Posts: 1234
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Registered: Apr 2008

posted 01-31-2012 07:45 PM               

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How does a NASA piece of equipment like this flown Nikon camera find it's way to the market?

Quite a story behind the camera, but $50,000?

Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

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posted 02-08-2012 10:43 AM               

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That camera was mine. eBay is really not the place to sell such a unique and historically significant item. It is very difficult to value something like this, however a NASA modified Nikon F3 small camera was sold at the Westlicht Photographica Auction in May of 2010 for 61200 Euros, which at the time was well over $80 K US. That camera had no documented flight history, unlike mine.

It was too risky to put it up and run as a straight auction, because this is the type of camera that needs to be seen by the correct people.

I'm not really concerned about selling it right now as it really is a jewel in my collection. I wanted to share that provenance with others and eBay is a good way to get the message out there.

I'm also compiling a listing of Nikon gear used during the Shuttle program, along with cataloguing images of the gear, NASA serial and part numbers, in an effort to try to determine just how many different pieces are out there. I hope to post my findings on the web sometime this year