Post by Peterj on Apr 23, 2020 23:02:20 GMT
Film wins out for the USAF. The U2S uses a film camera that can read a newspaper headline from 70,000+ feet. The film is 6" wide and 10,500 feet long which weighs 250 pounds. The U2S has many other sensors which offset the time delay for film development.
A wet film system, called an Optical Bar Camera, that was initially developed for the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird has been converted by Goodrich to be carried in the U-2S’s Q-bay. Its 66-inch focal length produces very-high-resolution photographs straight down and at angles to the sides of the airplane. Though it still uses film, the camera has been improved. And although the images on the film can’t be transmitted until the film is developed after the airplane lands, wet film produces photographs that are clearer than digital images
