NASA and the DCS 760c

[Jay__Kelbley]

The 760 was the first camera that I worked on at Kodak start to finish as product manager.
It was a ground breaking, monster of an inflection point to the industry..
We used to joke that you could "pound tent stakes" with the camera..
I actually did use it as a hammer on a few occasions!

The 760 was the first truly professional camera designed for the professional, with high image quality and with EVERYTHING in the plan..
-Robustness (nothing since has come close)..
-Image quality (it is still top in several applications)
-Price (OK, but you could buy it for under $10k at the time!!!!)

The people involved in this camera were energized and motivated like no other camera development team that I have seen before or since (including the Canon and Nikon teams that I worked with)..

I believe that NASA chose (and continues to wish to use) the 760 because it is still the best digital SLR camera built in history..
It is (I'm pretty sure) the only one that would stand up to working in a vaccuum.. (Think about it!)

James Krempasky in Kodak Service worked tirelessly to ensure that these cameras were ready for the shuttles re-launch..
James and the folks like him at Kodak who invested time, sweat, love, etc. in this camera are primarily why it is/was such a success..

Another interesting story (dig for this one) is the 760M (monochrome)..

(Thanks again James [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] !!!!)

-Jay [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Jay,

Sometimes you just pick up a piece of equipment that immediatly tells you the people involved really understood photography.

Or better yet, really loves photography and if the file size had just been a few MP's more, I would use it today.

Actually I probably would have used it forever.

People talk about smaller and smaller dslr's but when you pulled out the 760 clients went wow and I still have images in ciruclation from the camera.

The 760 is a serious machine and so much was right, so little was wrong it is hard to believe that Kodak does not make a professional digital camera today.

I know nothing about the inner workings of Kodak, but I always believed they never marketed this camera well, if at all.

Even when the camera was current, it took effort to find out what it was about and how good it really was.

This camera really changed my business and moved me from film to digital.

Thanks.

James Russell

I have an SLR/n but I still use the 760 every day. I like the way it feels. I love the files. My clients are more than happy and the images res up very nicely thanks to the lack of an AA filter. The DCS 760 is the Leica M3 of professional digital cameras. I am saddened that more people can't look past megapixel count and high ISO to see that this was the "Velvia" camera we really wanted. I have two and I'm always keeping an eye out for more. If it's still good enough for NASA...........

Kirk Tuck