NASA is commonly on the forefront of the most recent expertise – however that doesn’t imply the whole lot astronauts use in area is the most recent tech. Throughout a podcast, astronaut and photographer Don Pettit listed an uncommon piece of apparatus he makes use of together with a flagship mirrorless digicam: an iconic however retro lens widespread within the Eighties.
Pettit and fellow astronaut and photographer Matthew Dominick mentioned utilizing the Nikon Z9 aboard the Worldwide Area Station throughout a current Houston We Have a Podcast episode. However when requested what their favourite gear was, it wasn’t the flagship mirrorless digicam however moderately quick lenses that took heart stage within the dialogue.
Lenses with a quick aperture comparable to f/1.4 work effectively for pictures aboard the ISS, Dominick mentioned, as a result of the lighting inside is low. The photographers additionally typically want a brilliant aperture to compensate for the fast shutter speeds wanted to take sharp photographs out the home windows as ISS orbits Earth at a pace of round 17,500 mph / 27,600 kph.
However, among the many astronauts’ choice of lenses, Pettit talked about an uncommon however iconic lens: “We’ve bought the mid-80s Noct Nikkor 58mm f/1.2.”
The Nikon Noct Nikkor 58mm f/1.2 lens is typically described as a legendary lens and it’s a coveted piece of glass amongst collectors. The lens was initially launched in 1977, with an up to date model in 1981, and remained in manufacturing till 1997.
What made the Nikon Noct Nikkor 58mm so uncommon is that it was designed for handheld night time pictures and astrophotography. The lens’s design was meant to cut back sagittal coma flare, a sort of distortion that makes pinpoints of sunshine comparable to stars tackle a comet form – which naturally could be a significant subject when making an attempt to take scientific-quality photos of outer area. That distortion correction blended with the lens’ brilliant aperture made the glass an iconic lens for astrophotography.
The Eighties lens is so iconic that Nikon even made an up to date mirrorless model, the Nikon Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct. However, the classic lens continues to be very a lot a part of NASA’s lens assortment on the ISS. The classic lens nonetheless sells for a number of thousand {dollars} on the used market.
Lenses aren’t the one retro tech that the NASA photographers work with throughout their months-long stint on the ISS. Pettit says that the ISS is run on 15-year-old computer systems that also do their initially meant job very effectively, however can’t sustain with the calls for of photographs and movies from the Z9.
“These computer systems do their job exceedingly effectively, however they’re like 15-year-old expertise,” Pettit mentioned. “If you wish to use them for doing superior picture evaluation, they don’t work very effectively. And you may’t even play a 2K film with out it skipping and stopping about each 5 seconds. You could possibly play, you might play an HD video, however in the event you’re utilizing like a Z 9 digicam, and also you’re capturing an 8K video, you possibly can’t even watch the video. You’ll be able to’t even see what you’ve executed except it’s within the digicam itself.”
So how do the astronauts evaluate their photos in area? They have a tendency to solely view a handful of photos whereas aboard the ISS, sending a number of key pictures again to Earth for social sharing, however reviewing the majority of their photos as soon as again on the bottom. “It’s one thing that I’d do sufficient evaluate to see if I’m getting technically good photos and if the composition is alongside my line,” Pettit mentioned. “After which I don’t evaluate anymore, as a result of I’d moderately take extra footage. Somewhat than spend an hour a pc making an attempt to see how the photographs have been that I simply took, I’d moderately take that additional hour and take extra footage.”
“You don’t need to spend time on this distinctive place modifying photos when you might be taking extra,” Dominick added. “Nevertheless it’s tremendous necessary to just remember to’re not taking horrible photos, so that you must do some degree of evaluate.”
Learn extra perception from the photography-focused interview with Pettit and Dominick.
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Watch how Don Pettit modifications lenses in area. Or, browse the finest lenses for astrophotography.