HWGA, digital, uh, "film", uh, kinda ...

[dmr]

Surf here:

https://petapixel.com/2017/10/17/im-...-35mm-cameras/

Any speculation as to if this materializes from vapor?

 

[BrianVS]

I think he's created a digital back that works much like the Speed Magny Back for the Nikon F, which was also the idea behind the Nikon E3. A screen is placed at the film place and a relay lens is used to capture the image.
It's a fun kludge, and can be used on a number of cameras.

A more expensive solution would be to taylor make a back to each camera- which could be made possible with 3D printers, where a sensor is positioned at the film plane. This would be a modern version of the Digital Backs made in the late 80s and the 90s for film 35mm cameras.

kodak_front by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

[Mr Bill]

A screen is placed at the film place and a relay lens is used to capture the image.

Yes, this is basically what they are doing. I suspect that most of the backers won't understand this and will be disappointed with final results, but the makers are not hiding this fact, so...? They DID mention the grainy appearance due to the screen, as well as some vignetting.

I don't think it's vapor as they seem to have done a previous project producing prototypes.

If you want to get a sense of what the quality might be like, try this: set a 35mm film camera on a tripod, and focus it on a scene. Then put a high-quality cellphone camera up to the eyepiece and snap a photo. I'd guess this will give you about 1/2 to 2/3 of their final quality if you can ignore your ground-glass markings. This is essentially what they are doing, except that they selected a special focusing screen, and they are not going through the viewfinder optics.

 

[twelvetone12]

Capturing images from the ground glass will yield average results no matter what, I developed an industrial product that was basically identical to their device and the results are not good enough for photography-level work. Also, depending on the ground glass type and light path configuration, you could see the "pattern" on the glass when you stop down lenses.