Officine Galileo Ogmar 9cm f/4

Officine Galileo Ogmar 9cm f/4

The Ogmar 9cm f/4 is one of the scarcer Italian rangefinder lenses to reach collectors, a 90 mm telephoto in Leica screw mount made by Officine Galileo around 1950 [1][2]. It belongs to the small ecosystem of optics produced for the Italian Leica-copy cameras of the postwar period, and dealers note it was intended for screw-mount bodies such as the Sonne, Gamma, Kristall and Wega [1][2]. Officine Galileo itself was a long-established Italian optical maker, founded in 1862, that supplied periscopes and rangefinders to the Italian navy before entering camera and lens production; it built the Leica III copy Condor for Ferrania in the 1940s and later became known for the GaMi 16 subminiature camera [3].

In design the Ogmar is generally described as an Elmar-type lens, using a four-element, three-group formula of the kind Leitz popularized for its own 90 mm Elmar [2][4]. The barrel is finished in two-tone chrome and black, focuses on a meters scale, and stops down from f/4 to f/32 [1][4]. One reference example weighs about 391 g and is close in size to the Leitz Elmar 90 mm, with smooth focusing and a click-stopped diaphragm typical of the period [4]. LeicaLensList records the lens as not coupled to the camera rangefinder; some auction listings instead describe it as rangefinder-coupled, so the focusing behavior of an individual example is worth confirming in person before relying on it [1][2].

Documentation of variants is thin. The lens is consistently reported as a low-production item, with one auction estimate of only roughly 350 to 400 examples made, which helps explain how rarely it appears for sale [1]. Caps on surviving examples have been seen engraved "Gamma Roma," a marking that ties the lens to the Italian Gamma camera and is useful for identification [4].

Optical qualities

Rendering Little formal review material exists for the Ogmar, so its rendering is best understood from its design rather than from published testing. As a four-element Elmar-type 90 mm of about 1950, it would be expected to behave like other uncoated or early single-coated telephoto lenses of that class, with moderate maximum aperture and the gentle contrast and rendering associated with the type [2][4]. Sellers describe usable optical condition on surviving examples, but no consistent body of test data supports specific claims about sharpness, bokeh or flare for this lens, and such claims are best treated as unverified [1][4].

History

Development and Launch The Ogmar was produced around 1950 as part of Officine Galileo's involvement with the Italian rangefinder cameras that followed the Leica pattern. The same maker supplied other screw-mount optics in this period, including a 5 cm f/3.5 Eliog standard lens described in the same context of Italian Leica-copy bodies [5]. Officine Galileo's broader camera activity began in the 1940s with the Condor, a Leica III copy made for Ferrania, before the company's better-known GaMi 16 subminiature of the 1950s [3].

Special editions No major factory special editions or distinct optical variants of the Ogmar 9cm are widely documented in the available sources.

Collector Notes The Ogmar is sought after mainly for its rarity and its association with the Italian Leica-copy cameras rather than for optical performance. Because it is uncommon, buyers should confirm that the screw mount and focusing match the intended body, since the lens has been described both as coupled and as uncoupled in different listings; LeicaLensList treats it as uncoupled [1][2]. Original sets have been offered complete with box, front and rear caps and a red filter, and a "Gamma Roma" cap engraving is a helpful authenticity and identification clue [1][4]. As with any lens of this age, coating wear and haze should be checked before purchase [4].

Sources

• [1] Lot-Art (Catawiki listing). Officine Galileo Ogmar 9cm f4 italian Leica copy screw mount made in Italy. Boxed. https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/Officine-Galileo-Ogmar-9cm-f4-italian-Leica-copy-screw-mount-made-in-Italy-Boxed/25016569-officine_galileo-30.3.19-catawiki
• [2] Catawiki. Officine Galileo Ogmar 9cm f4 italian Leica copy screw mount made in Italy. Boxed. https://www.catawiki.fr/l/25016569-officine-galileo-ogmar-9cm-f4-italian-leica-copy-screw-mount-made-in-italy-boxed
• [3] Camera-wiki.org. Officine Galileo. https://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Officine_Galileo
• [4] Flashback Camera. Officine Galileo Ogmar 90mm f4 (L). https://flashbackcamera.jp/en/products/016380_officine_galileo_ogmar_90mm_f4_l
• [5] Lot-Art (Catawiki listing). Officine Galileo Eliog 5cm f3,5 Leica screw mount made in Italy. https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/Officine-Galileo-Eliog-5cm-f3-5-Leica-screw-mount-made-in-Italy-italian-camera-BOXED/25969645-officine_galileo-20.4.19-catawiki