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This paper covers briefly some of the photographic equipment and applications in use by the U. S. Air Force, with emphasis on reconnaissance photography. Three main divisions of effort are defined: reconnaissance, mapping, and the dual field of photographic instrumentation and instrumentation photography. A heuristic equation is given to demonstrate the usefulness of long focus lenses, and the development of the long focus lenses, shutters, and performance tests is described.
Minimal altitude or “dicing” photography is described, its peculiar requirements noted, and several outstanding examples of its wartime employment cited. High speed shutters are not usable, under low illumination or poor weather conditions. Shutterless strip cameras and moving film magazines are now in use, utilizing image motion compensation. Remarkable photographs have been made under extreme ground speed and low illumination conditions.
New developments in mounts, lenses, cameras, and shutter are described, including the 100-inch f:10 figure 4 camera, the 48-inch f:6.3 camera featuring a novel high speed louvre shutter, and two extremely wide-angle spherical focal plane cameras.
The function of night photographic reconnaissance is discussed, and two night photographic systems described. The first and older system employs flash-bomb illuminants; shutter synchronization is accomplished through a photo-cell system. The Edgerton flash principle has been used in the second system; units weighing up to 3500 pounds, having a capacitor bank of 7200 microfarads, have been successfully employed up to 10,000-foot altitude.
© 1948 Optical Society of America
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