NASA 2,540mm F/8 Lens for Sale on eBay

Source: eBay

Joining the list of cool and rare photography gear for sale on eBay is a gigantic 2,540mm lens, of the kind NASA used to track the Saturn V rocket launch in the Apollo and several other programs.

Weighing in at 180 pounds, original case included, you might need a rocket of your own to lug this lens around.

The seller does not mention which footage was captured with this specific lens, but the manufacturer’s grandson told him that the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster was tracked and filmed with one of these Jonel-brand lenses.

The listing on eBay states that NASA used high-speed movie cameras such as the Photosonics 70mm 10R with up to 125 fps on 6×6 frames, and since it also mentions that most of the lenses are still in use I wonder if NASA adapted them somehow to a digital system.

If you’d like to keep it old-school, though, the seller also has one of the high-speed film cameras for sale. A tripod, head and focusing unit are also available for those who want to actually use the lens rather than just put it on display.

Source: eBay

Astronomers will be familiar with the lens’s Schmidt-Cassegrain design, which comes with a two-element field corrector.

The lens is selling for $33,500, and for the price the seller guarantees you’ll be getting a unique lens with both the optics and the barrel in mint condition (besides a bit of missing paint), as well as a special system to prevent humidity.

This is by no means a cheap lens, but with the original price being the same as “a family home”, it might be quite a steal.

Other cool cameras we recently saw for sale on eBay include a collection of 600 vintage cameras and 21 rare Rolleiflex prototypes.