Recce Cameras and Mk3 Flying Helmet

[pmdavies33]

I have posted a request for information on UKAR with very little success. Not as many experts as I thought over there. I am now turning to the expertise on this forum for some help. I posted some photos at http://forums.airshows.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukarboard/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=6;t=46921for some info on a couple of cameras my mate was given. Really he is after any info about the cameras and if there is a market for them. Additionally there is a link on the above link to a Mk3C helmet that he was given. Again he is after any info regarding the possible market for this.

Any help greatly received.

[Stitchbitch]

Paul I see you have already checked in with the guys across the hanger from you, they should be able to help you, especially the old moaning one :E (For a terrible minute there I thought you 'worked' in 33 toolstores..)

Loyalty:ok:

MK.3C = about £250-400

[Brian Dixon]

This guy might help you with your helmet (although you might want to check his medical qualifications first!) :O

http://www.martaviation.com/

Good luck.

[snapper41]

Have you tried contacting Vinten themselves?

www.vinten.com

[RETDPI]

That's the wrong bit of what was the old W.Vinten Ltd.
For what's left of them in Recce systems you could try Thales Optronics (Vinten) Ltd. Bury St. Edmunds.

[Double Zero]

There is a semi-'antique' shop in the little gallery of such places at Arundel, West Sussex which specialises in old military aircraft cameras; naturally I don't remember their name !

I don't think your chum is going to retire on the proceeds, sadly; most such kit is pretty specialised & very old hat, and to be frank the quality was not wonderful ( though I'm sure the original prices to the MOD were )...

I and particularly my ex-boss worked with a few of these things, recce, Pilot Display Recorders and observation types, feel free to PM me in case we can supply any info' - won't know the going rates though.

The only specialised aircraft cameras that I can think of offhand which would be useful and valuable are Photo-Sonics of Burbank California 1VN 16mm cine observation cameras, used on separation trials etc.

They went for lots of money - incidentally some parts of 'Top Gun' used them and they would probably be of interest for aviation use even today.

DZ

[Lee Norberg]

Try this link:


http://books.google.com/books?id=7w7CDQl7Ej4C&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=vinten+%22f+95%22+70mm+cameras&source=web&ots=XknlM2loIw&sig=wWK_tnT7JWz2HzUjb0PxCKXXubs&hl=en#PPA62,M1

[thetorquaymuffinman]

Have you checked out http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=009a3o there is a fella called Dan Fromm (http://photo.net/shared/community-member?user_id=406275) who seems to know alot about the F95

[BlackadderIA]

F95s in the UK are almost without a doubt going to be ex-Jaguar "barge" pod cameras - unfortunately your photos are no longer working on UKAR so I can't confirm.
They will probably be marked up in some way, the Mk7 and Mk10 were used with various lenses (1.5" and 3" on the Mk10, 6" on the Mk7) when carried by the Jag. It could be from other types (Old mark Harriers had one down the back IIRC (may have been an F96), Canberras had a couple but rarely used towards the end) but they do tend to be from the Jag as so many went out of service at the same time.

Value - no idea. If it's megabucks i'll be kicking myself as I had 4 in the bottom of a cupboard at work in my last office just gathering dust (along with rolls and rolls of random Op Warden film!?). All of it went in the skip during a rather over-keen office clean out when I was on leave one year.

[SirToppamHat]

Does the RAF/UK Armed Forces still have the ability to develop wet film?

I thought we'd ditched it all in favour of digital technology, Network Centricity (:=:=:=) and the mighty satellite ... though I reckon we can probably only afford Google Earth.


STH;)

[Double Zero]

Blackadder1A,

The F-95 was carried obliqueley in the Harrier GR1 & 3 in the port side of the nose, and in the Sea Harrier 1 & 2 on the starboard nose - side.

Also used in various recce' pods, and there was the F-100 export version which didn't always have a vacuum film -plane facility.

Very much a product of it's day, to put it politely !

Heavy, tricky in some cases to fit magazines without snagging the film, and only good results in perfect conditions, certainly not if the pilot was jinking about and being inconsiderate enough to stray from the pre-supposed speed & height...

Then again, when I was told the supposed spec' of what was planned for 'future' - now maybe current- recce' systems my heart fell for different reasons, someone had apparently been reading too much sci-fi...

I was involved indirectly with the relevant computer controlled recce' trials & to say I was less than impressed is to put it very mildly - I suppose more likely they as usual had managed to B.S. The Ministry with a financially great contract, with any assistance to our guys on the ground or in the air a by-product at best - not difficult with the right contacts I fear.

DZ

[AJ39]

WOW......! F95's

Blessed cameras of a forgotten era. The cameras I worked with were either fitted to Harrier/Jags providing not so great imagery of the FYR AOI, or fitted to the Canberra PR-9.

I analysed bucket fulls of cloud covered imagery from over the FYR, absolute pants..! Due to being flow constantly at medium level.

The PR-9 carried three F95's in the nose, positioned to give 180 deg coverage, they had 6 x inch lenses and were infrequently used above 1000Ft. Often used by the PR-9's to fly low over incidents such as rail crashes and air crash investigations. A good camera in good conditions often provided good quality images the lower the platform could go. Its certainly an old piece of kit but did have its uses up until the Canberras retired a few years ago.

The best people to speak to about such equipment are the much in decline Air Phots, some still roaming the halls of Tac Imint INTEL Wing (TIW) at RAF Marham. Sorry don't have any contacts but TIW is a good place to start.

[SirToppamHat]

Is the Vinten F95, similar to the Vinten KA95? Same camera with a different mounting perhaps? Or are we talking about a completely different camera?

STH

[TOPBUNKER]

Genuine goods?
http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/giving-information

[pmdavies33]

?
Obtained legitimately as described in the UKAR post.

[FL575]

I think you will find that the Canberra PR9 had a minimum of 3 F95’s, and, for a few years, 5. The 3 were N1, P1, & S1, (Nose 1, Port 1, & Starboard 1 – numbering from the front). The additional 2 were a vertically mounted pair, mounted in the forward camera bay of the aircraft (the bay usually occupied by the PFO (Port Facing Oblique camera). These F95’s were used for ‘shipping’ sorties. One of the oddities was that the S1 camera was mounted upside down; otherwise the shutter blind worked against the forward motion of the aircraft, and gave rubbish results. In the PR9s, the only lenses that were normally fitted were 4 inch or 12 inch (the exception for a short time was a single F95 with a 3 inch lens, mounted vertically in the forward camera bay. This was used as a tracking camera for the larger 9 inch film format cameras)

[pmdavies33]

Many thanks Gents. I can't belive how much knowledge there is on this board. Many thanks.