Gatto

Gatto

Gatto identifies the Italian camera workshop associated with Antonio Gatto of Pordenone, producer of the Sonne series of Leica-inspired 35 mm cameras. LeicaLensList uses Gatto as the manufacturer Make for the Sonne C4 and related documented rangefinder models. The German word Sonne, meaning sun, is the camera brand and should not obscure the Italian origin.

History

Pordenone Workshop

Antonio Gatto had worked in the Pordenone industrial environment connected with Officine Galileo. He began producing Sonne cameras around 1948, during the postwar revival of Italian precision-camera manufacture.

Sonne Development

Early Sonne models followed the general Barnack Leica form. The Sonne C appeared around 1950 with a larger finder but separate rangefinder, while the Sonne C4 introduced a combined viewing and focusing arrangement and a revised top housing around 1953.

Limited Production

Sonne cameras were made in small numbers and with running variations. Published totals for the C4 are estimates rather than a surviving complete factory ledger.

Product Lines

Sonne C4

The C4 is the principal LeicaLensList model, a 35 mm coupled rangefinder using the Leica 39 mm screw mount. Documented bodies were paired with Italian and German standard lenses, including Schneider-Kreuznach optics on some examples.

Earlier Sonne Models

Earlier Sonne IV, C and V variants form part of the same collector history, but their finder arrangements and exact identities should be recorded separately.

Technical Characteristics

Feature	Description
Make type	Italian small-series camera manufacturer
Key figure	Antonio Gatto
Historic base	Pordenone, Italy
Principal LLL camera	Sonne C4
Lens mount	Leica Thread Mount, LTM, L39, M39
Camera type	35 mm coupled rangefinder
Collector caution	Sonne model names and published production counts vary by source

Market Reception

Gatto's Sonne cameras are collected for rarity, Italian design history and Leica-compatible construction. Original engravings, viewfinder configuration, serial number, lens pairing and signs of restoration are important. The use of German-sounding model and lens names does not indicate German manufacture, and marketplace descriptions should be checked against physical evidence.

Sources

• https://corsopolaris.net/supercameras/LeicaCopy/copieleicaIII.htmlcorsopolaris.net →
• https://classicconnection.com/product/sonne-c4-silver-leica-copie-camera-with-50-2-xenon-schneider-kreuznach-col-lens-ex-made-in-italy/classicconnection.com →
• https://leicasocietyinternational.org/blog/2019/09/viva-italia-rare-italian-leica-copies-of-the-1950sleicasocietyinternational.org →