NASA Leica

[squirrel$$$bandit]

So I was reading Roger and Frances's book last night and came across the NASA M4, with the huge shutter speed and rewind knobs and softie-like shutter release. I was surprised to see that the lens, with its custom enormous tabbed rings, appears to be a Noctilux.

Roger, do you know more about this camera and lens that isn't in the book? Did Leica make a lot of these for NASA? And were they actually used on space missions?

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

This one, I mean...

 

[Pherdinand]

of course they were not used on space missions.
All was done in the studios of Hollywood ...

 

[Goldorak]

Cool!

Why is the rewind lever so small on the SL? Shouldn't it be as big as the one on the M4?

 

[Joao]

Lenses for NASA

Lenses for NASA

No, not always Leica, neither CZ. NASA seems to have chosen something different
http://lensforNASA.notlong.com
Gonna grab my Retinette
Regards
Joao

 

[bmattock]

As far as I know, the first camera used on the moon was a Hasselblad.

http://www.hasselblad.com/about-hasselblad/hasselblad-in-space/space-cameras.aspx

The first used in space was supposedly a Minolta, aka Ansco Autoset.

http://www.history.nasa.gov/apollo_photo.html

 

[bmattock]

Here is a fun little read (Google Books PDF file)

http://books.google.com/books?id=CU...&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result

 

[Ken Ford]

Oooh! An S&M Leicaflex!

 

[bmattock]

Oooh! An S&M Leicaflex!

Redundant.

 

[ferider]

There is also the Nikon FTN used for Apollo 15.

The Leica above is a modified MDa.

 

[Joao]

Famous Lost Cameras

Famous Lost Cameras

During the Gemini 10 mission in July 1966, Air Force Major Michael Collins lost a modified SWC Hasselblad with a Zeiss Biogon f.4,5/38 mm. This Hasselblad should be now circling Earth at 28000 Km/hour – and the film left inside is certainly kept refrigerated.
This is one more addition to the list of Famous Lost Cameras - I remember also the Vest-Pocket Kodak lost by George Mallory in his attempt to climb the Everest. If any RFF member is climbing the Everest and finds this one, here is how to handle it
http://www.velocitypress.com/mallory_irvine.shtml#A127_Film
Regards
Joao

 

[Al Kaplan]

I think that Hasselblad used special thin based 70mm film to get more exposures per load. The 35mm cameras probably used thin base film also. Ilford briefly sold 72 exposure cassettes of thin base 35mm but they required special developing reels, and a lot of amateurs already thought that 36 is too many pictures on a roll.

 

[rlouzan]

And several Leica MDas

 

[iamzip]

The real question is, what film did they use?

 

[varjag]

Of course you need Noctilux there, the space is pitch black

 

[bmattock]

During the Gemini 10 mission in July 1966, Air Force Major Michael Collins lost a modified SWC Hasselblad with a Zeiss Biogon f.4,5/38 mm. This Hasselblad should be now circling Earth at 28000 Km/hour – and the film left inside is certainly kept refrigerated.

I am going to take a SWAG and say that the radiation that film has been exposed to has done in the film by now. Probably the lens, too.

However, it would certainly be fun to get back for a museum or something like that.

However, check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._A._Andrée's_Arctic_balloon_expedition_of_1897

S. A. Andrée and Knut Frænkel with the crashed balloon on the pack ice, photographed by the third expedition member, Nils Strindberg. The exposed film for this photograph and others from the failed 1897 expedition was recovered in 1930.

 

[BillBingham2]

Of course you need Noctilux there, the space is pitch black

A better question might be could you hear the shutter of the M4 in the vacuum of space?

B2 (;->

 

[bmattock]

A better question might be could you hear the shutter of the M4 in the vacuum of space?

B2 (;->

In space, no one can hear you fondle.

 

[Joao]

I am going to take a SWAG and say that the radiation that film has been exposed to has done in the film by now. Probably the lens, too. .

I agree.
Interestingly, it seems that space radiation can specifically cause more damage in certain types of film. Space shuttle Discovery is said to use some Kodak films
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/space/photoSpace.shtml
Cheers
Joao

 

[johnastovall]

Cool!

Why is the rewind lever so small on the SL? Shouldn't it be as big as the one on the M4?

I would suspect the SL was planned for use in shirt sleeve environment either in an Apollo orbital module or SkyLab.