*(Cross post from Canon Spring 2026)* One from our soggy trip to Stockbridge (MA) this weekend. This building is part of the 36 acre estate which is the home of the Norman Rockwell Museum; he was a prolific illustrator/painter and someone I would enjoyed having a beer with...
Shot with some more vintage gear...1Ds Mk III and EF 24mm f3.5L TS (V1)
It really was. I think they let a lot of things slide for the end of the program, just to maximize how much got recorded. I was never on the list to go to the end of the SLF, I hung out in the group waiting to be escorted, kept my head down and rode on the floor of a media van.
Mike Deep wrote:
It really was. I think they let a lot of things slide for the end of the program, just to maximize how much got recorded. I was never on the list to go to the end of the SLF, I hung out in the group waiting to be escorted, kept my head down and rode on the floor of a media van.
Interesting - knowing how to work the system is certainly helpful. I found the opposite - there was so much media interest at the end that they made our lives at times pretty hard.
Two photos that I'm reasonably certain only I have - STS-400, the last evening that two shuttles were visible at the launch pads (only four people showed up, I am the only one still alive - none of the official NASA people could be bothered to get out for the final sunset); and STS-135 lift (we had this idea earlier but kept it for the last one so that nobody can copy it )
p.14 #10 · 'Oldie' images from older Canon cameras
Mike Deep wrote:
I remember being there for the STS-135 lift, but we were on like the 34th floor and got shuffled out before the stack was made. You got under it??
As far as STS-400 goes, I think that makes it you and Ben Cooper (of course), although his were during the day.
Yeah, Ben ... something different We go back to the 90s.
For STS-135, we were shooting the time lapse for NBC. I had the idea to put the camera under, for 133 where we did a time lapse as well (and 131), but we held off until 135 because after the raging success of the 131 time lapse copycats came from all corners (NHK came literally with a Ryder truck and a crew of 20, not that their results looked any good but I digress). The problem is that once it's hanging you're not allowed under, and you don't know exactly where the lift will happen ahead of time to be able to center it. So my friend Scott had the idea to mount the camera on a skateboard; we asked them to hold the lift until we could position the camera properly centered, and then they resumed.
The STS-400 photo has a story behind it that I didn't really tell publicly because I didn't want to get people in trouble, but people are no longer among us, so here it goes. They rolled Endeavour to 39B, and that pad was lit. Pad A was not, so the photos we got were not great, to put it mildly. However, we had an ace up our sleeve: our escort was Dex who whipped out his phone, dialed some secret number, and simply explained that we're trying to take a photo, if they could please turn on the lights on pad A. So they did.
p.14 #11 · 'Oldie' images from older Canon cameras
These stories are crazy, especially STS-400. Just turn the lights on please!
The word I hear now paints a grim picture for media ops on the space coast. SpaceX apparently doesn't offer any media access anymore. And I can't imagine what KSC must be like now. When I was still covering launches post-shuttle (And crucially, post-Thornsley), our running joke was that it was everyone's first day, because there were almost always new media escorts and nobody ever seemed to know what was going on.
p.14 #13 · 'Oldie' images from older Canon cameras
stanj wrote:
Yeah, Ben ... something different We go back to the 90s.
For STS-135, we were shooting the time lapse for NBC. I had the idea to put the camera under, for 133 where we did a time lapse as well (and 131), but we held off until 135 because after the raging success of the 131 time lapse copycats came from all corners (NHK came literally with a Ryder truck and a crew of 20, not that their results looked any good but I digress). The problem is that once it's hanging you're not allowed under, and you don't know exactly where the lift will happen ahead of time to be able to center it. So my friend Scott had the idea to mount the camera on a skateboard; we asked them to hold the lift until we could position the camera properly centered, and then they resumed.
The STS-400 photo has a story behind it that I didn't really tell publicly because I didn't want to get people in trouble, but people are no longer among us, so here it goes. They rolled Endeavour to 39B, and that pad was lit. Pad A was not, so the photos we got were not great, to put it mildly. However, we had an ace up our sleeve: our escort was Dex who whipped out his phone, dialed some secret number, and simply explained that we're trying to take a photo, if they could please turn on the lights on pad A. So they did.
I miss Dex dearly. He was a wonderful person. ...Show more →
Stan I am just seeing these images for thee 1st time! My LOSS! WOW!!!! Spectacular history immortalized here!
Kudos brother!
Dan
p.14 #15 · 'Oldie' images from older Canon cameras
This has been a fun trip down nostalgia lane for me. I shot Canon from 2008 to 2013 and was very active on the Photography on the Net forum back in the day. Here's a couple of random thoughts from me (completely subjective of course).
1.) There is a subjectively interesting look to CCD images of the old cameras that is hard to replicate and I tend to like it.
2.) I tend to like the look of certain generations of sensors, and certain camera/lens combinations. I could be wrong, but I believe that there are things that are hard to replicate in post-processing or with other gear.
Based on these factors I have a few favorites from the Canon DSLR systems.
-I like images from the digic 3 era of Canon Cameras. I also really like 1Ds Mark II images a lot
-Canon's older L primes looked really good on older generation, low MP sensors. My personal favorites are the 35L, 85L II and the 135L. These look really good on the 5D and 1Ds II (in my opinion) and also are good on APS-C, but lose a little bit of their "magic."
p.14 #17 · 'Oldie' images from older Canon cameras
40Driggs wrote:
This has been a fun trip down nostalgia lane for me. I shot Canon from 2008 to 2013 and was very active on the Photography on the Net forum back in the day. Here's a couple of random thoughts from me (completely subjective of course).
1.) There is a subjectively interesting look to CCD images of the old cameras that is hard to replicate and I tend to like it.
2.) I tend to like the look of certain generations of sensors, and certain camera/lens combinations. I could be wrong, but I believe that there are things that are hard to replicate in post-processing or with other gear.
. I also really like 1Ds Mark II images a lot
t...Show more →
I still have one. Not my original..I had "buyer's remorse" the second I sold it! Buyer would NOT sell it back to me at a fair price upgrade! Oh well!
The new one is fine!
Dan
)
