iphoenix Posted September 25, 2011 Share #1 Posted September 25, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have a "Fokos" rangefinder that needs a foot so I can use it on my M1. It cannot be mounted vertically because the M1's accessory shoe is wider than those of the early Barnacks. (It fits vertically on my II, but won't on my IIIC). There are occasional "Fokos" finders which appear for sale, but none I've seen come with the foot. I've never seen a foot available separately. Does anyone know of 1/ Where I can obtain a "Fokos" foot; or 2/ If there is some other way of fitting this rangefinder without physically changing either it or the camera? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 25, 2011 Posted September 25, 2011 Hi iphoenix, Take a look here "Fokos" foot. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
luigi bertolotti Posted September 25, 2011 Share #2 Posted September 25, 2011 (edited) First : are you sure is a FOKOS and not a FOFER like this one ? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! FOFER (older, longer base, big dial) does fit on "modern" shoes, vertically only (a foot wasn't provided) , with a bit of play of width that, in case of need, is easy to fix "diy and dirty" (for instance, a small sheet of paper at its base). Afaik (but I can be partially wrong), the small FOKOS was provided with a foot (Lager) that had also a swinging facility to act on the times' knob of non-RF Leicas. According to some sources, this version was coded also as HFOOK... maybe some detail on this could clarify your issue... After war, it was issued in a new version, a bit shorter and without the foot, to fit vertically on the shoe, which at those times had been standardized for years... and infact it is listed, on the catalogs of '60s, as an accessory for M1. Of course, a picture of your item is welcome... Edited September 25, 2011 by luigi bertolotti Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! FOFER (older, longer base, big dial) does fit on "modern" shoes, vertically only (a foot wasn't provided) , with a bit of play of width that, in case of need, is easy to fix "diy and dirty" (for instance, a small sheet of paper at its base). Afaik (but I can be partially wrong), the small FOKOS was provided with a foot (Lager) that had also a swinging facility to act on the times' knob of non-RF Leicas. According to some sources, this version was coded also as HFOOK... maybe some detail on this could clarify your issue... After war, it was issued in a new version, a bit shorter and without the foot, to fit vertically on the shoe, which at those times had been standardized for years... and infact it is listed, on the catalogs of '60s, as an accessory for M1. Of course, a picture of your item is welcome... ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/162655-fokos-foot/?do=findComment&comment=1801964'>More sharing options...
iphoenix Posted September 26, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted September 26, 2011 Thank you Luigi. Yes, it is definitely a FOKOS. Unfortunately I don't own a digital camera or scanner and putting pictures onto this infernal machine is beyond me. The rangefinder came with its original box and it has the central mounting point to allow the swivelling foot to be fitted. Total length is 76mm. Mounted vertically it fits my II perfectly, but is too small a fitting to be secure on my M1. I don't want to damage or scratch it as it is mint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 26, 2011 Share #4 Posted September 26, 2011 Ok... so like the first one of these, right ? (or in chrome... the same). If there is the pillar... I think that finding the original foot is rather difficult (maybe the HFOOK code was for the foot only) : but a good lab could provide one... after all, is not a complicated item, and based on a standard kind of coupling. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/162655-fokos-foot/?do=findComment&comment=1802667'>More sharing options...
iphoenix Posted September 26, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted September 26, 2011 Yes Luigi, it is exactly like the first; even to the fact it shows distance in feet. Thank you for the second picture too. Now I can see what the foot looks like, so I can look out for a similar one that may be adapted. A question though; did these rangefinders originally come with the foot, or were they only available separately? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 26, 2011 Share #6 Posted September 26, 2011 (edited) Yes Luigi, it is exactly like the first; even to the fact it shows distance in feet. Thank you for the second picture too. Now I can see what the foot looks like, so I can look out for a similar one that may be adapted. A question though; did these rangefinders originally come with the foot, or were they only available separately? The postwar version surely hadn't the foot , and it was surely coded as FOKOS (then 14011) , the prewar versions I think that were available with AND without... maybe the answer can be in that apparent "double coding" that was FOKOS and HFOOK... can even be that FOKOS was the code of the rangefinder WITH pin but NO foot, and HFOOK the code of the foot only (it could be the "small holder quoted in the instruction manual of Leica standard - see attachment) sorry but I can't find a catalog of those years... someone ceratinly can... Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited September 26, 2011 by luigi bertolotti Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/162655-fokos-foot/?do=findComment&comment=1802752'>More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted September 26, 2011 Share #7 Posted September 26, 2011 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) The FOKOS is the short version of the rangefinders to use in vertical position on the accessory shoe The HFOOK is the same range finder but for use in horizontal position and for reaching the speed knob it can move on an axe coupled with a correspondant foot. Looking on my web site you can see the FOKOS on the leica Ig page and the different version of the HFOOK on the Leica Standard Edited September 26, 2011 by jc_braconi Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 26, 2011 Share #8 Posted September 26, 2011 (edited) The postwar version surely hadn't the foot , and it was surely coded as FOKOS (then 14011) , the prewar versions I think that were available with AND without... maybe the answer can be in that apparent "double coding" that was FOKOS and HFOOK... can even be that FOKOS was the code of the rangefinder WITH pin but NO foot, and HFOOK the code of the foot only (it could be the "small holder quoted in the instruction manual of Leica standard - see attachment) sorry but I can't find a catalog of those years... someone ceratinly can... HE... btw, my favorite Italian shop has a HFOOK for sale - with foot http://www.newoldcamera.com/SchedaDett.aspx?Codice=HC2977&NumFoto=0&Sql=+HIKNlAITN8UUbvAeTXmfwrd2l8IxoXjJFHEYQSdFn+3Y19Vs/E9i82Owe5OxgCjpvB17URNvX1y9Frg/gJmExfi/+uF8olRZklrphQCqxK553QmmdEwujexDzAlfk/Dzzn7UDvRVDxKihPX2snUs7Jop1TwfEXucxtUFh97wIh8ZANCVxy78F7cvzVWA66C ... and a FOKOS too, but with a "3rd party" foot... Edited September 26, 2011 by luigi bertolotti Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iphoenix Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share #9 Posted September 27, 2011 Thank you Luigi, Thank you JC. I now have enough information to go on. It seems also, that the box the rangefinder came in may not be original, as it calls it a "FOKOS". Kind regards, David. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iphoenix Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share #10 Posted September 27, 2011 Thank you Luigi, Thank you JC. I now have enough information to go on. It seems also, that the box the rangefinder came in may not be original, as it calls it a "FOKOS". Kind regards, David. JC, I just looked again at your site and the camera on the left shows my rangefinder (though with the foot) and the "FOKOS" box (identical to mine) as well. The one on the right (the chrome/nickel one) is the HFOOK according to your description. It seems I will have to find someone to make up a foot, but one question remains: Did the "FOKOS" originally come with a foot or was it only available as a separate item. Thanks for your help to date. David Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 27, 2011 Share #11 Posted September 27, 2011 (edited) (not to be considered as a "bible" image - no proof that this RF was originally sold AS IS in THAT box) Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! BTW... the idea (not proved) I exposed in post #6, that maybe HFOOK was, at a certain time, the code of the foot only, is endorsed by someone on ebay.. Leica FOKOS Rangefinder with HFOOK Mounting Adaptor | eBay ... but you can find many HFOOKs described as complete items... and also the foot only for sale... Product details Collectcamera (up to you to evaluate if the price asked is "right" - certainly not a frequently found item) Edited September 27, 2011 by luigi bertolotti 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! BTW... the idea (not proved) I exposed in post #6, that maybe HFOOK was, at a certain time, the code of the foot only, is endorsed by someone on ebay.. Leica FOKOS Rangefinder with HFOOK Mounting Adaptor | eBay ... but you can find many HFOOKs described as complete items... and also the foot only for sale... Product details Collectcamera (up to you to evaluate if the price asked is "right" - certainly not a frequently found item) ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/162655-fokos-foot/?do=findComment&comment=1803643'>More sharing options...
scsambrook Posted September 27, 2011 Share #12 Posted September 27, 2011 I'm neither a collector nor an expert on these things but, as a matter of interest and maybe of some relevance, back in 1960 I bought a secondhand Leica Standard that came with a similar rangefinder in a similar box to the one shown above. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted September 27, 2011 Share #13 Posted September 27, 2011 JC, I just looked again at your site and the camera on the left shows my rangefinder (though with the foot) and the "FOKOS" box (identical to mine) as well. The one on the right (the chrome/nickel one) is the HFOOK according to your description. It seems I will have to find someone to make up a foot, but one question remains: Did the "FOKOS" originally come with a foot or was it only available as a separate item. Thanks for your help to date. David As I have already wrote the FOKOS do not have the axe that the HFOOK wears for rotate in the foot.(there is a chrome screw at this place. The red box wears the name FOKOS for the HFOOK also... you can ask to Don Goldberg about the foot and seek on Ebay (and be patient) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twotone Posted September 27, 2011 Share #14 Posted September 27, 2011 (edited) ... but you can find many HFOOKs described as complete items... and also the foot only for sale... Product details Collectcamera (up to you to evaluate if the price asked is "right" - certainly not a frequently found item) That guy (Theo) has everything, unbelievable the amount of stock he has and most of it in mint/unused condition Wonder where he finds it all.... Tony PS, here's another couple with the foot http://bid.igavelauctions.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2304331 http://bid.igavelauctions.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2304339 Edited September 27, 2011 by Twotone to add links 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iphoenix Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share #15 Posted September 27, 2011 Thank you to all; that will do me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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