Here is an amazing video shot by German astronaut Alexander Gerst during his 6-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
Does anybody know what type of camera was used to make that video? Also, when an astronaut goes up there, are they allowed to bring whatever off-the-shelf camera they have lying around at home? Or is Herr Gerst using some specific NASA-issued (or ESA-issued) camera?
Here’s a photo of astronaut Don Pettit posing with a bunch of cameras on the ISS. They appear to be off-the-shelf Nikon DSLRs.
p.s. This article mentions NASA purchasing Nikon cameras for use on the ISS, so it seems these cameras are owned by NASA.
My understanding is that there is a screening process for consumer goods to be used on the ISS. They need to make sure it’s not a fire hazard, doesn’t produce noxious gases or debris, etc.
Yeah, in those pictures, they all seem to be D3 or D3ses (or possibly some D2s.) If they’ve brought new cameras on board since, I’d expect a D4/D4s and/or D800/810 in the mix, assuming they stay with Nikon. Now, if it’s video, it would have to be D3s or more recent, but that’s a time lapse video, which is usually a sequence of stills. Any of those cameras (and many many more) are capable of that imagery.
I look at NASA’s Earth Science Picture of the Day most days. Many of them are shot by astronauts on the ISS. Here’s yesterday’s: Chicago and Its Loop
Down at the bottom there is always a photo credit which includes what equipment they used. This example says Nikon D4 w 800mm lens. Most such pix say the same: Nikon D4 w a long lens.
Looking at his Flickr page, it appears the aurora photos (that lead the set) were taken with the Nikon D3s with a 28mm at 6400 ISO (according to the EXIF). And then there’s a bunch more other photos in the time lapse with other lenses and, I presume, other equipment like the D4. I didn’t check to find other images in the Flickr feed, but I expect it’s mostly those D3s and D4 bodies.