One declared a “top secret” project during the Second World War siege of Leningrad, a one-of-a-kind (as far as we know) Russian GOI FS-3 FotoSniper prototype has been sold at the Leitz Photographica Auction (LPA). With a starting price of €30,000 and an estimated value of €60-70,000, the hammer ended at an eye-watering €144,000 (a hair over $170,000).
According to LPA, the lens was reportedly produced at the GOI factory, which continued production and research throughout the war. In 1943, the lens was developed for the Soviet Baltic Fleet Navy with a 600mm lens and a max aperture of f/4.5. It was all very hush-hush, and the only documented evidence that it existed back then is a single photo.
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