RB 50/18 camera

[Micdrow]

Part identification for a Luftwaffe RB50/18 camera.

Enjoy

[trackend]

Thanks MD probably Zeiss optics the UK used Ross and and I'm not too sure on the US I believe Kodak was a big supplier.

[Micdrow]

Your welcome trackend, you wouldnt happen to know the proper altitude this camera would used at or any other info on it would you or any body else?

Thanks

[ChrisMAg2]

Micdrow,
i think you are asking the question somehow wrongly.
The camera(-lens) gives a picture result based on these relationships:
The longer the focal length of the lens, the smaller the covered area. Also vice versa: The shorter the focal length, the bigger the covered area.
A decrease in altitude, results in smaller covered area, but in a magnification of details. An increase in altitude results in a bigger coverd area, but a loss in detail magnification.
So, depending on the task and the aircraft used, you would assign one or more cameras with varying focal lenses.
Example: a typical Lw recon. aircraft -i.e. a Ju 88 D1- could carry a typical load of upto three Rb 30s configurations like these:
•1 Rb 20/30 for overview, 1 Rb 50/30 for close-ups, 1 Rb 75/30 for details
or
•1 Rb 20/30 for overview, 2 Rb 50/30s for detailed (fanned) views / stereo views

Your "camera" is an aerial mapping/ recon camera useing a 18x18cm sized film of 10m length, approp. for ca. 50 photos. The focal length of this camera is 500mm. Other lenses were 100, 200 and 750mm.
Acc. to Dave Wademann in his engl. book "Aufklärer" this camera (Rb 50/18) was used at lower altitudes, because of it's faster shutter speed. How you interpret this, i have to leave to you.

[Micdrow]

Thank you Chris,

Thats probably the best explaination I have heard or read on Luftwaffe camera's.

Thanks again,
Paul

[trackend]

Good info chris.
Film speeds where improved several times during the war so this had a large effect on the ability to up the shutter speeds for low level and low light pictures. My home town of Brentwood was where Ilford Selo film factory was located so it got alot of attention from the LW for obvious reasons.
It was easier to destroy the source of recon images as it was a static target than to find and destroy the highly mobile and numorous aircraft.
Plus you could kill two birds with one stone, destroy the factory and you reduce intel and also stop X-ray film production. The knock on effect is to slow treatment & recuporation of workers and military, hospitals get under more pressure and so on, it effects in the end the whole war effort.

On the subject of war time photoghraphy, Iv'e got some copys of Amateur Photographer covers from WW2 I'll put them on another thread some of the ads are very telling and quite bizzare.

[ChrisMAg2]

Originally Posted by trackend

Good info chris.
Film speeds where improved ...

To make it clear, I was referring to the shutter speed (of the camera), not the speed of the film.
Ofcourse your additions are not wrong and are as welcome. I surely would like to see some of your covers.

Micdrow,
the general info i gave is actually universal and not exclusive to Lw ww2 recon cameras. They can be found in other recon manuals (i.e. of the RAF and USAAF) as well.