1936 Telefunken Camera 2 of 2

This is without a doubt the largest ‘made for television’ lens I’ve ever seen on a camera. This is one of 3 cameras used at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, and is made by Telefunken. This is possibly the same camera as shown in the companion photo with an additional lens piece attached, or it could be a different camera, but if you study the lens assembly, you’ll see that it could easily be an added element.

These games were televised by two German firms, Telefunken and Fernseh, using RCA and Farnsworth equipment, respectively. This marked the first live television coverage of a sports event in world history. Both systems broadcast at 180 lines and 25 frames per second. Four different areas were telecast using three cameras. In total, 72 hours of live transmission went over the airwaves to special viewing booths, called “Public Television Offices” in Berlin and Potsdam. Germany had regularly scheduled transmissions from as early at 1929.

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