Officine Galileo Tesog 35mm f/4.5

Officine Galileo Tesog 35mm f/4.5

The Tesog 35mm f/4.5 is a compact Italian wide-angle made in an original Leica screw-mount focusing barrel. Its moderate aperture and small dimensions suit deliberate daylight and snapshot photography.

Optical Qualities

The 35mm focal length provides a classic moderate wide-angle view, while the f/4.5 maximum aperture favors compactness over speed. The documented example has coated optics. A verified element and group count for this exact M39 lens has not been established here, so those fields remain unrecorded.

History

Officine Galileo produced this uncommon Tesog around 1950. The surviving auction example is an original Italian M39 rangefinder lens rather than a later conversion and was supplied with a matching universal finder.

Handling

The compact focusing barrel is rangefinder coupled, making it more convenient than an uncoupled snapshot lens. Cameras without a 35mm frame require the supplied style of external finder for accurate composition.

Compatibility

The documented version uses the Leica thread mount, also known as LTM or M39, and operates the camera rangefinder. It mounts directly on compatible screw-mount bodies and can be adapted to Leica M.

Sources

• Leitz Photographica Auction, Officine Galileo Tesog 4.5/3.5cm