K-38 Military aerial camera (9x18 inch)

Reading up a bit on the Gigapixl camera (the amazing large-format camera that resolves 4,000 megapixels in a single shot using the very interesting purpose-designed Asymmagon lens on a modified military K-38 9x18 inch camera) led me to look a bit further into the K-38.



I am not sure if you guys have seen this page before, it's an old article from 1959 explaining all the effort that went into making a couple of shots of the blue angels using such a camera:

http://www.blueangels.org/History/Colorama/Colorama.htm

And here the end-result image (does anybody know of a better version?):
http://www.blueangels.org/History/Colorama/Photo.htm

A couple of things I found interesting:

• The camera is fixed-focus, and was pre-focused on the ground for a single shot by pre-focusing to 275 feet based on extensive planning and simulation
• Keep in mind, this is pre-focusing a shot made through a 600mm lens!
• The camera actually uses a roll of film that size (so it is multi-shot, unlike single-shot LF cameras)
• Vacuum is used to suck the (truly vast) film flat against the film plane
• At a shutter speed at 1/150s (through a 600mm lens, let me remind you), I would love to see how truly sharp this photo is, wouldn't it be funny if a 1Ds shot through, say, an 50mm f/1.2L provides a better image in these modern times we live in!

I have never read up on old military film cameras, and found it very very interesting. As a side note, if you've never looked at Gigapixl (I've been following the project for quite some time) it's very interesting indeed.

I think I recall that our U2 spy planes had just double this format. 2 9X18 on a single platen to make 18X18". The 2 rolls would work opposite from each other and the pictures would be combined after developing. You have to be Unc Sam to afford those kinds of toys. I guess satelite imagery has replaced this stuff.

This gigapixel guy gets a lot of press but there are quite a few of us quietly using 12X20's that have another 50% more area than this guy has. We just lack the bullshit quotient. The press thinks he's the only guy on earth shining photons onto 160 inches square.

Saw one of the U2 lenses for sale as surplus

About 10 years ago before I was really into photography, UC excess and salvage (UC Berkeley and labs clearance warehouse) had such a lens for sale in their salvage warehouse among IBM selectric typewrites, lab benches and such things. Guy said it was from a U2 plane and somebody in the science dept had it for research of some kind. I remember it clearly as it came up to my waist just standing there on its end and I had wondered what it could resolve and at what distance, etc. Now I know! btw- I think the price on this was like $50 or something very low too.

Eric Hiss said:

About 10 years ago before I was really into photography, UC excess and salvage (UC Berkeley and labs clearance warehouse) had such a lens for sale in their salvage warehouse among IBM selectric typewrites, lab benches and such things. Guy said it was from a U2 plane and somebody in the science dept had it for research of some kind. I remember it clearly as it came up to my waist just standing there on its end and I had wondered what it could resolve and at what distance, etc. Now I know! btw- I think the price on this was like $50 or something very low too.

Click to expand...

Coffee table lens. You put a piece of round 1/2" thick glass on it and make a coffee table. Actually I guess the engineers were pushing for a 60" lens for that camera but they'd have had to make the airplane bigger and Kelly Johnson said "NO!"

Jim Galli said:

This gigapixel guy gets a lot of press but there are quite a few of us quietly using 12X20's that have another 50% more area than this guy has. We just lack the bullshit quotient. The press thinks he's the only guy on earth shining photons onto 160 inches square.

Click to expand...

Sure Jim, of course there are (substantially) larger cameras around - what I specifically find interesting regarding the Gigapixl project is the custom-designed lens, and the fact that the camera uses vacuum to such the large film area flat. I guess with film sheets, and a well-designed film holder, it's not so bad, but if one is using roll film, it's an interesting challenge to get something that large perfectly flat (i.e. within 0.5mm or so).

I wonder what Gigapixl's Asymmagon lens has over, say, the rather amazing Schneider 'Fine Art' XXL lenses which cater for a film plane of up to 20x24 inches - if anything.