Siemens Cinema Camera D Export 16mm film camera, c. 1940
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c. 1940
This Siemens Cinema Camera D Export is a 16mm motion picture camera manufactured by Siemens-Werke, Berlin, circa 1940. The camera features an aluminum body finished in a distinctive black crinkle paint.
It is powered by a spring-driven motor capable of recording at speeds ranging from 8 to 64 frames per second. The unit utilizes a 15-meter film capacity within a Siemens cassette and includes a quick-change sled housing three interchangeable lenses: a Schneider Tele-Xenar 3.8/75mm, a Schneider Xenon 1.5/25mm, and a Xenon 1.9/16mm, all utilizing C-mount threads. The viewfinder is sled-coupled and equipped with interchangeable masks for framing.
This specific export variant was intended for the Soviet market and features nickel-plated plates with inscriptions in Cyrillic, including a sensitivity table referencing DIN and Gost standards, as well as instructions for hyperfocal distance calculations. The construction reflects high-quality German optical and mechanical engineering from the era.
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
- Finish
- Black crinkle paint
- Material
- Aluminum
- Film format
- 16mm
- Film capacity
- 15 m
Technical characteristics
- Drive
- Spring-driven
- Lenses
- Schneider Tele-Xenar 3.8/75 mm, Schneider Xenon 1.5/25 mm, Xenon 1.9/16 mm
- Lens mount
- C-mount
- Frame rates
- 8–64 fps
Design
- Markings
- Cyrillic sensitivity table (DIN and Gost), Cyrillic hyperfocal distance table
- Viewfinder
- Sled-coupled with interchangeable masks
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-Werke
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.