Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I was watching a National Geographic special yesterday (a repeat of a "One Strange Rock" episode) and saw one of the astronauts using a Nikon to shoot images of Earth.... Always knew that they used Nikon (and Hasselblad) but it was nice to see it in action...

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

I know the Hasselblad was specifically built for the time it was used so is that Nikon a special build too? They used Hasselblad because of its widespread use in wedding work and other photography uses. I wonder why they picked Nikon. Maybe it was due to Nikon's involvement with Kodak in the development days of digital. That was one of the reasons I went with Nikon when I decided to go back to my hobby and career in photography after a sabbatical awaiting digital to grow up.

ToBoldlyGo Loc: London U.K.

Without meaning to seem rude, google it. There is all the info you need there. And no it has nothing to do with digital.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

They have dozens of Nikons in the space station. Once they bring them up there, they leave them because weight is a concern when traveling through space.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

There are very many good reads on why the Nikon F was used. Yes, they were highly modified for NASA and were not off the shelf cameras. Subsequently NASA updated and stayed with Nikon due to old lenses in inventory. The Canon fluorite elements also were a factor as the element will not take the launch forces. I guess NASA will need to stick with old lenses as Nikon has copied Canon by going to the optically superior fluorite optics.
I believe the F5 was also used by NASA and due to the good construction it went as an off the shelf camera. This is from memory though so the version might be incorrect.

ELNikkor

They need to jettison all those space Nikons, let gravity take it's course, and see how they fare as meteors/meteorites...

John Geyer

I heard Nikkor was chosen as all their lenses were choromatically balanced and saw color the same way. No other brand had this distinction. Told this when I was a Nikon dealer in 80's and 90's. Nikon used to have a brochure about Nikkor lenses that said the same thing.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

When US started docking in space, they needed very accurate measurements for distance, they used Nikon range finders, the most accurate on earth. Nikon is first a scientific company and second a camera company.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Utter marketing B.S.

Most major lens brands in those days had a "reference lens"... usually one of their better quality "normals".... that served as a guide for color rendition expected from most of their lenses (might have omitted some "entry level" models).

For example, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM was the reference lens for the Canon system in the 1990s. The FD 50mm f/1.4 served the same purpose, prior to that.

Even today Leica calls their modern 50mm f/1.4 ASPH Summilux-SL a full frame reference lens and their SUMMILUX-TL 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH a reference for APS-C format.

Some years ago, Konica (or Konishiroku) actually provided the lenses used to test and evaluate all other brands of lenses being produced by Japanese manufacturers. Konica was the supplier to the Japanese Camera Inspecting and Testing Institute (JCII). In all likelihood... the Nikkors with JCII stickers on them you were selling in the 1980s had been tested and certified by Konica lenses!

When NASA went looking for 35mm film cameras, they considered Nikon and Canon due to the extensive selection of lenses and accessories they offered. They ultimately ruled out Canon because of concerns that fluorite elements used in a lot of Canon telephoto lenses would be damaged by vibrations and forces commonly occurring during rocket launches.

When NASA transitioned from film to digital, they stuck with Nikon (and, initially, Kodak using Nikon mount), in order to be able to use a large number of lenses and other accessories already in inventory or on the ISS (or earlier space stations)

But Nikon and Hasselblad also weren't the the only brands of camera NASA has used.

Cameras used by NASA (according to their Gateway to Astronaut Photography website) :

Code Brand film/sensor image size

HB Hasselblad 70mm 55mm x 55mm
LH Linhof 127mm 105mm x 120mm
MA Maurer 70mm 55mm x 55mm
MS Maurer 70mm 55mm x 55mm
AA Ansco Autoset 35mm 36mm x 24mm
NK Nikon 35mm 36mm x 24mm
RX Rolleiflex 70mm 55mm x 55mm
SA Skylab S190A 70mm 57mm x 57mm
SB Skylab S190B 127mm 115mm x 115mm
DV Sony HDW-700 High-Definition Television Camera 1920px x 1035px
E1 Black & White experimental Electronic Still Camera 1024px x 1024px
E2 Kodak DCS460 Electronic Still Camera 27.6mm w/3060px x 18.5mm w/2036px, RGBG array
E3 Kodak DCS660 Electronic Still Camera 27.6mm w/3060px x 18.5mm w/2036px, RGBG array
E4 Kodak DCS760 Electronic Still Camera 27.6mm w/3060px x 18.5mm w/2036px, RGBG array
N1 Nikon D1 23.6mm w/2000px x 15.5mm w/1312px, RGBG imager color filter
N2 Nikon D2Xs 23.7mm w/4288px x 15.7mm w/2848px, RGBG imager color filter
N3 Nikon D3 36.0mm w/4256px x 23.9mm w/2832px
N4 Nikon D3X 35.9mm w/6048px) x 24.0mm w/4032px
N5 Nikon D3S 36.0mm w/4256px x 23.9mm w/2832px
N6 Nikon D4 36.0mm w/4928px x 23.9mm w/3280px
N7 Nikon D800E 35.9mm w/7360px x 24.0mm w/4912px
N8 Nikon D5 35.9mm w/5568px x 23.9mm w/3712px
C1 Canon Digital IXUS 700 3072px x 2304px largest option
G1 GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition
R1 Red Epic Dragon 30.7 mm x 15.8 mm (Diagonal: 34.5 mm)/6144 x 3160 effective pixels/19.4 megapixel

(Above coding is used on images, to identify what type of camera was used to make the image.)

Some cameras listed appear to be custom models, such as the "Skylab" and B&W "experimental" digital.

I would wager that any camera bought by NASA would be specially built and more rigorously tested by it's manufacturer. I would expect modular parts are hand picked and special lubricants were used to insure reliability under extreme conditions. It would be pretty bad press for a company to have a camera fail on a space mission!

Maybe NASA should take another look at Canon gear, after this:

https://nypost.com/2018/05/28/memory-card-of-nasa-camera-destroyed-in-launch-captures-fiery-final-moments/

(NOT a recommended use for your 50MP 5Ds and L-series lens! )

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

I used to work in aerospace lab is why I said special build as I know the cold and the vacuum might make it a special build for NASA. I actually do not like google because if you are self employed and you do not pay their listing charges to have your company name listed as a business they will report your business as out of business. They told me that while I researching their site to have myself listed in their search engines. The cost of the listing can be paid monthly but for a small business it is not really as affordable as I thought it should be.

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

My other reason for Nikon over Canon when I went digital.

Cheese

Everyone knows NASA chose Nikon because they couldn't afford Canon.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

You are right, NASA could not afford Canon's non entry when they asked for prototypes. True, Canon did not forward a prototype when NASA put out a call for proposals. Canon did not consider competing with any other brands of cameras. Please make sure your facts are correct before responding. Hasselblad was also chosen by NASA because they, like Nikon, offered to customize their equipment to NASA specifacations. It would be interesting to find out why Canon did not submit a prototype. I am sure NASA could afford any brand that met the required specifacations.

rfmaude41 Loc: Lancaster, Texas (DFW area)

BTW, this had nothing to do with the Camera Brand. If it was a Canon, it wouldn't look any different that the Nikon. It was the FAULT of the PHOTOGRAPHER for placing it to close to the "blast", eh ? Canon still has the problem with the lens coatings "disappearing" under heavy vibration.

Diamond41 Loc: St. Louis, MO

I have a relative that worked for Boeing/McDonald-Douglas as an engineer. He was involved with some specific programs at NASA. He said Nikon bodies are preferred. Someone referenced the Konica testing on lenses and he also talked about that being a requirement. But he said the projects and testing is what determined the cameras and lens that were needed or used. I think that is why the variety of names on the list provided earlier.