Spectacular Photo - Camera Damaged in Process.

Everyone likes a nice close up right? Well if you want one of a rocket launch, your going to have to sacrifice your camera

Photographer Ben Cooper took this photo of a Delta 4-Heavy rocket launching at Cape Canaveral using a sound-activated camera. And when your camera is that close to a launch, your lens probably won't survive.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d6cee3e40632.jpg[/atsimg]

So much force is involved that even rigging the camera to withstand heavy blast wont always do the trick.

The particular setup for this was sound activated. The lens was destroyed (worth it of course) but the camera survived this one despite being severed from its ratchet straps and thrown to the ground, and the sound device used for this one disconnected from the camera and thrown about 200 feet backwards into the pad perimeter fence (still worked!). All settings are preset manually. No one is allowed closer than several miles from a launch.

I can think of no other word then... wow

Source

[edit on 10/4/2009 by Alaskan Man]

I bet the iPhone camera could survive that. Cool picture!

the active concept ... OH MY FREAKING GOD ! ... to kool dude!

The article states, as does the quote in your post, that the camera survived but the lens did not.

gizmodo.com...

Originally posted by Alaskan Man

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d6cee3e40632.jpg[/atsimg]

Thunderbirds are GO !




Most certainly a moment.

Thanks for posting .

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
The article states, as does the quote in your post, that the camera survived but the lens did not.

gizmodo.com...

indeed, but would you not say the lens is part of the camera? could a camera work without its lens?

what if the shudder broke instead of the lens, would you still be so worried?

i don't see what your point is, who cares what component broke, of course some parts are more resilient then others

It's a good job he wasn't obsessive compulsive!!

He's running back to the camera for the 6th time just to check he put film in it and there is a very large rumble and a face full of fire!!

Wicked photo

We have come so far.. and Yet we still are a Type-Zero Civilization...


..Great Photo..Thanks for posting

Just awesome..

Such a dramatic picture full of power and energy.

You can almost feel the force lifting that rocket skywards

10x !

wow!! that is am amazing photo. One of these days I'm going to have to take a trip to see a live launch.

reply to post by Alaskan Man


That is an amazing picture!!! Reminds me of 2001: a space odyssey

That is beautiful!!!!!!!!

2nd...

Pretty freaking cool.

It's amazing to me how much energy is needed to accelerate the rocket and fuel.

Just imagine if we really wanted to make a space elevator using carbon nanotubes.

A great photo.
Thank you for sharing that.

reply to post by Alaskan Man


I would imagine that the camera is of the type you can replace the lens w/ a bigger or smaller one. Hince the camera would still work, assuming you have another lens (and what photographer dosn't have multiple lenses?)

AWESOME photo though! Thanks for the post OP.

reply to post by JJRichey


i see your point, i am by no means a photographer, so when i think of a camera breaking, i think of the one like mine, just a little digital, the lens is not removable as far as i know, if that breaks, its broke.

Cool pic, It would have been an awesome video also.

reply to post by Alaskan Man


Yeah, theres no way in hell a point and shoot would have taken that picture. It's obviously taken by an SLR. So the lens and body are completely different components.

Alas, the lens is the expensive part of the camera!

This might be a silly question here...

But don't most launch pads have a number of hardened camera positions any way? - you know to monitor the launches.... I'm imaging some sort of recess a couple of feet into the concrete or whatever with a nice think peace of bullet proof glass.

I know you would loose some optical clarity - maybe he just wanted that particular angle... I bet it was a little hit and miss with the filters and shutter speed / aperture...

The long safety zone reminds me the not-so-well executed launch of the huge Russian ICBM back in 1960.
www.russianspaceweb.com...