New half frame camera - call for Beta testers!

[Huss]

New Half-Frame 35mm Film Camera from Alfie Cameras - Call for Beta Testers

Film photographers will soon be able to take part in a Kickstarter for a special new high-quality half-frame 35mm film camera that will allow them to extend the life of their now costly 35mm film rolls. That camera is the Alfie Tych.

www.35mmc.com

 

[Sirius Glass]

New Half-Frame 35mm Film Camera from Alfie Cameras - Call for Beta Testers

Film photographers will soon be able to take part in a Kickstarter for a special new high-quality half-frame 35mm film camera that will allow them to extend the life of their now costly 35mm film rolls. That camera is the Alfie Tych.

www.35mmc.com

So can one volunteer to test a camera without investing money?

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Shades of the 'Reflex' kickstarter?

 

[Huss]

So can one volunteer to test a camera without investing money?

You know who would be a great person to ask?

 

[Huss]

Shades of the 'Reflex' kickstarter?

How so? Full disclosure - I backed the Reflex kickstarter…..
The article says it is self funded and needs the beta testers to bring the final product to kickstarter.

 

[gone]

I'll be happy to offer my beta testing services....for a small fee of course. It's important to keep things professional. Please have their people call my people.

 

[cramej]

I like the lens turret though it seems like the ideal platform for a MFT mount. You could use adapters to mount any lens you like.

 

[4season]

Reminds me of the Fuji TW3.

 

[Bronson Dugnutt]

Original R&D is always a good thing despite the reliance on scavenged parts. Adding a C-mount thread as the fourth lens option would open up a lot of possibilities, but you'd be losing some of the frame to the insufficient image circle.

 

[Huss]

I also like that it looks so different. Not sure about how easy it would be to use that pinhole lens though. I kinda don't want to use a tripod with a small 1/2 frame camera!

 

[Oren Grad]

I like the lens turret though it seems like the ideal platform for a MFT mount. You could use adapters to mount any lens you like.

This. There's an ever-growing list of third-party manually-controlled lenses offered in MFT mount. Many of these are offered in mounts for APS-C cameras as well, so should have sufficient coverage for half-frame. Or with adapters, one could also use a vast array of manually-controlled lenses offered for 35mm film cameras.

 

[MattKing]

The Micro four-thirds frame is 17.3 mm x 13 mm - significantly smaller than half frame (24mm x 18mm).

 

[cramej]

The Micro four-thirds frame is 17.3 mm x 13 mm - significantly smaller than half frame (24mm x 18mm).

Ooooo....I suppose something like E mount would be better in that case! I hadn't looked up the frame size - just thinking that MFT was shared among many manufacturers.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'll be happy to offer my beta testing services....for a small fee of course. It's important to keep things professional. Please have their people call my people.

I will consent to accept pay for my beta testing services.

 

[albada]

For general photography, I was hoping it had a good, sharp, glass lens like that on the Pen-D. Or a 4-element Tessar-clone as found on the Pen-EE series. Even a modern computer-designed f/5.6 Cooke Triplet would be fine for outdoor use (indoors with flash).

 

[250swb]

If a win rate of 3 from 36 is a good average from a great photographer just imagine how many you'd get from a roll of 72! Except after the third picture you recognised as maybe half decent in content the impetus would be to rattle through the rest of the film just so you can damned well process it. Or if you regularly have a film in a camera for a year just think, you can now have it in the camera for two years! Half frame should never make a comeback, but it's great on an academic pipe smoking level to have a half frame camera, but just don't use it, it encourages photographic diarrhea.

 

[Sirius Glass]

If a win rate of 3 from 36 is a good average from a great photographer just imagine how many you'd get from a roll of 72! Except after the third picture you recognised as maybe half decent in content the impetus would be to rattle through the rest of the film just so you can damned well process it. Or if you regularly have a film in a camera for a year just think, you can now have it in the camera for two years! Half frame should never make a comeback, but it's great on an academic pipe smoking level to have a half frame camera, but just don't use it, it encourages photographic diarrhea.

If you can tolerate the grain, which is less of a problem with the tabular grain films now.

 

[Huss]

If you can tolerate the grain, which is less of a problem with the tabular grain films now.

Guess you haven't used half frame cameras. The Olympus Pen F series have superb lenses and there is no issue with grain using basic cheap films like C200

 

[Sirius Glass]

Guess you haven't used half frame cameras. The Olympus Pen F series have superb lenses and there is no issue with grain using basic cheap films like C200

I have and I stopped using it because of the grain. Then several years l tried tabular grain film and the grain was much better.

 

[Huss]

Pen Ft, c200. No grain issues

 

[Cholentpot]

I'd be down to test one. As part of the half-frame brotherhood someone's gotta try it.

Pen F and Gold 200. Grain is acceptable I would think.

 

[ciniframe]

If a win rate of 3 from 36 is a good average from a great photographer just imagine how many you'd get from a roll of 72! Except after the third picture you recognised as maybe half decent in content the impetus would be to rattle through the rest of the film just so you can damned well process it. Or if you regularly have a film in a camera for a year just think, you can now have it in the camera for two years! Half frame should never make a comeback, but it's great on an academic pipe smoking level to have a half frame camera, but just don't use it, it encourages photographic diarrhea.

I shoot and develop my own B&W in Olympus Pen cameras. When I want to know what I have and not wait for the end of the roll I just take it in the laundry/darkroom, open the back and snip off the exposed film, then push it on a plastic reel and develop it. The remaining roll is reloaded. Although you lose frames doing this it works for me. Been doing this for decades.
edit; I don’t do this for less than 10 frames.

 

[CMoore]

What is the attraction of half-frame.?
I did not realize they were in demand.
I guess i would think that if somebody were going to make a new camera that a 35mm would be a lot more popular.?

 

[Cholentpot]

What is the attraction of half-frame.?
I did not realize they were in demand.
I guess i would think that if somebody were going to make a new camera that a 35mm would be a lot more popular.?

72+ frames on a roll of 36. Native vertical viewfinder (for the most part). Ability to create diptychs, and half-frame is what 35mm was intended for to begin with.

A more hipster/modern take. Half-frame with it's more apparent grain, sets you aside from the crowd. The photos look more filmy.

 

[xkaes]

Half frame should never make a comeback, but it's great on an academic pipe smoking level to have a half frame camera, but just don't use it, it encourages photographic diarrhea.

You're not trying to pick a fight with the tens of thousands of Minox users around the globe, are you?