Tim Bray21h ago

Why those gorgeous shots from Artemis are courtesy of a 10-year-old Nikon camera, rather than anything shipped since then: https://petapixel.com/2026/04/06/the-10-year-old-nikon-d5-dslr-really-is-the-best-camera-for-artemis-ii/

#Photography #nikon

The 10-Year-Old Nikon D5 DSLR Really Is the Best Camera for Artemis II

The Nikon D5 may be relatively old, but it's also uniquely powerful in low light.

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Show threadZuthal19h ago
@timbray this makes for an interesting contrast to Mercury/Gemini/Apollo, where NASA ordered custom-built, or at least custom-modified cameras for those missions from Hasselblad
Show threadkepstin
@zuthal @timbray sounds like they're still going to be making custom camera bodies for the cameras they plan to take to the moon surface - got to protect them from lunar dust ingress and make the controls usable while wearing spacesuit gloves. the linked article says those will be based on the modern nikon z9 mirrorless camera.
11:18pmWeb
Show threadkepstin14h ago
@zuthal @timbray oh, neat - there's some pictures of the modified camera here: https://petapixel.com/2025/01/10/the-custom-nikon-z9-and-thermal-blanket-headed-to-the-moon/ - actually fairly minor changes. they've attached a custom grip with controls that can be used while wearing gloves, and stuffed the whole thing into a sealed "thermal blanket" bag.
The Custom Nikon Z9 and Thermal Blanket Headed to the Moon

Nikon shows off its cozy thermal blanket and custom Nikon Z9 that will head to the Moon.

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