I wish this device become reality for my NEW F-1

[soo_choi]

<p>http://www.re35.net/index.html<br>

I just came across this in German website. I don't know if this is real or not.<br>

But who ever make this device into production, probably make all the old SLR prices prices go up in astronomical prices. I like the idea of using both film and digital out of my NEW F-1. I can't imagine type of resolution using my 55mm 1.2 ASP lens with this device will produce. I hope somebody make it happen,because locally less and less<br>

photo stores develop films anymore.</p>

[andreas_thaler1]

<p>No use for this as I am still happy with my Ilford Deltas as well as HP5 Plus :-) B&W always should be developed by oneself to achieve best results. So I do not mind labs disappearing as long as chemicals and developing stuff are available.</p>

[soo_choi]

<p>In the fall I'M going to take photography class,so I can learn and develop my own films.<br>

So many stores stop developing films all together,very disappointing trend lately. Post,was just<br>

wishful thinking.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>This has already been discussed a number of times. See http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00YVS3 .<br>

It's an elaborate April Fool's joke, alas.</p>

[awahlster]

<p>different versions of this have been around about ten years NOT one has ever made it to market. While the re35 was done as a total hoax earlier version were attempting to be a viable product and turned into an investors trap with nothing to show for it.</p>

<p>The problems to be surmounted are amazing the least of which turned out to be the variation in distance from the film cassette well to the shutter opening. To the connection between the digital and the camera.<br>

If someone were to attempt this for real it would end up having to come out like the Leica film/digtial back swap unit. For the R8. R9 bodies. A huge external replaceable back unit.</p>

[rick_janes]

<p>It's an intriguing concept alright...and how many of today's taken-for-granted devices were but sci-fi dreams only a few short years ago? Never say never...<br>

The insertable digital cartridge / cassette could have at least one inherent advantage- being replaceable, it could be upgraded as the technology evolved.<br>

DSLR makers would hate that.</p>

[phule]

<p>[[The insertable digital cartridge / cassette could have at least one inherent advantage- being replaceable, it could be upgraded as the technology evolved.]]</p>

<p>And the /only/ disadvantage is that it would cost 10 time that of a new DSLR! Oh sign me up for 3 or 4!!</p>

[flatulent1]

<p>Let's see, I'll want one for the F-1, one for the T90, one for the F4s, one for the 1V, one for the EOS 3, one for the XD-11, one for the Holga...</p>

[rick_janes]

<p>Economy of scale, here we come!</p>

[mwmcbroom]

This reminds me of a company I invested a bunch of money in, back before the bubble burst in the stock market 11 years ago. Irvine Sensors is the name of that outfit. They were supposedly developing this exact same thing, just the year 2000 version of things. They got a lot of publicity over their announcement of working on a "digital film" concept, which sent the stock price soaring, and like a fool, I jumped in, thinking the sky would be the limit once their digital film cartridges hit the market. Waited and waited as not much of anything was mentioned by the company after that first initial announcement, then a few months later they announced that they were selling the digital film technology off to somebody else. And the stock tanked.

<p>

I still get P.O.'d every time I think about those crooks.

<p>

But I would really like to see this happen someday, and I'm <i>still</i> convinced it will work. My old Canons and Nikons and Pentaxes still have a lot of life left in them. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

[gnashings]

<p>I don't get it. There are so many photocomputers out there, why would anyone want to do that to a camera? If you don't like film... the market is always ready for someone new to join the 18 month cycle of "upgrading"...<br>

As far as will this work, of course it can - the technology already exists, is cost prohibitive and the very pointlessness of it is likely to keep it that way for a long time. I don't get people... if film is such a bane to you, your options are limitless. Or is the poseur cool factor of having a "vintage" looking camera that important when you sit in your local starbucks?</p>

[james_turner6]

<p>Peter, I think your post really belongs in the Philosophy of Photography forum. I totally agree and yet disagree with you. The twin problems now with film are cost and time. Take B&W: just to get a decent lab in London to develop a roll (no print, no scan) is about £10 + VAT (purchase tax). Yes, I should develop it myself at that price (and probably will again), but time in this world is so short. It is that, I think, that makes the combination of olde worlde lenses and a digital sensor such a beguiling one (although it will only make the cost of film problem worse, of course). </p>

[rick_janes]

<p>As long as film is easily obtained and processed I'll keep using it, but there may come a point when this is no longer a viable option. It'd be a real shame to see perfectly operational photo equipment idled forever over the lack of raw material. How ironic if the sheer build quality of an F-1 (for instance) meant it outlasted the original medium...<br>

...is it so strange that someone who truly enjoys using a vintage machine might wish for ways to extend its life? Maybe it is a little bit odd, but folks go through all sorts of contortions to save old warbirds and steam locomotives from the scrap-man's torch, don't they? </p>

[mwmcbroom]

I tell you what I don't get -- I don't get Peter's not getting it. You know, there is a growing movement among digital camera users of going back to some of the fine old manual focus lenses and mounting them to their digicams with adapters. The fact that the EOS mount will take about a half-dozen different lens mounts while retaining infinity focus has helped a lot in this regard. And with the growing popularity of the u4/3 and the new Sony NEX, which can mount even more lens types than the EOS, the demand for a lot of these old lenses is on the rise again.

 

So we're already halfway there -- using old lenses on new digicams. But why not take the next step? Why shouldn't people who have collections of great, vintage gear want to update their systems such that they can extend their lives?

 

Somebody's gonna do this, and it's gonna be a huge hit. I just wish they'd hurry up already.

[paul_de_ley]

<p>I certainly get it - and I would also get it purchasing-wise. We've discussed something similar a while back in this forum and I still wonder what would make it so challenging - provided at least that the design goal is not to come up with a digital cartridge with the exact same dimensions and shape of a film roll so as to permit perfect fit inside the closed film compartment of (nearly) any 35mm body.</p>

<p>What seems a lot more feasible to me would be a digital module designed to fit in differently shaped interchangeable brackets, which would be sold along with the module itself and each of which would be made so it can replace a particular type of interchangeable back of one or more types of advanced 35mm bodies from the bigger brands. That way the digital module could have a modest rear LCD and some basic rear controls, while only the forward-facing side of the module would have to match the dimensions of a generic 35mm film loading compartment. Alignment issues could be solved by including one or two micro-adjustment screws accessible from the back or bottom of the module itself, or of the interchangeable bracket.</p>

<p>I can understand why the biggest DSLR brands would not be interested to develop any such a retro-compatible product, as that could very well cost them in their own DSLR sales. But companies like Sigma or Pentax are in a very different situation, because their share of the DSLR body market is small to begin with, plus they already produce small quantities of relatively unusual sensors like the foveons or the 645D CCD. So those companies might actually benefit doubly from introducing a lower-cost vehicle for their limited-production sensors, because even a modest sales success for these imaginary 35mm digital modules would double or triple demand for those sensors = permit them to scale up sensor production = lower the cost per unit for those sensors = allow them to reduce one of the main component costs for the foveon bodies or the 645D.</p>

<p>As you can tell I'm all sold on my own logic! It probably helps that I have no idea what I'm talking about at the level of the real world technological/marketing intricacies :)</p>

[mwmcbroom]

I understand the drawbacks of a cassette-type of digital insert. Basically, once it's inserted and the back is closed, there is no communication between the user and the cassette and the camera anymore. But I don't see this as being an insurmountable problem. The cassette would be inserted into the camera in a "ready" state. Adjustment settings can be set on the cassette via small pushbuttons or microswitches, such as ISO, file format (raw or jpg), resolution, etc.

 

I've also considered the approach where the entire back is replaced by a module. Many advantages to this, but it would inevitably be quite a bit more costly from both manufacturing and inventory points of view. Do you try to produce a digital film replacement back for every camera with a removable back, or just the more high-end ones? What would probably end up happening is the first backs to appear would be for the Nikon F5/F6 and Canon EOS1-series. And then those of us with Canon F-1s and Nikon F2s and F3s will have to wait patiently and hope that they'll get to us someday.

 

It's perhaps a good idea to consider somebody like Sigma taking up the task for this. But I could also just as easily see brands like Samsung and Panasonic be willing to give it a go as well.

 

Pipe dream? Probably. Still . . . it would be nice.