What’s the point of going to a galaxy far, far away if you can’t snap some pictures while you’re there?
Well now for only $13,500, you can buy a Nikon “Space Shuttle” F3 Film SLR on eBay.
Why so expensive you ask? Here are two reasons:
- Rarity – According to the seller on eBay, fewer than 50 of these special cameras were made when NASA put a order in to Nikon in the 1980’s.
- Technology – As with many instruments and devices, a Nikon camera will not work in a vacuum like outer space. Therefor, special housings must be made to ensure that parts move correctly. Additionally, the extreme temperature shifts of space and the increased radiation pose problems for cameras that special housings can fix.
Granted, the F3 is not among the latest cameras that Nikon has retrofitted for NASA, but it does combine the nostalgia of the film camera days with the advanced technology of a space-ready camera.
The space shuttle nikon has a film winder and a battery pack, as well as a few patches of blue Velcro that attach it to the necessary thermal shield that also protects from radiation.
[via PopPhoto]