Reflex housing

Glossary Terms

A Mirax reflex housing fitted to a Leica image courtesy of Jeffrey Felton (Image rights)

A reflex housing is an accessory consisting of a mirror box, a ground glass and a viewfinder, to be attached to the lens mount of a 35mm rangefinder camera. It effectively converts the camera into an SLR. It is mainly used to attach a telephoto lens, a bellows and lens head for macro-photography, or a scientific instrument such as a microscope. Its bulk and weight makes it rather impractical for general photography.

Well-known examples are the Visoflex by Leitz, the Flektometer by Zeiss Ikon and the Miranda Focabell and Mirax.