Astro-Gesellschaft Bielicke & Co Historical Timeline(1922-1945)

Gramatzki files patent (DE 556676): Optical system for viewfinders on cinema recording chambers.

Bielicke files patent (DE 538872, FR 716168): Photographic lens. This turned into the Tachon f/0.95 series and the Tachar f/1.5 series.

Bielicke, Erich and Ernst files patent (DE 565016): Adjustment device for photographic cameras.

Lens name Tacharett is trademarked (No. 418343).

Lens name Astrar is trademarked (No. 427374).

Astro R.K. f/1.25 mentioned in an article titled “Advancements in X-ray Cinematography”.

Norwegians Carl Størmer and Ole Krogness are using the Astro R.K. 50mm f/1.25 to pioneer researching and photographing the northern lights.
Source: The Polar Aurora by Carl Stormer – 1955

Gramatzki files patent (DE 568058, DE 565868): Viewfinder for photographic recording cameras.

Bielicke files patent (DE 634843): Photographic lens. (Astrar)

Bielicke files patent (GB 367237) Improvements in or relating to Lens Combinations (Tachon f/0.95).

Bielicke files patent (US 1839011) Lens Combination (Tachon f/0.95).

Interesting images showing Astro Fernbildlinse being used on a Debrie Parvo film camera.

Bielicke files patent (GB 375723) Improvements in Lens Systems (Astrar).

Bielicke files patent (US 1888156) Objective Lens System. (Astrar)

Bielicke files patent (DE 624178) Anamorphic system.

Name Fokuskop is trademarked (No. 443147).

Translation of an article about the Fokuskop from Das Echo:

The Fokuskop: An Automatic Focusing Device for Cinematography

Since the introduction of high-speed lenses, the desire among cameramen and film amateurs to emancipate themselves from the focusing scale and the rangefinder has been growing stronger. They want to have an optical device on the camera that automatically indicates when the lens is focused sharply on the film. This is especially crucial in modern cinematography, where focusing on moving objects is essential. It hardly needs to be stated that this cannot be achieved with a rangefinder and focusing scale. Estimating distances is only possible for the most experienced professional cameraman within certain limits, and it fails the moment the subject makes significant movements. The problem of automatic, optically controlled focusing has been solved by the Fokuskop of the Astro-Gesellschaft, Berlin-Neukölln. This instrument is a rigidly coupled optical device with the lens, in whose eyepiece field everything appears sharply that is also sharply depicted on the film.

As mentioned, the Fokuskop and lens are rigidly coupled, without any sensitive joint mechanisms or curve transmissions that could jeopardize the accuracy of the adjustment. The adjustment itself is made, as usual, on the lens while looking through the eyepiece of the Fokuskop. The Fokuskop is not, as one might first assume, an optical system with the same focal length as the camera lens, following the principle of reflex cameras. The Fokuskop has a larger focal length than the camera lens, with the change in the focal plane in the Fokuskop being twice as large as that of the lens. Additionally, the Fokuskop has a large aperture ratio, making its depth sensitivity significantly greater than that of the camera lens, which ensures a high degree of accuracy in focusing. A lens will appear blurry in the Fokuskop even if it is still within the depth of field range in the lens’s image plane, which is much greater than what can be achieved by focusing on a ground glass screen with a standard 5x magnifying loupe.

The high brightness of the image in the Fokuskop eliminates any uncertainty in assessing sharpness. One immediately recognizes when it is achieved; with the slightest further adjustment, it disappears just as quickly, whereas under the same conditions on the ground glass screen, one can never be sure of the correct setting. The Fokuskop thus ensures absolute readiness for shooting at any time and, considering that modern high-sensitivity films are becoming increasingly opaque for viewing loupes, it represents the only way to continuously control the image sharpness during shooting. The amateur filmmaker, who works with high-speed optics today, will find the Fokuskop to be their best friend in all challenging and current shoots.

Astro Identoskop is introduced.
Source: Gebrauchsfotografie

Astro-Tachon 25/35/52/75mm f/0.95 is first mentioned. Sales may have started in 1932, but most likely 1933. Photofreund Handbuch from 1934 p. 173 mentions a “Tachor” f/0.95 lens from Astro releasing to the market in 1933. 25mm and 35mm was made for 16mm film, while 52mm and 75mm was for 35mm film.

In Keesing: Archiv der Gegenwart January 22. 1933 they write:
“A very fast lens: The opticians of the “Astro-Gesellschaft” in Berlin-Neukölln have succeeded in calculating and constructing a photographic lens with a relative aperture of f/0.95. Compared to a fast lens with an aperture of f/4.5, which is most commonly used in amateur photography today, the new lens has around 22 times the light intensity. In combination with highly sensitive, panchromatic films, it enables the production of snapshots and cinema shots in normally lit rooms; in brightly lit theaters or variety shows, even slow-motion shots could be taken with very good results.”

In Das Echo (1932) they write:
The Tachon f/0.95 is the brightest lens of the present. It allows cinema and photo shooting under the most unfavorable lighting conditions and is manufactured in focal lengths of 25 and 35mm for 16mm film, in focal lengths of 52 and 75mm for standard format, and in a focal length of 100mm for 24×36 format. The lens is 22 times as bright as a 4.5 optic and 4 times as bright as a 1.8 optic. The lens enables filming without the need for special artificial light sources. The focus adjustment should be done particularly carefully, preferably with the Astro Sharp Adjuster focus head. Shots in variety shows, theaters, and social rooms are easily possible, but one must beware of overexposure here and instead increase the frame rate. The excellent image circle is naturally smaller than that of lenses with smaller apertures, it is about half the focal length. The aforementioned novelties are manufactured by the Astro Company, Berlin-Neukölln.

Tacharett f/1.5 is first mentioned in indexed sources.
Photographische Rundschau und Mitteilungen – Volume 69

It’s written US.Pat. Jun 1925 on the lens, meaning it’s based on the original Tachar patent.

Tachar f/1.5 is first mentioned in indexed sources:
From the lenses of the Astro Society, Berlin – Neukölln, especially noteworthy are the “Pantachar” in extremely high apertures of 1:2.3 and 1:1.8, a special lens for capturing images on panchromatic emulsions, the Tachar with the extreme aperture of f/1.5, the wide-angle lens Astrar with an angle of view of 60°, the wide-angle Tachar, and for narrow film purposes, the Tacharett, as well as quartz lenses for ultraviolet light photography, soft-focus lenses, and so on. For X-ray cinematography and oscillography, R.K. lenses are manufactured with an enormous aperture ratio of f/1.25. The company also pays special attention to telephoto lenses with focal lengths up to 800 mm (for the standard cinema format). Optics for animation, special focusing loops, and more complete the program. It is worth mentioning the “Fokuskop”, an optical sharpness adjuster for photo and cinema, which has earned many friends due to its practical advantages.

Source: Photographische Rundschau und Mitteilungen – 1932

Variations:
Tachar 35mm f/1.5
Tachar 40mm f/1.5
Tachar 50mm f/1.5
Tachar 75mm f/1.5

A special Mini-fex camera with a Tachon 52mm f/0.95 lens was announced, which garnered a great deal of interest. The Mini-fex was also sold with Astro Astar f/2.7 and Pan Tachar f/1.8 lenses. Astro also developed the Astro Fokuskop to help focus the lenses. The Tachon 52mm f/0.95 was around 5 times more expensive than the other lenses you could buy for this camera, so not many copies were ever made. With this combination this camera/lens combination was considered the world’s most expensive camera.

An excerpt from Photographische Rundschau und Mitteilungen:
The Mini-Fex is also available with brighter optics, with Astrar 1:2.7 and Pan Tachar 1:1.8, whereby the camera model is not enlarged. Even with the brightest optics, with Tachon 1:0.95, the camera can be equipped; thus, we have an instrument that performs excellently even under ordinary room lighting, evening street light, in the theater, and similar conditions. For the Mini-Fex with brighter optics, we have a focus head adjustment, which is a novel optical device mechanically connected to the lens, enabling sharp focusing without a rangefinder and scale, allowing to follow a moving object with sharpness.

An article written in Die Umschau from 1933 details the new Tachon f/0.95 lens series:

The high-speed lens F/0.95. Theoretically, one can increase the light intensity of the imaging optics up to F/0.5. These apertures are already found in micro-optics, but in photographic imaging optics, one currently stands at F/0.95. It is the Astro G.m.b.H. in Berlin-Neukölln that has achieved this giant aperture, and there are already perfectly good cinema shots taken with the new Tachon. The lens produces the standard film image with a focal length of 52 mm with approximately the same sharpness as the previously known high-speed optics with F/1.5. That it covers small film formats from a focal length of 25 mm onwards is self-evident. The new “Astro-Tachon” will initially be built in four focal lengths: 25, 35, 52, and 75 mm. Longer focal lengths can also be made, but it should be noted that the lenses will then be relatively heavy and large. Apart from cinematographers, these Tachons F/0.95 are also suitable for press and illustration photographers, as they truly open up the possibility of snapshot photography in moderately lit social spaces, etc., where the photographer could previously only take pictures with flash. It doesn’t need to be explained further that cameramen will gladly use this high light intensity for film shots. The focal lengths of 25 mm and 35 mm are only suitable for small film devices. Due to the relatively short back focus of the lenses, they only fit into cameras whose shutter is conveniently located for this purpose. The “Kinamo S 10” is suitable for the 25 mm lens, while for the 35 mm focal length, there are the spring-wound cameras “Victor,” “Filmo,” “Cine-Nizo,” “De Vry,” and a few others. The longer focal lengths face the same difficulty until camera manufacturers adapt to the requirements of the new high-speed lenses. For example, the Tachon F/0.95 with a focal length of 52 mm can be installed in the following cameras: “Cinephon,” “Mitchell,” “Bell & Howell,” “De Vry,” while the 75 mm lens is suitable, among others, for “Debrie-Parvo L,” “Cinephon,” “Mitchell,” “Bell & Howell.” With the light intensity F/0.95, as reported by H. Pander in “Filmtechnik,” only about a quarter of the illuminance is needed compared to working with F/1.9. A practical example: when filming figure skaters at the Berlin Sportpalast, two spotlights were sufficient for illumination when working with the most sensitive emulsions, such as “Kodak SS,” “Agfa Pankine G,” or “Agfa-Novopan,” and using light intensity F/1.9. 16 frame changes and 1/35 second exposure time resulted in well-defined shots. Consequently, with the small film time-lapse, one can now shoot figure skating with F/0.95, as H. Pander did with a “Victor” camera, which operates at 72 frames per second and an exposure time of about 1/125 second. The shift of the subject in a significant depth of field range is inconsequential when choosing the right setting.

The book “Die Kathodenstrahlröhre” written by Manfred von Ardenne is published where he talks about three different Astro-Berlin lenses. Astro R.K. 75mm f/1.25, a custom made Ardenne-Astro 50mm f/1 and a 120mm f/1.4, which seems to be either an Astro-Kino VII or something related to this lens design. The Ardenne-Astro 50mm f/1 is described being a petzval design, this lens was actually sold in the Netherlands a few years ago and was described being very soft and full of aberrations.

From Zeitschrift für den physikalischen und chemischen Unterricht:
“In the depicted device, a system consisting of two lenses with a geometric aperture ratio of f/1 is used as the projection optics. The optics, calculated by H. Gramatzki of the Astro Berlin at the author’s suggestion, possess just the right sharpness required for imaging fluorescence images. By foregoing unnecessarily high sharpness, it was possible to find a lens design that, despite its extreme brightness, remains efficiently manufacturable even with the focal length of 12cm required for projection. The optics are spherically but not chromatically corrected because the screen material used emits only in a relatively narrow spectral range.”

From Manfred von Ardenne:
“Fernsehen und Tonfilm 1931, Vol. 2, No. 2, April; M. v. Ardenne, Lecture “Some Selected Topics from the Field of Television,” June 12, 1933, Institute for Oscillation Research), promising. The setup used for projection with the 24,000-V system can be seen from Figures 1 and 2. Due to the low depth of field of the required high-intensity projection optics (e.g., Astro-Kino 1:1.4 or 1:1.8, 12 cm focal length), it was necessary to ensure that the fluorescent screen had the smallest possible curvature. With the mentioned optics, brightness values of the order of 5 lux are achieved with an image size of 2 m² and diffusely reflecting projection screens.”

Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers publishes an in depth article comparing Astro-Berlin Pan-Tachar f/2.3 to Biotar, Xenon and Raytar.

Hans Pander publishes an article in Photographische Korrespondenz about the new Tachon lens:

Small Announcements:

f/0.95: The Record for Aperture Speed

The fastest lenses in practical use so far have had maximum apertures of f/1.25. These are the “R.K. lenses” made by “Astro GmbH” in Berlin Neukölln, designed for photographing X-ray screens. Close behind are lenses by “Schneider,” “Zeiss,” and “Meyer,” with apertures ranging from f/1.3 to f/1.5. Meanwhile, apertures of f/1.8 or f/1.9 are already considered quite common, at least in cinematography. The new lens from the opticians at “Astro,” with its enormous aperture of f/0.95, is noteworthy as a film camera lens. It could potentially be used for still cameras with smaller formats if longer focal lengths were developed. So far, lenses with this aperture have been built with focal lengths of 25, 35, 52, and 75 mm. Of these, only the shorter focal lengths cover the small film frame, while the others are suitable for standard cinematography and still cameras using the 18 x 24 mm film format.

The correction is not designed for such a large image field as usual: ordinary lenses produce an image circle whose diameter nearly matches the focal length. With an aperture of f/0.95, this is likely never possible. In cinematography, longer focal lengths are often used. For instance, a 25 mm lens is widely used for 16 mm film, with its focal length being twice the image diagonal. Both the 25 mm and 35 mm lenses with f/0.95 aperture are excellent for small film recordings, provided the user consults the depth of field tables before each shot. At full aperture, for example, the close focus distance is almost 20 meters for the 25 mm focal length and around 37 meters for the 35 mm focal length. Thus, these lenses can be used effectively even when a relatively large depth of field is required.

The author used the 35 mm lens with a small film camera to capture slow-motion footage of German champion Michaelis and Austrian champion Fritzi Burger during figure skating at the Berlin Sportpalast. The results were flawless. “Kodak SS” and “Agfa-Novopan” reversal films were used. Figure 1 shows the Astro f/0.95 35 mm lens on the Victorkamera. The filming speed was 72 frames per second, with an exposure time of about 1/125 second. The ice surface was lit only by two spotlights following the skaters’ movements. Assuming a circle of confusion of 0.03 mm, the sharp focus had to be set at 30 meters, providing a depth of field from 17 to approximately 160 meters, which was sufficient for the space, as confirmed by the actual footage. Notably, such footage does not contain fine details that need to be rendered sharply. The purpose of these extremely fast lenses differs from that of usual anastigmats. However, they are very useful in cinematography. They can produce beautiful portraits and good night shots on the streets, as past experiences have shown. For users of small film equipment, these lenses are particularly beneficial, allowing filming in theaters, social rooms, and even slow-motion shots in variety shows.

The “Astro-Tachone” lenses with f/0.95 aperture differ from previous lenses in two significant ways. Firstly, they have considerable diameters, as shown in the image. The front lens diameters slightly exceed the focal length, measuring 28 mm for the 25 mm lens, 38.5 mm for the 35 mm lens, 56.5 mm for the 52 mm lens, and 81 mm for the 75 mm lens. The overall diameter of the lens, depending on the mount, is naturally even larger. However, the lenses are constructed with a stepped design, and the rear lens diameter is proportionally smaller than the focal length, measuring 28 mm for the 52 mm lens. This design rarely poses problems for mounting the new lenses on cinema cameras, though the second characteristic, the short back focus, might. The back focus for the four mentioned focal lengths is 8.7, 12, 17.7, and 25.9 mm. Some small film cameras are designed so that the 25 mm focal length cannot be mounted due to the shutter’s position, with the 35 mm lens being the shortest usable. The “Kinamo S 10” from Zeiss Ikon is one of the few 16 mm cameras that allows the 25 mm lens to be mounted, due to the short distance from the rotating shutter to the image plane. This device was used for the aforementioned night street shots. A well-known cameraman has successfully conducted trial studio shots with the 52 mm lens. Further reports will follow once a series of trials by various cameramen are completed.

If the f/0.95 lens were to be built with longer focal lengths, such as 100 mm or 150 mm, the resulting instruments would have significant diameters and weight. Naturally, these could still be used with small cameras, like those with 24 x 36 mm or 3 x 4 cm formats. Whether these focal lengths will be manufactured depends on the demand from photographers, such as press photographers.

Hans Pander

In 1933 civil engineer Carl Johan Rixen invented the Polyfoto camera, with the first units produced for the Polyfoto stores in 1933.

Operating the camera was straightforward: turning the hand crank 48 times produced 48 unique portraits on a single plate. The underlying idea was that among so many images, at least one or two would be satisfactory. These photos were captured on a 13 x 18 cm plate, arranged in 8 rows of 6 images (each measuring 2 x 2 cm).

Lens: As far as I can tell, all the cameras were equipped with an Astro-Berlin Pan-Tachar 50mm f/2.3 lens. It is also referred to as the Polyfot-Tachar. There was no option for aperture adjustment, so everything was shot at f/2.3.

Sources:
www.objektiv.dk (PDF)
www.objektiv.dk (PDF)

Jahrbuch für Photographie, Kinematographie und Reproduktionsverfahren:

The Astro Company (Astro-Gesellschaft m. b. H, Optical-Mechanical Precision Workshops, Berlin-Neukölln) introduced a series of new designs for cinema lenses in 1928. The company’s Tachar lens, widely used both in Europe and Hollywood, is an anastigmat made up of four separate lens elements with apertures of f/2.3 or f/1.8. A new development is the Pantachar lens. Its chromatic correction covers the entire range of wavelengths relevant to modern cinema photography. As a result, this lens is particularly suitable for shooting on panchromatic film under incandescent light while fully utilizing its sharpness. The image quality is not affected by filters, making the Pantachar well-suited for filtered photography on orthochromatic film. Tachars and Pantachars are available with an aperture of f/1.8 in the following focal lengths: 25, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, and 150mm. At f/2.3, the 25mm focal length is unavailable, but the same other focal lengths are offered, along with additional focal lengths of 125, 200, and 255mm.

The Rosher Kino-Portrait is a specialized lens for close-up headshots. Its sharpness deliberately decreases rapidly from the center of the image toward the edges. This softening effect can be adjusted using one of three interchangeable rear lenses, allowing the user to control how much the image edges “swim.” The lens is named after the American cinematographer Charles Rosher. It is available in focal lengths of 75mm and 100mm, with an aperture of f/2.3.

The Astro Soft-Focus lens is available with an aperture of f/2 in focal lengths of 25, 75, and 100mm. It is well-suited for capturing close-up headshots. However, with this lens, the softening of sharpness extends across the entire image field, distinguishing it from the Rosher Portrait lens, which remains sharp in the center. The soft effect is achieved by leaving spherical aberrations uncorrected. Chromatic aberrations are absent, so focusing poses no difficulties. The photographically usable image lies in the same plane as the visual focus.

Astro also produces a long-focus lens with an aperture of f/5 and a focal length of 400mm. This is a corrected, simply cemented single lens that resembles a photographic refractor lens. Due to its minimized reflection losses, it achieves greater effective light transmission than a multi-element lens with the same geometric aperture ratio. The long-focus lens is used for telephoto photography.

Source:

[www.archive.org]

Gramatzki files patent (DE 650907, DE 650908): Optical viewfinder system.

Gramatzki files Patent DE622046 Attachment system for changing the focal length of a lens.

Gramatzki Files Patent (DE 1307007): Utility model application. Attachment system consisting of three lenses.

Tachon 35mm f/1.2 is made for 35mm cameras, primarily designed for reporters to handle shots under the most challenging lighting conditions. It was designed for Leica cameras and to be used with the Astro Identoskop focus and viewfinder.
(Announced at the Leipzig Photomesse)

Astan is first mentioned in German indexed sources (Photofreund Handbuch p. 174)

Astro-Kino VII f/1.4 is mentioned in Filmtechnik from 1934 being a standard issue for the original Siemens Grossraum 16mm projector:

Another German projection lens that has become widely accepted is the “Kinon-Superior” from the company Hugo Meyer & Co., Görlitz. Both the “Neokino” and the “Kinon-Superior” are lenses of the Petzval type, whose aperture ratio can be adjusted to about 1:1.6. When the large-scale projection of narrow film required even larger aperture ratios, this task was accomplished by the “Astro-Kino-objektiv” from the Astro Company (according to D.R.P. by H. J. Gramatzki), Berlin. The lens used in the Siemens large-scale projector achieves an aperture ratio of f/1.4 while meeting the very high demands for sharpness. Given the enormous amount of light transmitted through such a lens, utmost freedom from reflections had to be aimed for in order to achieve clear blacks on the projection screen. In contrast to the Petzval lens, the “Astro-Kino” lens has only four air-glass surfaces, none of which are concave.

You can read the whole translated article by H. I. Gramatzki [here]. The name of this article is “Pioneer Achievements of German Cinematic Optics”. In this article they mention these lenses: Plasmat, Tachar, Pan-Tachar, Fernbildlinse, Astro R.K., R-Biotar, Tachon, Paritar, Glaukar, Cooke Varo, Vario-Glaukar, Transfokator, Neokino, Kinon-Superior and Astro-Kino.

From an ad from the same magazine it’s written:

ASTRO – Imaging Optics
Tachon f/0.95, Tachar f/1.5, Pan Tachar f/1.8-f/2.3. Astrar f/2.7, Telephoto lenses f/5-100-800 mm – Rosher-Portrait f/2.3 and Soft-Focus f/2.3, Astan f/3.5, Special viewfinders with upright image, with parallax compensation, six times magnifying, for focal lengths up to 150mm and from 150-800mm. Brightest projection optics with surfaces bordering highest light transmission 36, 52, 65 and 85mm. four in air f/1.4-f/1.5, focal length focussing scopes for precise adjustment of lenses with reverse system for all narrow film chambers, without reverse system for all small photo chambers and precision chambers with larger formats. Identoscopes in conjunction with the Astro-Portrait f/2.3 150 and 200mm, the Ostar f/3.5 125 and 135mm, the telephoto lens f/5 400mm or other suitable optics – for precise adjustment by observing a ground glass image in full recording format using a fivefold magnifying glass. The reflex mirror system for 35mm chambers like the Leica. Sound film optics for recording and playback R.K. f/1.25 for X-ray cinematography, oscillography and cinematography of the aurora borealis. Television optics. Oscillograph chambers with manual and motor drive, spectrographs 1:1. Optics for sky photography, reproduction and enlargement, flat plates, prisms. New film viewing magnifiers for 24 X 36 mm.

Here is a translated summary of the development of Astro-Berlin from Photofreund Handbuch – 1934:

The Astro G.M.B.H., Berlin-Neukölln,
increased its series of high-speed lenses last year by one. After the Pan-Tachar, the “Tachon” f/0.95 was released in 1933. The lens is available in various focal lengths. The focal length of 75mm would also be suitable for photographic purposes for the 18x24mm format. However, the camera must be very stable because at this focal length, the lens is 11cm long, and its front lens has a diameter of 81mm. The Identoscope of the Astro Company is particularly well-suited to the needs of photography in small formats. The Identoscope is an optical system combined with an Anastigmat, allowing observation of the image to be captured at five times magnification until the moment of exposure. The object, which is visible on a ground glass similar to that of a reflex camera, is viewed through a magnifying glass, ensuring absolutely precise focusing. At the moment the shutter release lever is actuated, the mirror that reflects the image onto the ground glass is swung away, allowing the light path from the lens to the film to be open. The Identoscope gets its name from the identity of the image viewed on the ground glass with that which is subsequently recorded. The Identoscope can be equipped with an Astro Portrait Lens 15cm f/2.3 or an Ostar 125mm f/3.5 or 135mm, or with telephoto lenses from the Astro Company f/5 f=400, 500, or 640mm, lenses which have proven themselves particularly well in outdoor shooting of well-known feature films and expedition films (SOS Eisberg). The Identoscope is intended for small cameras such as the Leica. A focusing device that provides the necessary depth of field even with the brightest lens is the Focuscope. It is coupled with the lens and allows observation on a small Astro Identoscope ground glass through an eyepiece whether the targeted object is properly focused or not. The Focuscope is not a lens of the same focal length as the lens, but a mirror optic of greater focal length and therefore greater depth of field. It is based on the nature of reflection that there is an exact correspondence between the focusing of the Focuscope and that of the lens. For television technology and oscillography, especially according to the systems of Ardenne, the Astro Ardenne lens was created, a glass chromate with only four air-glass surfaces, which has a brightness of f/1. In addition to these extremely high-speed lenses, Astro G.M.B.H. has also introduced a 13.5cm lens, the Astan, which is particularly used for photography in very small formats.

Excerpt from Bergfilm:

Poster for Fanck’s Der ewige Traum (The Eternal Dream) from 1934. For scenes in which city dwellers flee from the vastness and dangers of Mont Blanc, Fanck had special distortion lenses ground by the optical company ASTRO, giving the mountains a particularly tall and pointed appearance. These lenses were precursors to anamorphic optics, which are now used for image compression, such as in the Cinemascope process.

Gramatzki files patent (DE 667375): Optical system (additions to the patent DE 650907).

Gramatzki files patent (UK 449434): Improvements in Photographic and like Objectives.

Askania “Schulterkamera” was the world’s first portable shoulder-mounted camera, equipped with three fixed mounted Astro Pan-Tachar f/1.8 lenses (28/50/75mm).

Astro-Kino VII lenses are advertised as highly luminous large-scale projection lenses. The lenses available are 35/50/65/85/100/120mm. The 50mm f/1.4 lens would become standard issue for Siemens “Grossraum” projectors.

Full translation of the ad above:

Astro-Kino
1:1,4

The special lens for large-scale projection of small-format films.

Modern projection technology, which strives to achieve large images with great brilliance and brightness even with small-format films, also requires a projection lens of the highest performance. Light intensity alone is not decisive, although the ASTRO-KINO is also at the forefront in this regard. A main requirement is to produce images of the highest brilliance, i.e., the strongest contrast between light and shadow. This is only possible with the help of a lens in which internal reflections, the so-called “self-illumination” of the lens, are minimized to the smallest extent.

This goal is achieved with the ASTRO-KINO. The lens has 4 or 6 air-spaced elements, none of which has a concave surface. The brilliance of the images projected with the ASTRO-KINO cannot be achieved with such light intensity by any design with reflective surfaces or a concave surface, as strong internal reflections lead to blurring of the image. The sharpness of ASTRO-KINO lenses meets the highest standards from center to edge.

The ASTRO-KINO is manufactured in the following focal lengths: 36mm, 52mm, 65mm, 85mm, 100mm, and 120mm. It should be ensured that the projector is equipped with an appropriate condenser to fully utilize the light intensity of the ASTRO-KINO.

Famous photographer Dr. Erich Salomon writes to Astro-Berlin to complain about his experiences with his Astro Tachon 52mm f/0.95. Mainly about a smaller image circle than expected and difficulty getting images in focus.

Lens attachment name Transfokator is trademarked.
No. 477794

Lens name Tasman is trademarked.
No. 482757

Astro-Berlin Tasman have only a handful of mentions from 1935-1939. It seem to have been developed originally for 8mm cameras, 12.5-50mm range.

But the last mention about this lens from before the war is from “Röntgenpraxis: Diagnostik, Röntgen-, Radium-, Lichttherapie” (1939), where they talk about using a Pan-Tachar f/1.8 or a “specially developed” Tasman f/1.5 lens

In 1949 there is one last mention of this lens being again related to X-ray imagery:

From Röntgen-Reihenuntersuchungen des Brustkorbes:
In recent times, all manufacturers of fluoroscopic imaging devices have successfully focused on the development of specialized cameras suitable for medium format. As previously mentioned, the design of the fluoroscope tube in all imaging devices is such that the small format can be effortlessly and quickly replaced with a medium-format camera.

The companies SRW and K. & S. offer a particularly high-quality specialized version created by Zeiss for the 68 × 68 mm format. The company C. H. F. Müller introduces a specialized camera equipped with Astro optics, the “Tasman” f/1.5, with a focal length of 14 cm and a film strip capable of capturing 300 images at a size of 75 × 75 mm for alternate use with their Photalix fluoroscopic imaging device.

The company E. G. Sanitas, Berlin, has also developed a specialized camera for the medium format. This camera is designed for the use of an 8 cm wide film strip. It features high-quality Schneider optics, the Super-Xenon f/1.2 with a focal length of 15 cm, and is equipped with interchangeable cassettes, similar to the Kontophot camera. These cassettes can accommodate a 30-meter-long film strip, allowing for approximately 400 consecutive shots in the 68 × 68 mm format.

We know from modern auction sales that these existed too, probably mainly for X-ray usage:
Tasman 140mm f/1.5
Tasman 158mm f/1.5
Tasman 180mm f/1.4
Tasman 240mm f/1.4

The Astro Transfokator, the first varifocal lens for 16mm film cameras. It was used as an attachment in front of a Glaukar 20mm f/2.8 lens, the Transfokator creates a focal length range of 15-30mm. Read more at olafs-16mm-kino.de

This is a text from Deutsche optische Wochenschrift und Central-Zeitung für Optik und Mechanik – 1936 describing new development from Astro-Berlin:

Astro-Innovations
The innovations in the field of optics by Astro GmbH in Berlin – Neukölln include the following lenses and instruments:

Cinematographic Recording Lenses

1. The Pantachar
The Pantachar is a four-lens Anastigmat, consisting of four separate lenses, and is manufactured in aperture ratios of 1:1.8 and 1:2.3. The curvature of the lenses is relatively shallow, and the lenses themselves have low thickness. The anastigmatic field flattening is associated with excellent correction of coma, with an optical zone error of 0.2mm at 100mm focal length. The chromatic correction of the lens is adapted to modern panchromatic emulsions. The lens has the advantage that the sharpness adjustment of the image for the red still visible to the eye corresponds to the sharpness adjustment for infrared.

2. The Tachar
This Anastigmat is manufactured at a high aperture ratio of 1:1.5 and covers the normal film format at 35mm focal length.

3. The Tachon
This lens has been specially designed as a special type for extremely high aperture, with an aperture ratio of 1:0.95, allowing cinematographic recordings to be made under lighting conditions where this is practically impossible with other lenses. The Tachon is also built in a second type with an aperture ratio of 1:1.2.

4. The Astrar
This lens, manufactured at an aperture ratio of 1:2.7, is the universal lens for all formats for reflex chambers, small chambers, and cinema recording devices.

Scientific Recording Optics and Optics for Special Purposes

1. The R.K. lens
For the photography and cinematography of the aurora borealis as well as for X-ray cinematography, this lens with a high aperture ratio of 1:1.25 was designed with the aim of reducing the number of reflecting surfaces to a minimum despite the large aperture ratio. The R.K. lens has only four surfaces of air-glass. It can also be used for special purposes in oscillography using Braun tubes due to its high aperture ratio.

2. Aspherical Chromates
For oscillography purposes, it was necessary not only to reduce the number of reflecting surfaces to a minimum but also to reduce absorption losses and achieve aperture ratios up to 1:1. Dispensing with chromatic correction, which can be dispensed with in the almost monochromatic light of the Braun tube, the Astro Company constructed aspherical chromates consisting of only two lenses, which still allow the registration of curves even in poor lighting conditions. All rights reserved!

3. Quartz lenses
For ultraviolet photography and cinematography, the Quartz Tachar 1:2.5 with a focal length of 44 mm and a Quartz Anastigmat 1:5.4 with a focal length of 135mm were designed.

Remote Cinematography and Photography

Telephoto lens
While in large format photography the so-called telephoto lens was designed and used, in the remote imaging lens, the lens for remote cinematography and photography in small format was created. The remote imaging lens is not a telephoto system but corresponds to the optics of the photographic astronomical refractor. The definition, or image sharpness of the remote imaging lens, is much more advanced than the resolving power of highly sensitive emulsions. Since there are only two reflecting surfaces, the contrast reduction due to optical imaging is practically eliminated, and the brilliance of the image is necessarily greater than with any system with more reflecting surfaces. The chromatic correction of the remote imaging lens makes it usable for both orthochromatic and panchromatic film. In contrast to the telephoto system, there are no chromatic magnification differences in the remote imaging lenses. The remote imaging lenses are manufactured in focal lengths of 100 and 150 millimeters for small format and in focal lengths of 200 to 800mm for normal format.

Infrared Optics
The increased requirements for aperture in infrared photography led to the construction of the Infrared Tachar with an aperture ratio of 1:3.5 and a focal length of 800mm. This Infrared Tachar covers the plate format 18/24 and has been specially purchased for the needs of infrared photography, which plays a significant role today.

Projection Optics
A new design in the field of projection optics is the Astro Cinema f:1.4 with only four reflecting surfaces. It is also manufactured for special purposes with six reflecting surfaces. Due to its construction, reflections and the so-called “self-illumination of the lens” are minimized, so that the screen images do not suffer from contrast reduction due to superimposed light.

The Transfocator
The so-called rubber lens, i.e., the recording lens with continuously variable focal length, has been solved on a new optical basis by the Transfocator. The Transfocator is an attachment system with controllable lenses that can change the focal length of the lens, to which the Transfocator is attached, during recording in a ratio of 1:2 without affecting image sharpness. The Transfocator is built for both small format and normal format. For small format, the Transfocator is supplied for the lens with engraving or only with the date (year, month, day).

The Summer Olympics in Berlin of this year was both televised and filmed, a lot of Astro lenses were used to film the event. Leni Riefenstahl is said to have used various Astro lenses in the making of Olympia (1938).

Gramatzki files patent (DE 676946): Optical attachment system.

The Multifokalsucher is first mentioned in the magazine Camera (1936):
…the new handheld camera from the Berlin-based company Gustav Amigo should at least be mentioned. It is a 60-meter camera with a built-in electric motor, of cuboid shape and comparatively very low weight; it runs very smoothly, has interchangeable optics, and the new “Multifocal Viewfinder” introduced by the Astro Society in Berlin, a device with variable focal length (between 25 and 150 mm, if used for normal film), but with a consistent field of view. The viewfinder can easily be used for all narrow film formats as well, only the focal length scale needs to be replaced.

Excerpt from an article written by Obering. H. I. Gramatzki from the magazine Obering. H. I. Gramatzki Filmtechnik:

The answer lies in studying the light distribution within the circle of confusion. Recognizing the importance of this law will challenge the dogma of depth of field being solely dependent on the aperture ratio. This has already been practically demonstrated in images taken by Dr. Fanck using an Astro-Tachon lens (75mm f/0.95), which show a depth of field incompatible with the old theory. The increased depth is solely a result of light distribution within the circle of confusion, which determines the size of the effective imaging element and sharpness outside the plane of focus.

Astro-Berlin ad from The British Journal Photographic Almanar (1937)

Astro-Berlin ad from the magazine Filmtechnik, Volumes 13-14 – 1937.

Astro, A.H. Hürten files patent (DE 1457730): Binoculars.

Astro moves or the street addresses are renamed to Berlin Neukölln Lahnstraße 25-27.

Siemens Grossraum II releases with Astro-Kino VII lenses as standard issue.

The British Journal Photographic Almanac and Photographer’s Daily Companion wrote about many unknown lenses from Astro. Including lenses for infrared photography and a set of Television Tachar lenses with an aperture of f/1.9.

This is the full text about Astro’s new developments:

ASTRO LENSES
(Made by Astro G.m.b.H., Lahnstrasse 25-27, Berlin-Neukölln)
Some interesting new developments in the fields of still and cine photography are announced by the firm of Astro. As a result of the increasing importance of infra-red photography a series of specially corrected lenses has been introduced in the following focal lengths and apertures: 85mm f/1.25, 200mm f/2, 400mm f/2.7 and 800mm f/3.5. For television the Television Tachar lenses have been developed in a series of focal lengths from 40 to 240 mm. with an aperture of f/1.9. The well-known Transfocator lens for cinematography, which gives a range of foci from 36 to 72 mm, will be issued in an improved form. Still better optical correction has been attained and its use has been further facilitated by arranging it so that the focussing mechanism is operated from the front component of the lens. It is further announced that an entirely new Transfocator will be produced for use on 8mm cine cameras.

Astro files patent (DE 1461176): Device for changing the focal length of a lens.

Gramatzki files patent (US 2235364): Afocal camera lens attachment.

Gramatzki is accused of committing moral crimes (§ 176) and unnatural fornication (§ 175). There’s not much mention of Gramatzki being active after this, this was also the last year he patented anything. He was in 1944 or 1945 seemingly cleared of these charges.

A collection of letters sent throughout the 1930s to and from Astro-Berlin.

Gauss-Tachar (Gaußtachar) is first mentioned in indexed sources. The source describes the lens series as newly developed. Translated excerpt: “The Astro – Company Bielicke & Co. presented a new lens based on the Tachar principle, the Gauss Tachar, with excellent sharpness and excellent color correction. For cinematography purposes and also for scientific research.”
Deutsche optische Wochenschrift – 1940

Die Messtechnik: Zeitschrift für Zeitgemässe Betriebs-Kontrolle und Werkstoffprüfung from 1941 also mentions Gauß-Tachar as newly developed lenses.

Citizen Kane (Orson Welles) is said to have used some Astro lenses for certain shots.

Astro and Hürten patens new zoom viewfinder: DE1502836

Astro & Walter Sohst files patent (DE 741372): Device for focusing photographic equipment, especially for long-distance shots.

Astro & Walter Sohst files patent (DE 1519389): Height-adjustable tripod for cameras.

Astro & Walter Sohst files patent (DE 1519390): Cinematographic telephoto camera.

Tachonar is patented by Astro in 1940, but gets approved in 1942. No wartime Tachonar has been discovered from what I can tell, all production started after the war.
DE000A00092262AZ

Tachonar is trademarked (No. 562020), the source is from 1955, but it says it was first used/claimed in 1942 by Astro. (Warenzeichenblatt: 1955, 1 – 12).

After an apprenticeship as a camera assistant, Fritz Joachim Otto joined the Organization Todt in 1942 as a war reporter and cameraman. In the position of a Haupttruppführer, he filmed several color films about major construction sites located on the Atlantic coast in Bordeaux, Lorient, or La Rochelle.

Lore Sternfeld, a trained precision mechanic working from home for Astro Gesellschaft Bielicke & Co. was deported to Auschwitz where she was murdered.

Special thanks to Dr. Eva Sternfeld for this invaluable information.

Detailed description of Lore’s life:
Lore Sternfeld was born on August 9, 1915, in Frankfurt am Main as the daughter of zoologist and motorsport journalist Dr. Richard Sternfeld and his wife Else Sternfeld, née Blum. In April 1919, her brother Hans was born in Frankfurt. In the spring of 1922, she moved with her parents to Berlin, to Kirchstrasse 9 (today Schmiljanstrasse 9) in Berlin-Friedenau.

From 1933 to 1941, she lived with her mother Else and her mother’s second husband Hans Pander at Büsingstrasse 5. Starting in May 1941, she lived with them as lodgers in the apartment of Alexander Zutrauen (1876-1943) and his wife Else, née Hoch (1887-1943), in Berlin Wilmersdorf, Bregenzer Strasse 3, first floor. From her financial declaration, we know that she had trained as a precision mechanic and was employed as a home worker until her deportation, possibly through contacts of Hans Pander, at the Astro-Gesellschaft Bielicke & Co (Berlin Neukölln, Lahnstrasse 25-27), which manufactured optical devices. On January 29, 1943, she was deported to Auschwitz with her mother Else Pander, her mother’s second husband Hans Pander, and her landlords Alexander and Else Zutrauen on the 27th East Transport and was murdered there. After the deportation, her former employer contacted the Oberfinanzbehörde to claim the return of lenses that had been entrusted to Lore Sternfeld for processing.

One of the letters translate to:

“On February 25, 1943, we received the message from the President of the Berlin Employment Office at IIa AZ 3-5431 St. Einsatzstelle für Juden SW 29, Fontanepromenade (apparatus E 164) that our homeworker Lore Sara Sternfeld, born August 9, 1915, living in Berlin W 15 , Bregenzerstr. 3 II has been evacuated and that the taxes and disability cards must be submitted to the responsible authorities. Sternfeld worked for us as a trained precision mechanic and lens mounter. At home she had around 120 mounts of projection lenses, projection tachar f:1.8 24mm, a number of sets of lenses, also a number of sets of 25 mm, tools for mounting, etc. We immediately reported this to the Armaments Command, but never heard anything about the matter again.

Now our clients (OKM Wehrmacht order SS 4930) High Command of the Kriegsmarine are pushing for delivery via Askania-Werke. Since we now have to re-manufacture the mounts, we are currently unable to deliver.

On the other hand, the equipment at Askania is complete except for the lenses. We therefore ask you to determine where the lens parts found after the evacuation are and to deliver them.”

Lore’s file also contains the handwritten and difficult-to-decipher draft of a reply letter from the higher financial authority. Apparently, it denies that any lenses mounts were found in the apartment.

Fritz Joachim Otto joined UFA-Berlin and worked as a cameraman for Die Deutsche Wochenschau until the end of World War II.

Astro-Berlin patents DE1535176 – Lichtzeiger zum Projezieren einer Marke. This patent seem to be lost in the records.

The book/instruction manual “Die Pressemäßige Fernfotografie” by SS-Standartenführer Walter Sohst gives a glimpse into Astro-Berlins involvement in the propaganda war. It’s noted that the Fernkamera F.K. 800, Models I, II, and III, as well as the F.K. 400, were manufactured by the company “Astro Ges, Belicke & Co.”, Berlin-Neukölln.

These cameras are based on the patents Astro and Sohst patented together the years before. Presumably this kind of equipment was what Astro-Berlin produced until the end of the war.

The propaganda arms of the Nazi Party, such as the Propagandakompanie (PK) and Deutsche Wochenschau, employed a range of Astro-Berlin lenses for frontline reporting during World War II. Notably, the use of lenses like Pan-Tachars and, more prominently, Fernbildlinse gained widespread popularity in their documentation efforts.

Astro’s factory (Neukölln Lahnstraße 25-27) sustained damage from the Battle of Berlin. The building survived and is still standing today.

Bielicke passed away at 23. September 1945 at the age of 63 in St. Hedwig Krankenhaus.

Astro relocated to Berlin Friedenau Schmargendorfer Straße 32. The building is today the Jamaican Embassy
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