Hey Nikon - Think about this! EVF on the F6.

[Robin Guymer]

Nikon - Before you stop production of the F6, start thinking outside the square and add some innovation to the camera.

Before I make a complete fool of myself, this post is meant to provide some lively discussion and hopefully some great ideas. Have some fun with it and see what we come up with.

There is no doubt that film photography is making a revived comeback. So knowing what I do, I kind of figure other film camera advocates do the same and that is as well as taking film camera shots, we also blaze away with the mobile phone camera. We may even do that before we take a film shot to see how it is likely to look on film. There have been plenty of goes at fitting a digital back to a film camera which is something I have done with a Sony Nex onto a Nikon FE (youtu.be/Ey1MW2_TJC4) . But this is not useful. I think what is needed is a dual purpose camera that can do both at once. So I will float this idea out there for some lively debate and maybe Nikon can jump into the thought process as well.

Maybe I am wrong but I would presume that the focus screen in a film camera is at the same focal plane as the actual film, as after all the reflected image has to be the same off a flat mirror. So the focus screen could either be a full sensor, or it could have incorporated a central small camera like in an iPhone. Now with say the digital sensor located where the focus screen is this enables the camera to present the WYSWYG image onto a rear mounted screen via say an Arduinos motherboard or similar. A small battery, motherboard, mini SD card and LCD screen incorporated as part of a custom designed film back wouldn't be much bigger than the data backs for film cameras.

So there is the basis of an idea. How would this work and assist photographers? Well the digital photos could be taken at will and would have to be taken whilst the mirror is down. The resulting shots would assist the photographer with feedback on settings of focus, speed, aperture, ISO etc etc. These shots are also your social media and screen saver photos. But they are the precursor for the main act of taking traditional quality film photographs the normal way.

When I look at the structure of the F2 to F5 film cameras with the removable tops it just seems so possible to incorporate electronics for a small camera and an EVF into that design. Beyond my skill level but electronics whizzes out there could do it easily.

So what are your thoughts?

 

[Pieter12]

You can achieve the same result today by taking a Nikon full-frame digital body, make tests, then swap out for a film body. Because you're probably not going to make tests for every shot--that would be a bit of a waste. Just for every set-up. And you won't be saddled with handling an even more bloated camera than the F6 already is.

If your aim is to get digital and film shots (almost) simultaneously, then the question is, why?

 

[Eric Rose]

Limited ROI from the manufacturers perspective imho.

 

[MultiFormat Shooter]

Nikon - Before you stop production of the F6, start thinking outside the square and add some innovation to the camera. Before I make a complete fool of myself, this post is meant to provide some lively discussion and hopefully some great ideas. Have some fun with it and see what we come up with. So what are your thoughts?

I would love it if they gave the F6 the ability to use the "E" electromagnetic aperture lenses.

 

[ic-racer]

If you had the capacity to take a digital picture, negatives for printing can be made with a film recorder.

 

[mshchem]

Nikon - Before you stop production of the F6, start thinking outside the square and add some innovation to the camera.

Before I make a complete fool of myself, this post is meant to provide some lively discussion and hopefully some great ideas. Have some fun with it and see what we come up with.

There is no doubt that film photography is making a revived comeback. So knowing what I do, I kind of figure other film camera advocates do the same and that is as well as taking film camera shots, we also blaze away with the mobile phone camera. We may even do that before we take a film shot to see how it is likely to look on film. There have been plenty of goes at fitting a digital back to a film camera which is something I have done with a Sony Nex onto a Nikon FE (youtu.be/Ey1MW2_TJC4) . But this is not useful. I think what is needed is a dual purpose camera that can do both at once. So I will float this idea out there for some lively debate and maybe Nikon can jump into the thought process as well.

Maybe I am wrong but I would presume that the focus screen in a film camera is at the same focal plane as the actual film, as after all the reflected image has to be the same off a flat mirror. So the focus screen could either be a full sensor, or it could have incorporated a central small camera like in an iPhone. Now with say the digital sensor located where the focus screen is this enables the camera to present the WYSWYG image onto a rear mounted screen via say an Arduinos motherboard or similar. A small battery, motherboard, mini SD card and LCD screen incorporated as part of a custom designed film back wouldn't be much bigger than the data backs for film cameras.

So there is the basis of an idea. How would this work and assist photographers? Well the digital photos could be taken at will and would have to be taken whilst the mirror is down. The resulting shots would assist the photographer with feedback on settings of focus, speed, aperture, ISO etc etc. These shots are also your social media and screen saver photos. But they are the precursor for the main act of taking traditional quality film photographs the normal way.

When I look at the structure of the F2 to F5 film cameras with the removable tops it just seems so possible to incorporate electronics for a small camera and an EVF into that design. Beyond my skill level but electronics whizzes out there could do it easily.

So what are your thoughts?

This sounds a bit like the EVF on Kodak's new Super 8 system. Here's an idea make a cheapo micro camera that can be attached to the viewfinder like a diopter, or better yet flip in and out like a eyepiece magnifier. Then the whole SLR world, anything with a prism would be a customer. It would blackout during exposure ,but you could stop down the lens. Everyone is trying to sell "new" developing tanks for sheet film and daylight loading tanks for roll film. This would seem like a good gizmo.

 

[Bill Burk]

Get a Canon Pellix and kludge an EVF in place of the focus screen. The Pellix is unique in having a fixed “pellicle” mirror. So you already have a place for a sensor that sees what the film will see.

 

[AgX]

Why would I need such? If want such information I would choose a digital camera from the start.

Only exception I see/made in the past are very complex situations with a filmbased camera. As remote controlled aerial photography or in cinematography, where the digital image can assist in orientating the camera, when direct use of the optical viewfinder is not possible or strongly impractible.


Taking photos as such digitally, as you propose too, is not a topic for an analog-only forum !

 

[neilt3]

Sounds like your looking for the Seculine Zigview .
https://www.ephotozine.com/article/seculine-zigview-s2-display-device-review-6482
A device that clips onto the viewfinder the same was as an angle-finder that give live-view on a small LCD screen and can be used to trigger the shutter , has an intervalometer and IIRC can be set up as a trigger trap , to be left alone on a track or something and fires the shutter when something passes .

One version they did could be connected to the bit that clips onto the OVF via a wire to use remotely , allowing you to see what the camera see's and fire the shutter when the target is in view , ie birds at a feeder etc .

Who needs Wi-Fi and iPods ?

 

[Robin Guymer]

Sounds like your looking for the Seculine Zigview .
https://www.ephotozine.com/article/seculine-zigview-s2-display-device-review-6482
A device that clips onto the viewfinder the same was as an angle-finder that give live-view on a small LCD screen and can be used to trigger the shutter , has an intervalometer and IIRC can be set up as a trigger trap , to be left alone on a track or something and fires the shutter when something passes .

One version they did could be connected to the bit that clips onto the OVF via a wire to use remotely , allowing you to see what the camera see's and fire the shutter when the target is in view , ie birds at a feeder etc .

Who needs Wi-Fi and iPods ?

That's very clever and along the lines I am thinking of.

I apologise for hastily putting this in the wrong forum as it probably should be Hybrid. But pressing on let me show you how beautifully a Sony Nex APS-C sensor fits into the focus screen area of a Nikon F2. I had already rebated the edges of this sensor for another project and it looks to me that it has dropped in place right at the equivalent of the film plane distance.
Photo 1 - Shows the sensor in position.
Photo 2 - Shows how the motherboard would be located so the sensor cables would connect.
Photo 3 - Shows that the LCD screen would mount like this and connects easily to the MB.
The irrelevant, but necessary to make it work shutter and the SD card holder would mount on the other side. Other than that the control buttons and battery could be mounted elsewhere probably in say a small box located below the camera like a motor drive would. This is basic electronic wiring for a tech person but beyond my abilities. With a custom 3D printed housing this unit would mount and look quite good. So my thoughts are that it is quite feasible to have a fully functional hybrid digital / film camera that can operate both functions and probably simultaneously as well if wired up with the camera shutter button.
Stopping down the lens whilst in Live View would assist in providing the light meter settings required.