This quite large lens was obviously manufactured for some interesting picture taking. I would suggest that these kinds of things are made more frequently than we are aware.
My late father in-law was a photographer for the German army during the last world war. About 20 years ago he decided to show me literally full shoeboxes of photographs from the war and associated stuff.
Possibly the most interesting series of pictures was of a camera that was commissioned by the authorities in the late thirties. I know that my father in-law was quite proud of the efforts and results that came from using the monster camera shown in the pictures.
The camera was designed to take pictures of the Maginot line along the western German border with various countries. Most of the photos were taken from high points along the Siegfried line in Germany. I saw some of the pictures and was amazed at the clarity of the contact prints. The pictures were of towns, fortifications and other interesting points that were of varying distances away from them. Most of the distance points they were photographing, were between 18 to 20 kilometres away.
He had a couple of photographs of the camera itself. It was a wooden camera and ones first impression was that it was a coffin, albeit, a long narrow coffin. It took 6 strong men to carry; I saw a picture of them doing this. He wasnt too sure of the optical length of the camera, but he assured me of two things. One, it was a telephoto design; two, the lens was manufactured by Jena, or manufactured in Jena.
The film it used was 200mm wide (or about that) aerographic roll film. He had a couple of rolls down in the cellar, which I looked at, and felt, very thick film base. The film was Agfa and apparently it incorporated an extended red sensitivity.
I think that future generations may ponder the camera technology used from outer space in the various satellites, just like we are doing today.
Mick.