1 - F.A.C.T., Turin | Autocinephot 18x24mm

F.A.C.T., Turin | Autocinephot 18x24mm Estimate: €5,000–6,000 Year: c.1919 Condition: B/C English: An exceptionally rare and historically significant Italian 35mm pre-Leica still and motion-picture camera, designed by Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Tartara and manufactured by F.A.C.T. in Turin shortly after World War I. The Autocinephot was conceived as a remarkably versatile device that used standard perforated 35mm motion-picture film to produce 18 × 24 mm images. It could be used for both still photographs and motion-picture sequences, with film transport operated by the distinctive lateral hand crank. With additional accessories, the system could also be adapted for projection and enlargement. This example is preserved with its original E. Krauss & Co., Paris 1:6.3 lens, no. 95682, Bté S.G.D.G. The Krauss lens is a particularly interesting and much rarer original fitting, as almost all other surviving Autocinephot cameras are known to be equipped with Koristka Aether lenses. The Autocinephot occupies an important place in the history of miniature and cine photography. Tartara’s design was subsequently acquired and further developed in France by André Debrie, forming the basis of the celebrated Debrie Sept, one of the most ingenious compact 35mm cameras of the early 1920s. Produced in very limited numbers, surviving examples of the original Italian Autocinephot are extremely scarce. WestLicht Auction sold one camera at its first auction in 2002. In fine, original, working condition. German: An exceptionally rare and historically significant Italian 35mm photo and film camera from the pre-Leica era, designed by Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Tartara and manufactured by F.A.C.T. in Turin shortly after World War I. The Autocinephot was conceived as a remarkably versatile camera for perforated 35mm motion picture film with an image format of 18 × 24 mm. It could capture both single shots and film sequences; film advance was controlled via the distinctive side-mounted hand crank. With additional accessories, the system could also be used for projection and enlargement. This example features an E. Krauss & Co., Paris, 1:6.3, No. 95682, Bté S.G.D.G. The Krauss lens is particularly interesting and significantly rarer, as almost all Autocinephot cameras are known to have been equipped with Koristka-Aether lenses. The Autocinephot occupies an important place in the history of 35mm and motion picture photography. Tartara’s design was later adopted and further developed in France by André Debrie, forming the basis for the famous Debrie Sept, one of the most sophisticated compact 35mm cameras of the early 1920s. Since only a very small number of units were produced, surviving examples of the original Italian Autocinephot are exceptionally rare. WestLicht auctioned off one such example at its very first auction in 2002. The camera is in very good, fully functional original condition.