[hoanpham]

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Anyone has info about this?

Asahi Pentax NOCTA Vintage Infrared Camera w/ 300mm f/3.3 NC-Takumar- VERY RARE | eBay

[timw4mail]

It's an Infrared camera, primarily for police/military. That seems to be the same one that's been on eBay for a while due to its inflated price tag.

They are very rare, but the market isn't really there.

[Adam]

I wonder if this would quality for our camera database- technically it's a Pentax!

[angerdan]

There's already a thread about the Asahi Pentax Nocta:
Pentax Nocta brochure - PentaxForums.com
Pentax NOCTA
Twenty Questions with Eric Hendrickson - Columns | PentaxForums.com

[Bob 256]

As a collector's item, it could well be worth the $7k asking price, but one of today's converted DSLRs could put it to shame. The Nocta used a vacuum tube converter to convert an "electron image" created by a front electron-emissive element to a visible image using a phosphorescent screen which gave a grainy, low resolution image. That image was captured on film. These tubes were fairly sensitive to IR and could go a bit further into the IR range than today's DSLR sensors. They required a high voltage supply (15 to 20 kilovolts) and some had x-ray emission issues (leaded glass was used in the lenses of some direct view IR scopes). At that time, it was the only practical way to see in infrared realtime. There were infrared goggles used in many film processing labs so loading and handling of film could be done (not infrared film!). Nowadays film labs use ................

If I were a camera collector, would probably be clamoring to get a Nocta for my collection, but if you want an IR camera, there are substantially better options today.

[monochrome]

Nope. That one's above my discretionary authority, and I'm not going to the well for a shelf queen.

[monochrome]

If I had the luxury of dropping several thousand dollars for a Pentax ultra-rarity, it would definitely be the Ultra Achromatic Takumar 85mm. Supposedly only ~30 ever made and one's on eBay sitting with no bids at $4k:

Pentax Asahi Takumar ultra-achromatic-takumar 85mm f/4.5 lens Japan 2471925 rare | eBay

IIRC Asahiflex once did a thread on that lens - with photos of his copy . . .