Digital Back for Nikon Film Cameras!?

CGW · Dec 18, 2012

Anyone recall that great bit of vaporware, the "Silicon Film" back that promised to put a whopping 1-2mp sensor where the film used to go?

Looks like Nikon has patented the same concept, though I doubt it will be hitting the shelves soon. Drawings and text don't appear to yield many clues about sensor size but I suspect an APS-C chip would fit. Some think this was more a pre-emptive filing to staunch competition than a blueprint for an actual product.

Wish Nikon would bring back an affordable 135/120 film scanner rather than putz around with this bit of whimsy. Great, now I can shoot my nearly worthless Nikkormat again with a pricey digital back! Seems to be a kind of doomsday product to cope with uncertain future film production.

Nikon patents a digital back for 35mm film SLR cameras | Nikon Rumors

L Gebhardt · Dec 19, 2012

I remember all the talk of the Silicon Film systems. Would have been interesting if they could have made it work.

A DSLR with a bellows, enlarger lens and slide copier is a pretty cheap 35mm scanner. For slides the results were better with my D7000 than the Canon FS4000 scanner, and much much faster. I used all Nikon parts to make my setup, so in a way it was a Nikon scanner. I haven't gotten great results with negative film, but it should be possible. 120 should also be possible with a custom holder, but I have a drum scanner I use for everything but mounted slides.

CGW · Dec 19, 2012

Would love to see your "scanner" set-up. I'm surprised someone hasn't cooked up something to handle 135/120 scanning with a DSLR--hello Kickstarter! I'm also not optimistic about the future of film scanners beyond multi-functional flatbeds. Nikon's decision to ditch its film scanners wasn't based on spite. It's sure taken Plustek a long time to roll out their new scanner and the longer it takes, the more I wonder about its future.

j-dogg · Dec 21, 2012

If I could get a digital back for my Nikkormat and my FE2, I would never own a traditional dSLR ever again.

I think that is part of the popularity of the Leica M9 and M8......modern digital technology in a bulletproof classic mechanical rangefinder body and lens

Chan Tran · Jan 9, 2013

Digital back so far hasn't been a good thing. You mentioned Leica and look at the digital back for their R8/R9 you would see that it's much more logical to simply make the M8 and especially the M9 than making digital back for M6/M7/MP. It also makes sense to build a Nikkormat/FE2 digital camera if there is demand for it. I would expect such a camera has to be sold in the $2500 range for the body or in other word in the price range of the D800/D600. Simplicity isn't cheap (and the Leica M9 proved it) and it can be done if there is sufficient demand.

CGW · Jan 10, 2013

Chan Tran said:
Digital back so far hasn't been a good thing. You mentioned Leica and look at the digital back for their R8/R9 you would see that it's much more logical to simply make the M8 and especially the M9 than making digital back for M6/M7/MP. It also makes sense to build a Nikkormat/FE2 digital camera if there is demand for it. I would expect such a camera has to be sold in the $2500 range for the body or in other word in the price range of the D800/D600. Simplicity isn't cheap (and the Leica M9 proved it) and it can be done if there is sufficient demand.

Take a look at what Pentax is up to:

The Online Photographer: You Just Gotta Love Pentax

First Impressions: Pentax MX-1

LOVE those "brassable" top and bottom covers!

The Oly OM-D catches that retro look and form factor, albeit without an optical VF. Even Fuji delivered the X-Pro1 with an optical VF+EVF+LCD for less $ than a D600. Nikon, like Canon, just doesn't get MILCs--whatever the fanboys say. They're nearly 3 years behind Sony whose APS-C NEX cameras debuted in 2010. Instead Nikon continues to putz around with the teensy-sensored--and apparently poor selling, judging from the discounts--"CX" system cameras. Since Nikon seemingly makes most of its DSLR $ from DX bodies, why not pop a MILC with an EVF a la OM-D with 16mp/24mp DX sensor capable of using the same range of lenses(Ai/AiS/AFD/AFS) the D7000 can handle?

indigo · Jan 11, 2013

The Pentax MX-1, Fuji X-Pro1 etc... are far from what j dog was looking for that is Nikkormat/FE2 digital. Take the Leica M9 and it's the digital version of the M7. But take the pentax MX-1, no it's far from the digital version of the MX or the Olympus OM-D is far from the OM-1/2/3/4 etc..
First and least important that they have smaller sensor than the film version.
They don't have a reflex viewfinder.
They don't have the same controls, the pentax MX was only manual exposure and manual focus the MX-1 is auto focus, multi exposure modes and the controls are located at different places.
They only look similar.
If you compare the Leica M7 and M9 you will see that they have the same viewfinder, same rangefinder for manual focus, same shutter speed dial and same aperture priority plus manual. The light meter are also the same. The M9 doesn't have additional metering mode like spot or evaluative. And that's where the value of the implementation.

CGW · Jan 12, 2013

Life's full of surprises, Indigo, but I'm guessing j-dogg won't see a digital "back" for his old film bodies or a replica FM/FE with a DX or FX sensor--too many development problems as discovered over a decade ago. At best, Nikon might roll out a DX sensor MILC in the next year. Sony is already experimenting with a FF compact--the RX1. What Leica does isn't that relevant given their pricing and sales relative to Nikon.

indigo · Jan 12, 2013

Understood CGW! What I really wanted to say is that if there is sufficient demand Nikon will make it but they may not be what J-dogg is looking for either in the form of digital version of the FE2 or digital back. Many people asking for digital back or digital version of their simple film camera thought it would be cheap to make. I say that it's possible but won't be cheap.

CGW · Jan 12, 2013

Indigo said:
Understood CGW! What I really wanted to say is that if there is sufficient demand Nikon will make it but they may not be what J-dogg is looking for either in the form of digital version of the FE2 or digital back. Many people asking for digital back or digital version of their simple film camera thought it would be cheap to make. I say that it's possible but won't be cheap.

Nikon just can't shake free of the DSLR form factor--the slightly cheesy CX cameras still baffle me. What they could do is produce a mirrorless model like the Sony NEX 7 that uses all F mount lenses, including old NAI glass. Not impossible since Nikon could easily retrofit a flip-up Ai tab on the F5. Aren't old M42 screwmount Takumars workable on current Pentx DSLRs?

Digital Back for Nikon Film Cameras!?

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