Leitz Auction
Starting Price €3,000
Total bids: 0
Estimate
€5,000 – 6,000
€5,000 – 6,000
This item is subject to VAT at the statutory rate of the respective country of destination on hammer price and premium (full taxation), provided it remains in the EU
serial number
15946
Condition
B
Manufacture Year
c.1930
Product number
A04055
A very rare and exceptionally fast Astro-Berlin R.K. 1.25/50mm. Originally developed around 1930 as a special-purpose Röntgen-Kino lens, the R.K. series was designed for scientific photography and cinematography, including X-ray imaging and photography of the aurora borealis; the 50mm f/1.25 is documented in early-1930s northern-lights research. The unusually fast optical design was developed by Astro co-founder Hugh Ivan Gramatzki and is related to his patented Petzval-type f/1.25 construction. The present example has been modified with a focusing mount for Leica M, making this fascinating ultra-fast optic usable on modern M cameras.