Marco Antonetto

RECTAFLEX,  the Magic Reflex
                  and in appendix "The Gamma, Officine di Precisione -Roma"

The preparation of this book has taken over 5 years. The collection of the informations about the firm and about the people who worked for RECTAFLEX begun a lot of time ago, around 1980. With this book I have tried to pay hommage to Telemaco Corsi and the all the people who co-opereted with him with his "idea of a perfect camera", the RECTAFLEX.
The RECTAFLEX has been not only the first SRL with incorpored prism finder that allows to shoot keeping the camera at your eye-level to frame in the viewfinder exactly what the film will show; the RECTAFLEX has been also a revolutionary camera under many oder point of view; however it was very strong, easy to use, simple to rapair, an exemple of a pratical camera.
The photographic history of Telemaco Corsi and his RECTAFLEX took place in Rome in the first years after the Second World War, and starts, starngely, with another project as much ambitious as RECTAFLEX : the Gamma with coupled rangefinder, patented by the Brothers Giuliano and Silvano Rossi in Rome at the and of 1945. To Gamma and to Rossi brothers I have dedicated the appendix of this book.

    For the Italian text, please click on the flag

The Marco Antonetto's book "Rectaflex, the Magic Reflex", is made up of 5 sections

1 - The History
where I relate the birth of the idea, where I introduce the personages, illustrate the projects, the patents, the social events until the transfer of the Company to Prince Joseph of Liechtenstein. 
In ths first section you can find some detailed annotations about the various models and the various series of models. Some annotations about the Factory and about the processing and workmanship. You can also find a short note about the Italian photographic industry from 1947 to 1955 considering the attendance at "The Fiera Campionaria" in Milan and "Photokina" in Kohln. The historical chapters end with the latest Corsi's revolutionary idea: the Rectamatic, that if it were on sale it could have had the same succes RECTAFLEX has had.

2 - The Reflex and the rangefinder cameras 
Every single model and every single series resulting from the the single models are representated with wealt of examples and technical and historical details. Every series costituites an its own chapter, and at the end  I have added two explicatory plates: the first one included all Rectaflex codes connected to the various single models with the proper standard lens; the secon one explains the difference of the single series, helping the difference of the single series, helping the reader to identify the various cameras. After the retail cameras you can find a chapter regarding special RECTAFLEX and prototypes, with the Rotor, the Gold, the black RECTAFLEX , the ESAFLEX, and the rangefinder coupled DIRECTOR-35 and RECTA.
3 - The lenses
whit the help of 13 official lists, I have catalogued all the standard lenses people could buy whit the RECTAFLEX. All these lenses, except one, are pictured in the book and for each of them you can read an explicatory and histrorical note. Furthermore every single lens has an own technical form and its technical scheme. The same kind of work has been made for tele and wide-angle lenses, where you can find all the different series and variations.
At last I have introduced the recapitolary table of the RECTAFLEX codes for the various lenses, year after year.
4 - The accessories
In a single chapter of 16 pages are listed all the accessories forming the "RECTAFLEX System", including some prototypes. This part has been divided in the various kind of accessories, like: sunshades, adapters, filters, cases, etc.
Practically all the accessories are pictured, variations included. At the end the usual table for RECTAFLEX codes, will help the collector to catalogue the various equipements.
5 - The Gamma 35mm rangefinder models 
Reading the history you will discover that Telemaco Corsi was going to start his photographic adventure using the Patent of "Gamma" camera. 
The "Gamma" is therefore strongly connected to RECTAFLEX; you will discover how many similarities and differencies there are between the two coeval cameras. 
In this appendix I have traced the history of the Gamma enriching it with the complete list of the models, number of pieces, serial numbers and spacial models.

Come si presenta il libro:
Rectaflex, the Magic Reflex has  268 pages.

 341 colour photographies e 142 b/w photographies:

The photographs have been, almost all, made by Marco Antonetto with an Olympus E-10 digital camera. 
Mr. Jean Loup Princelle has made some really beautiful shots and he, as a professional photographer, used a 4"x5" field camera.
Some pictures come from Giuseppe Palmas Archives, some other from private collectors and from Christie's London.

Size:  23.5x28.5cm.

Hard cover (hard- paper-back binding)

Text:  
English language ( 750 copies )
Italian language  (  750 copies )

Rectaflex, the Magic Reflex is published by Nassa Watch Gallery SA in Lugano (CH), and it's part of the "Made in Italy" chain which will be added to a book about " DUCATI" cameras.

 price:  € 70.-    (Italian version)
             $ 74.00 or € 75.- (English version)

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