konvas Konvas 1KSR movie camera shooting

Stanislav Schubert · April 13, 2021

We filmed with a movie camera the Konvas-automat 1KSR of 1958 on black and white 35 mm film Agfa Avifot 200. It was with the same movie camera that the second cosmonaut German Titov on August 6, 1961, from the Vostok-2 spacecraft, made the world's first space filming! In memory of this event, we restored the Konvas movie camera and made these filming. Now we dream of sending this movie camera to the ISS so that modern cosmonauts can film it, paying tribute to the memory of the generation of the First Ones and 60s anniversary first space films hoot .

To help our project and donate: Paypal: museum3@yandex.ru

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcYprBL_P8M

Edited April 13, 2021 by Stanislav Schubert
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Doug Palmer · April 15, 2021

Good to see the Konvas in action, I also remember that sound of mine ? I hadn't realised it had been taken up by Titov, amazing when you think they would have perhaps used 16mm. Exciting times those years of the space race. The museum interesting, Gagarin has one too I read. It's a nice idea to have a museum in the home-village of space heroes. Does Neil Armstrong have one I wonder.

Doug Palmer · April 15, 2021

I presume the in-flight footage of Gagarin was TV video ? So does that make Titov the first person to use a film camera in space, and 35mm too ? Or did Alan Shepard use a film camera in May of that year ?

Stanislav Schubert · April 15, 2021

Gagarin's flight has filming before launch on Earth and recording of a voice in flight on the air. I don’t know about Shepard, only the first full-fledged filming is known, made by Titov in August 1961

Full version Konvas 1KCR Review with English subtitles

Doug Palmer · April 19, 2021

I enjoyed your video ? and interesting the iconic Konvas history and Arri comparisons etc.

Regarding Yuri Gagarin, I thought there was some space footage. https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210412-russia-marks-60th-anniversary-of-yuri-gagarin-s-pioneering-space-mission shows two shots at about 37-48 seconds. Or were these not done during the flight ?

Alan Shepard also has some footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW4M3SlSIkU

I wonder if the Earth shot, if taken by Shepard on his brief sub-orbital flight, was done on film. He was the chap of course who later played golf on the moon ! https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/when-astronaut-alan-shepard-hit-golf-shot-heard-round-world-180976903/

Stanislav Schubert · April 19, 2021

About the footage of Gagarin in space, it was not a movie camera on board, it is a TV broadcast from a TV camera in a spaceship, filmed on Earth from a monitor screen on film.

About Alan Shepard on May 5 - firstly, this cannot be called a full-fledged space flight, the height is not so great, and Shepard did not shoot with a movie camera, those color frames were shot with an automatic movie camera on a spaceship

Therefore, Titov can be considered the first full-fledged space cameraman - after all, he filmed himself, with the help of a hand-held film camera Konvas on board the spacecraft.

About the Americans on the Moon - in these frames, the video quality is very low, it is difficult to make out there. If they had a full-fledged filming with a 35 mm movie camera on the Moon, it would be clear whether this is true or not ...

Doug Palmer · April 20, 2021

About the footage of Gagarin in space, it was not a movie camera on board, it is a TV broadcast from a TV camera in a spaceship, filmed on Earth from a monitor screen on film.

I think I understand then that there was an automatic TV camera aboard that was filming him ?

About Alan Shepard on May 5 - firstly, this cannot be called a full-fledged space flight, the height is not so great, and Shepard did not shoot with a movie camera, those color frames were shot with an automatic movie camera on a spaceship

Well, I'm not sure you could say it wasn't a "fully-fledged" space flight. Maybe not as high and as far as Yuri's, but still impressive when you think Alan Shepard came all the way in his space capsule. No parachute jumping off ?! So presumably he hadn't smuggled a small 8mm camera onboard then...a pity.

Therefore, Titov can be considered the first full-fledged space cameraman - after all, he filmed himself, with the help of a hand-held film camera Konvas on board the spacecraft.

Indeed. And a first for 35mm filming as well. He also had lots of time... 17 orbits...

About the Americans on the Moon - in these frames, the video quality is very low, it is difficult to make out there. If they had a full-fledged filming with a 35 mm movie camera on the Moon, it would be clear whether this is true or not ...

There's a better copy I saw somewhere, but yes the quality is awful. And predictably, people think it's a fake, saying the dust isn't behaving as it should. Although it looks OK to me as it's in a vacuum. It's a shame they didn't film Shepard golfing with a film camera. The other footage taken on Apollo 14 was fine, presumably on 16mm ? I don't know. Maybe as that fun happened at the end of their excursion, they were running bit low on film. I know that feeling.

Edited April 20, 2021 by Doug Palmer

Tyler Purcell · April 20, 2021

Awesome video, thanks for sharing!

Doug Palmer · April 22, 2021

Is that the actual spacecraft that Gherman Titov flew, or is it a replica ? I wasn't clear from your commentary. If so, amazing, in a museum-park by the village ? I hope it is protected well. Good to see the bathroom processing.

Those first few years of the space race were incredible for those who remember, Sputnik onwards. They gave great hope and exhilaration for us youngsters, marred of course by the events of late 1962. And later on, the moon shots... I still have my PanAm reservation ticket somewhere ? Number 3172, don't think it'll work.

And we also have our memories of Titov's flight, although the film footage of Russian flights was not as well shown worldwide as the American ones. It's funny, I remember my mother saying she thought he was so good-looking, completely ignoring the details of his flight ! And I thought what a stupid remark. So maybe he was the first space film-star too !

Edited April 22, 2021 by Doug Palmer
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Stanislav Schubert · April 22, 2021

In the park, of course, not Titov's spacecraft, this is a capsule of the later Soyuz spacecraft. Shepard has an automatic camera

Doug Palmer · April 22, 2021

I see, thanks.

I don't like the Morse tank, scratches ! Lomo good

Stanislav Schubert · April 22, 2021

Lomo tank only 30 m fim max loading, and uneven developing left-right.

Frank Wylie · April 22, 2021

The Apollo Lunar Landing used a mechanical Video system roughly based on the RCA field sequential color system for live coverage as well as recorded information.

The resolution was limited on purpose to lower bandwidth requirements.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field-sequential_color_system