Re: KB18B Navy Aerial Panoramic Camera

[Willem-Jan Markerink <w.j.markerink@xxxxx>]

On 15 Nov 00 at 16:23, SA Photographers wrote:

> One of these beasts is for sale on Ebay. Featuring a rotating
> prism and an original price of over $500K. Does anybody have any
> info and is it worth bidding on. Has a 70mm magazine and takes a
> 10 1/2 inch image, no mention of lens length. Craig Woods
> 
> Amaclickclick
> SA Photographers Web
> http://www.photographers.co.za/

Hi Craig,

You might want to check the overview of 70mm cameras on my homepage, 
some of these aerial dinosaurs are included:

http://www.a1.nl'phomepag/markerink/70mmback.htm

The main problem with these cameras is that while they have a nifty 
(mirror) mechanism to shoot 180 degree shots, they do so in continuous 
high-speed mode, matched to the speed of the plane (I guess), and 
with rather complex controls.
Instructions how to modify these cameras to single-shot mode do exist 
(I have one somewhere), but this stuff is not for the faint of 
heart....
I was once tempted to buy a similar unit for US$250 from 
www.surplusshack.com (or something like that), but passed on it 
because of all the hassle involved (not to mention the handling of 
these heavy beasts for actual shooting....it's heaps more easy to 
take a Noblex 150 plus tripod and shoot 2-3 sequences and stitch 
afterwards....all that even apart from the inherent problem of 
finding/ordering 70mm film (if you were already set up for that then 
you have an argument in favor; or, like me, were looking at Kodak HIE 
infrared, which doesn't come in 120/220, only in 70mm....however, 
by now that one is also being offered by individuals as cut-down 
70mm, which is still much less hassle than this aerial beast).

Wouldn't mind owning one as a show-piece in my living room 
though....they also exist in 9.5" perforated btw....forklift 
recommended....8-))




 

--                 
Bye,

Willem-Jan Markerink

      The desire to understand 
is sometimes far less intelligent than
     the inability to understand

<w.j.markerink@xxxxx>
[note: 'a-one' & 'en-el'!]