filters were provided with it, allowing the user to
eliminate atmospheric stray light, which otherwise reduced
contrast and definition, The control unit, which was
identical for both MRB models them existing, offered
greater operating convenience than its predecessors.
Camera operation was facilitated also with regard to
objectivated exposure metering, thanks to the AEROLUX ,
a photoelectric exposure meter (1964). It directly indicated
shutter speeds after f-stop, film speed etc. had been set,
as a function of brightness values registered by a selenium
photocell. Another peripheral unit, launched in 1965, was
the REGISCOP, a recording statoscope which continuously
recorded changes in the plane's altitude during a photo-
graphic flight.
1968 saw the introduction of new wide- and superwide-angle
cameras, the MRB 15/2323 and MRB 9/2323. The high-performance
150mm f/4.5 Lamegon PI and 90mm f/5.6 Superlamegon PI lenses
were corrected for the visible and infrared spectral range
to make them useful for both topographic mapping and photo-
interpretation.
These new cameras heralded the change-over to the larger
standard format of 230 mm x 230 mm still in use today.
The range of peripheral equipment was completed by the AEROSCOP
Navigation Sight. Its 20mm f/5.6 Flektogon lens had
an angular coverage of 1009, of which 909 looked in front of
and 109 behind the vertical.
In the light of practical requirements, the MRB's control
unit was substantially igproved in 1975. Its field angle was
increased from 30^ to 50', and the speed control range for
the travelling grid doubled. The resulting advantages included
a broader range of possible photoscales and a better cost-to-
benefit ratio for photographic flights.
The range of available focal lengths was supplemented in 1976
by the MRB 30/2323 with its 300mm f/5.6 Lamegor PI
lens. The new camera unit was fully compatible with the
existing system. The Lamegor, a high-performance lens, had
an area-weighted average resolution (AWAR) of 55 l/mm with
high object contrast, and a distortion of less than + 3 um
(tested on Kodak Plus X film), Now an efficient camera / for
large-scale surveys was available.
Another highlight in the development of metric cameras in
Jena was the MKF-6 Multispectral Camera launched
in 1976, with the corporation entered the field of space
technology. The camera, which excellently stood its acid test
in its first practical mission aboard the Soviet Soyuz 22
space probe, was an efficient, six-channel multiband camera
for remote sensing from an air or space platform. Each of the
six component cameras was fitted with a 125mm f/4 Pinatar
lens and a narrow-band metal-dielectric interference filter.
The filters had centroid wavelengths from 450 to 840 nm, with
a half-peak width of 40 nm, The camera had a facility for
compensating the forward motion of the space probe or aircraft
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