Rollei Kineidoscop Prototype

Extremely rare prototype of a 35 mm stereo camera by Franke & Heidecke. From the late 1920s onwards, various prototypes were made there, as the 35 mm film became more and more popular due to the great success of the Leica camera. The Kineidoscop stereo camera was developed from 1937, the prototypes improved several times and a sample that was almost ready for serial production was completed in November 1938. In 1939 Franke and Heidecke decided to start producing the camera. Initially, ten samples were made in order to make final adjustments. The beginning of the war ended the work. The samples were kept in a bunker, where they survived the bombing unscathed. After the war, members of the American occupation force took the cameras out of the bunker and brought them to the U.S.A. Since then, individual specimens have appeared there. The personal camera of Heidecke's wife is said to be the only one that remained in Germany. The beautifully crafted Kineidoscop is equipped with a pair of Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 3,5 cm f/3.5 lenses Nr. 789008 and Nr. 789130 and with the Sucher-Triplet 5,5 cm f/3.2 Nr. 1364305. In very fine original condition, the shutter working well. Included: Original carrying strap, box from the estate of Brett Riley. Provenance: The Kineidoscop was acquired about 40 years ago by an American private collector from the estate of Brett Riley in Los Angeles. Brett Riley acquired it in Rockford, IL, around 1950. Brett Riley was a noted racing car mechanic in the 1930s, working on the "Sampson Special" that drove in the Indianapolis „500“ race in those early years. This explains the label on the box. The camera was shipped to Brett Riley in this box in July 1950! Literature: Claus Prochnow, "1928 bis 1954 Die Prototypen für Kleinbildfilm, Rollei Report 1", p. 136ff.