Digital Back for old 35mm Camera?

[kyteflyer]

I dont think I could be bothered, but perhaps someone might be interested. Looks way too clunky.

'I'm Back' is a New Digital Back for Old 35mm Cameras

 

[MortyCapp]

The funding phase on Kickstarter was unsuccessful.

 

[Lightmancer]

If this could have been done viably and sensibly 15 years ago it would have had a great market. Now, it's too fugly, too late. The film market has shrunk, bounced back (a bit) but above all has transformed and matured into a niche, artisan interest. This is neither fish nor fowl and won't succeed.

 

[Luke]

I can't believe they reach their goal. I would MUCH prefer something like that to a new instant film camera. I like analog cameras, but I prefer digital image-making. I don't mean any disrespect to those who love film. But I simply have no use for it.....the expense, the delay in seeing your final image, etc.

 

[kyteflyer]

I can't believe they reach their goal. I would MUCH prefer something like that to a new instant film camera. I like analog cameras, but I prefer digital image-making. I don't mean any disrespect to those who love film. But I simply have no use for it.....the expense, the delay in seeing your final image, etc.

Well, as has been discussed in the past (as in a few years back) you *can* develop your own film without needing a full darkroom, and then scan the negatives. I really cannot be bothered though. Been there, done that in my younger days, and now its all about getting the best I can out of my digital cameras.

 

[Jock Elliott]

When I think about all the bad pictures I took while shooting film, I shudder to think of the pretensions I had of being a "great" photographer.

Somehow, the ability to see the image on a flat screen (as if viewing a print) transformed my ability to make better pictures. I noticed it immediately with my very first digital camera, an Olympus D-550, which had a rear view screen literally about the sized of a large postage stamp. It transformed my workflow, too; everything was faster, better, less expensive in terms of providing images to illustrate my stories as a freelance writer. There is no way that I would want to go back.

Having said that, from a conceptual level, I think that the only "sensible" approach to "digitizing" film cameras would be to have a drop-in module the shape and size of 35mm film cartridge. The cartridge would contain the battery, storage, and electronics to make the thing work. A "tongue" sticking out of the cartridge -- like the piece of film that you would pull across the film plane of a film 35mm -- would contain the sensor. You drop the thing into your old film 35mm, flip a switch on the side of the cartridge, close the back, and shoot pictures. You can't preview (other than through your camera's OVF, you can't chimp (review pictures you've taken), and the only way you can see your pictures is when you transfer them from the cartridge/module via cable to your tablet/laptop.

You have replicated the film shooting experience in all aspects except you are generating digital files, and you don't have to develop your film or wait for it to come back from the drugstore. I think the electronics are small enough now that this could probably be accomplished.

Whaddya think?

Cheers, Jock

 

[AndyMcD]

That Kickstarter that failed was expensive plus pretty low quality as I recall - there were lots of promises to quickly make things better once it was up and running but personally I wasn't convinced.

There was an April Fools gag a few years ago RE-35 | Digital cartridges for analog 35-mm cameras which does exactly what @Jock Elliott suggests, but isn't real. I agree that for the concept to work it has to be in this type of form factor - i.e. it just drops into the camera and doesn't require any external connections etc.

I bought into Fuji with the X-E1 because I wanted to try my old Nikon lenses on a mirrorless body, and it was the cheapest option that included a viewfinder. It immediately reminded me of my Olympus OM1n in terms of size and handling and I am now fully committed to Fuji and have dropped Nikon entirely.

 

[AndyMcD]

Oops, wrong Kickstarter project, the one I was thinking of was this one: DigiPod

The one that the OP is talking about looks like the original Kodak DSLRs, which were bottom mounted units added to Nikon film SLRs and made them about twice as tall as they were previously, and I can only imagine what the handling would be like.