This Old US Army Camera Had a 100-Inch Infrared Lens and Required a Spotter

Sep 14, 2012

Michael Zhang

Soldiers in uniform and helmets operate a large, mounted telescope in an outdoor setting. The scene includes two views showing the soldiers adjusting and observing through the instrument, with trees in the background. — Soldiers using the 100-inch Kodak IR Ektar lens. Photo: U.S. Army Photograph. Scanned by Bob Rose.

Check out this beastly camera used by Signal Corps during the Cold War. It featured a 100-inch infrared lens that was capable of seeing through over twenty miles of hazy air — perfect for capturing reconnaissance photographs of enemy strongholds. The camera was so massive that it required two people to operate: one to frame the shot, and one to snap the photo.

The lens is the 100-inch Kodak IR Ektar telephoto lens. 100-inches is 2540mm and the camera appears to use 4×5 large format film, so the equivalent 35mm focal length of this cannon-like lens is roughly 760mm.

Here’s a short video that shows the camera in action:

zoomrange — The black box in the top photo shows the 100-inch lens’ field of view. The bottom photo is the scene inside that black box.

There’s a picture of the camera in the Corbis archives as well. Here’s the original caption it was given:

A new camera equipped with a 100 inch infrared lens can look through atmospheric haze and record on film objects up to 30 miles away, a feat almost impossible in terrestrial photographic equipment previously. Developed by the Army Signal Corps engineering laboratories at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, the camera provides the tactical advantage of being able to photograph targets many miles away in combat conditions.

Two soldiers in military uniforms and helmets operate a large mounted telescope or optical device outdoors, with trees in the background. The front soldier adjusts the lens, while the second soldier watches closely. — An old print from Kodak Research Lab. Photo: U.S. Army Photograph. Scanned by Bob Rose.

Two soldiers in military uniforms and helmets operate a large camera on a tripod outdoors. One soldier kneels and looks through the viewfinder, while the other stands behind, observing. They appear focused and prepared in a natural setting. — An old print from Kodak Research Lab. Photo: U.S. Army Photograph. Scanned by Bob Rose.

A typed document describing the testing of long-range cameras by the U.S. Army's 31st Corps Engineers. The text mentions a specific camera, operator, and testing locations. It includes a credit for a U.S. Army photograph from 1954. — The 1954 caption to the above photos. Photo: U.S. Army Photograph. Scanned by Bob Rose.

Nowadays, you can buy lenses with even further reach that aren’t nearly as big, but you probably won’t be shooting the image on large format film…

Update on 2/20/20: We’ve learned that one of the men standing with the camera is Cpl. Stanley P. Thor, United States Army, 301st Signal Corp. Thor served in the Korean War, was part of the first crew with this camera, and is now 87 years old.

Update on 2/26/20: RIT photography professor Bob Rose was looking through old Kodak Research Lab documents in Rochester when he came across prints of this remarkable lens as well as a caption from 1954. The article has been updated with these new images and information.