NASA and 8mm?

[MovieMaker]

Recently watched the trailer for the upcoming docu "In the shadow of the moon" where you have two brief scenes where an astronaut holds something in his hand that looks like a 8mm camera - even more like a Super8 camera. Too small for 16.
Okay it seems that they have some special case built around it - but the lens reminds me of the ones used on the Nizo´s.

What do you think?

I´m not able to make screen shots of them but maybe one of you can?

http://www.apple.com/trailers/thinkfilm ... n/trailer/

MovieMaker

[RET80]

Recently watched the trailer for the upcoming docu "In the shadow of the moon" where you have two brief scenes where an astronaut holds something in his hand that looks like a 8mm camera - even more like a Super8 camera. Too small for 16.
Okay it seems that they have some special case built around it - but the lens reminds me of the ones used on the Nizo´s.

What do you think?

I´m not able to make screen shots of them but maybe one of you can?

http://www.apple.com/trailers/thinkfilm ... n/trailer/

MovieMaker

Can't wait to see this movie.

It definitely looks like super 8 to me, or atleast something that mimics it, either shot on 64t or 200/500t ?

[Blue Audio Visual]

Recently watched the trailer for the upcoming docu "In the shadow of the moon" where you have two brief scenes where an astronaut holds something in his hand that looks like a 8mm camera - even more like a Super8 camera. Too small for 16.
Okay it seems that they have some special case built around it - but the lens reminds me of the ones used on the Nizo´s.

It's a modified Hasselblad medium format stills camera that you can see him holding.

[reflex]

The camera you saw was either a 16mm Maurer cine camera or a Hasselblad EL. Most likely the EL.

[Blue Audio Visual]

You can check out Hasselblad's page if you follow this link.

The modified 500EL does look a lot like a Super 8 camera, mainly because of the pistol grip.

[Angus]

If you want to see the 8mm footage that Apollo astronauts shot, you could do worse than to check out the film...


For all Mankind...


I still find it amazing that most people haven't heard of this gem. Even includes genuine 8mm footage of the astronauts trying to fix Apollo 13.

[lastcoyote]

This one?... yes it is 16mm

It certainly need modifily since he cannot look into the viewfinder.
But I wonder how did it protect the film not being melt by the sunlight on the moon.

[Blue Audio Visual]

This one?... yes it is 16mm

The picture that you show there is most definitely not a 16mm camera. It is the modified Hasselblad 500EL medium format camera described and pictured above. Compare it with the picture below.

[MovieMaker]

The modified 500EL does look a lot like a Super 8 camera, mainly because of the pistol grip.

One small handgrip for mankind... and they fooled me. :lol:

But I wonder how did it protect the film not being melt by the sunlight on the moon.

And we worry about x-rays on airports...

I like the poster artwork too - and have to see the docu anyway, because I love to look at footage with lots of grain


MovieMaker

[zantizoom8]

The still cameras used on the moon were custom made by Hasselblad (not modified) specifically for the astronauts who needed to work them with space suit gloves on. My source is science advisor Richard C. Hoagland who has spoken from his vast knowledge of the space prgrams on radio numerous times, and now runs a website with some kooky notions and far-out theories.
see http://www.enterprisemission.com/

There was a mock-up of a moon camera at the Neil Armstrong Museum in Ohio and also a mock-up or actual camera on loan to the Historical Electronics Museum in Maryland, but i think they were video cameras used for live television from the moon.
i would love to see the 8mm films taken by astronauts or even the cameras. btw, that looks like astronaut Jim Lovell in the space suit.


Zanti

[Angus]

i would love to see the 8mm films taken by astronauts

Then buy the DVD of "For All Mankind"

I consider it essential viewing in any case. I saw it on British TV circa 1989 and nobody else seems to have ever heard of it, even many space buffs I know. However it is available in the USA or by import (try Amazon) from the USA as part of the Criterion Collection on DVD.

The music for that film was specially composed by Brian Eno, and some of it has been recycled many times for atmospheric background music in other film/TV productions.

[Blue Audio Visual]

The still cameras used on the moon were custom made by Hasselblad (not modified) specifically for the astronauts who needed to work them with space suit gloves on.

Fair point - I guess you could say that they were based on existing designs: they are, after all, recognisably from the Hasselblad 500 family. I found this interview with Victor Hasselblad on the net.

Q: How different was the Moon Camera from a normal Hasselblad? A: When Niel Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed in the Eagle moon moonlander, there was a Hasselblad Electric Data Camera (HEDC) on board. This was in principle a completely new camera, only certain parts of the mechanism and of course the motor drive could be retained relatively unchanged.

However - here are the main changes: The camera was silver coloured just for protect it against the sunshine. The mirror mechanism was taken away The camera body was equipped with a reseauplate - a glass plate with crosses - for photogrammetric measuring. For external power supply to the camera a special contact was developed. A special lubrication was mad of the mechanism for use in vacuum. No focusing screen, no view finder

Q: How much control did the Astronauts have over the camera? A: Total control over settings of diaphragm, shutter speed and focusing.

Q: How did the Astronauts focus the camera? A: As usual but the focusing ring had big tabs depending on the problem the Astronaut had with his big gloves. As no focusing screen was used the distance setting was made by estimation of the object distance (normally set at hyperfocal distance).

Q: How did the Astronauts frame each picture? And also on this point where the camera fitted with viewfinders or any framing guide? or where the camera essentially a rangefinder? A: By directing the camera to the object. No focusing screen, no framing guide.

Q: What lens did they use? A: Carl Zeiss Biogon 1:5,6/60 mm with special filter.

Q: There were also many questions about the film and processing techniques they used by NASA? A: Film 70 mm perforated - a very thin special film from Kodak. Developing of film in NASA lavatories in Houston. Yours sincerely, VICTOR HASSELBLAD AB

[audadvnc]

Interesting note about Zeiss lenses used for Apollo Program. Stanley Kubrick bought one from NASA and converted it to use on a Mitchell camera for shooting the indoor scenes of Barry Lyndon, because they were the brightest lenses available anywhere. According to Kubrick's DP, the depth of field in some closeups was about the length of an eyelash.

[Will2]

My father was part of the six-man team at Westinghouse Electric that built the video camera that shot the Neil Armstrong steping onto the moon.

Before that point video cameras had been power hungry giant beasts and they needed to scale it down tremendously both in size and power consumption.

Everyone has seen those images... a long way from the HD cameras of today or even the film cameras that were taken along; but it allowed us to see history being made.

The 2nd link has images of the camera.

(Unless it never happened and they really landed somewhere in Utah).

http://www.newseum.org/lunar_camera/why.htm

http://www.myspacemuseum.com/apollocams.htm#A11%20B&W

[tukon4]

If you want to see the 8mm footage that Apollo astronauts shot, you could do worse than to check out the film...


For all Mankind...


I still find it amazing that most people haven't heard of this gem. Even includes genuine 8mm footage of the astronauts trying to fix Apollo 13.

I really like that documentary. The film footage they shot looks spectacular!