add to your collection! All events are listed under ‘PHSC EVENTS’ at right. Up next is our spring auction on May 4th. Any questions can be answered by Clint at fair@phsc.ca.
Note: The title of this post is a riff on the Cheech and Chong 1978 movie (a send up on the weed generation) “Up in Smoke“.
