Siemens B Transfokator 16mm film camera with Astro zoom lens, c. 1933
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c. 1933
The Siemens B Transfokator is a notable 16mm film camera introduced circa 1933, significant for being the first amateur camera to feature a zoom lens. The device utilizes 15m Siemens film cassettes and is powered by a spring-driven motor, offering variable film speeds between 8 and 64 frames per second.
It features a metal body finished with black leather covering. The camera is equipped with a Busch Glaukar Anastigmat 2.8/20 mm lens and an Astro Transfokator zoom attachment (15–30 mm, serial no. 97). An aluminum bracket featuring a nickel-plated optical unit and a frame finder is securely fixed to the underside of the camera, allowing the image size to be adjusted by sliding the viewfinder. The unit also includes both direct-vision and waist-level viewfinders.The set includes a copy of the original instruction manual.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Body
- Metal with black leather covering
- Bracket
- Aluminum with nickel-plated optical unit
Technical characteristics
- Lens
- Busch Glaukar Anastigmat 2.8/20 mm
- Zoom
- Astro 15–30 mm
- Motor
- Spring-driven
- Cassette
- 15m Siemens
- Frame rate
- 8–64 fps
- Film format
- 16mm
- Viewfinders
- Direct-vision and waist-level
Design
- Features
- Sliding viewfinder for zoom adjustment
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- Siemens & Halske / Astro Berlin
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.