RARE NASA Nikon F5 Camera Body MF28 with Bracket Plate Cue Cards Exposure Data

Description: NASA Nikon F5Up for sale is this rare NASA owned Nikon F5 camera body. This camera is from my own private collection and was obtained directly from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas as part of a dispensation of items associated with the disbanded Shuttle program.In the late 1990s, NASA procured approximately 35 Nikon F5 camera bodies from Nikon for IVA (intra vehicular activity; used aboard the spacecraft) and 35 bodies for EVA (extra-vehicular activity; used on spacewalks outside of the spacecraft. The Nikon F5 was the last 35mm film based camera that NASA took into space. It made its debut in December of 1998 aboard the Shuttle Endeavour.The NASA Nikon F5, like the F4S model that preceded it, was virtually identical to the commercial version available to the public, save for the replacement and reformulation of internal lubricants that would be able to meet NASA's stringent requirements. Nikon's long history with developing equipment for NASA had resulted in many technological mprovements that Nikon incorporated into their professional camera line, so unlike the F3 and the F models, cameras no longer need a myriad of modifications made, which kept costs down for both NASA and Nikon. The F5's fast and accurate autofocus was highly praised along with the extremely accurate matrix metering for determining exposure. Both resulted in significantly more usable images, and the automation resulted in shorter training cycles to get astronauts up to speed. The NASA Nikon F5 models were all equipped with a Nikon MF-28 data back. This multi function back enabled the astronauts to record key data (related to the image they were photographing) directly on to the film. The data was usually printed between the frames and varied depending on the subject matter.The NASA Nikon F5 was a full featured camera that was extremely capable. As such, there were many shooting modes and situations that were at the astronauts disposal. After just 4 short years of active duty, by the middle of 2002, the era for film cameras in space had to draw to a close. Digital technology finally reached the level of comparable resolution and acceptable resolving power that the benefits of digital imagery far outweighed that of film. At this point , most missions were destined for the International Space Station where expeditions lasted months instead of days. Given that film stored in space for a long period of time could fog from radiation exposure, it became clear that it was time to retire the F5 and close the 35mm film chapter in space. The F5 however would live on in space as the base camera for Kodak's DCS 660 and 760 digital cameras, so NASA could again benefit from not having to retrain the astronauts in the basic camera operation, once the digital versions began to fly.Flight History Unlike digital cameras, which NASA have internal camera software for to record the camera's serial number into each image captured, that technology didn't exist in the film era, therefore it is difficult to tie images captured, to a particular film camera. As such, it is difficult to place exactly where this particular camera's role lay in the Shuttle program. It was prepped to some degree for space use as it does have velcro installed on the finder head as well as the special NASA mounting plate bracket. The NASA Nikon F5 however, did have an internal memory to store the basic exposure data for up to 50 rolls of film. I suspect NASA may have a document or file somewhere to cross reference this shooting data with the actual film stored. I have downloaded the exposure data from this camera's buffer and will include that for the winning buyer in the form of an Excel file. The data captured by the F5 includes the following: - The Film Speed of the particular roll- The Film Number And then for each particular exposure, it provides the following: - The Frame Number- The Shutter Speed Used- The Aperture Used- The Focal Length Used- The maximum lens aperture of the lens that was installed- Whether or not a Multiple Exposure was made Operational ConditionThe Finder meter is reacting to light. The shutter speeds are all firing and seem to sound in the ballpark. The camera was not film tested as I wanted to preserve its original 'decommissioned' state. Cosmetic Condition As you can tell from the photos, the camera has been used and has some signs of wear. None of the labels the camera had on it when it was acquired have been removed, nor has the camera been 'cleaned up'. You just never know who's hands have operated these controls. Battery compartment is clean. Shutter curtains look good. This sale includes: 1 - NASA Nikon F5 body serial #3152807 1 - NASA Nikon MF-28 data back serial #207348 1 - DP-30 Finder serial #3688004 1 - Body Cap 1 - Photocopy of the Various 'Cue Cards' NASA had developed which detailed the camera settings that an astronaut should use for shooting various subjects such as 'the crew photo', 'aurora or airglow', 'city lights/stars', 'lightning' and many others. 1 - CD with the Exposure Data of 36 rolls of film. Note that Roll #11 was not stored in the buffer Be sure to check out my other vintage Nikon photo equipment up for auction this week! Insured Shipment anywhere in the US is $75 Interested parties located outside of the USA must contact me FIRST before buying. If you want the item to be covered against loss or damage in transit, please let me know and I will then send a final invoice which will include the correct amount for coverage, based on the final bid price. 100% positive feedback eBay history! Terms Buyer must contact me via email within 48 hours of auction close. Payment must be received within 10 days or appropriate feedback will be left. Thanks for looking at my sale!

Price: 2999.99 USD

Location: Phoenix, Arizona

End Time: 2024-08-30T17:59:17.000Z

Shipping Cost: 75 USD