New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

In this months issue of 'Black+White Photography' I came across .... "Film is back" . A kickstarter fund with an expected launch date of August this year ... the first new 'serious' manual film SLR camera in over 25 years. Having interchangeable lens mounts the same body will be able to use Nikon F, Canon FD, Olympus OM, Pentax K lenses. It will have a daylight interchangeable back for easy film loading.

Looks very nice IMO.

I might well be in, what about you Steve ( Ricoh ) ? Anyone else ?

Here's a couple of links:-

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...gue-slr-camera

https://www.google.co.uk/search?clie...ELPP8Afro7mAAg

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Seems much more interesting than that stupid Yashica digital camera that uses filmesque canisters to change jpeg settings:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/278693...n-crowdfunding

That's raised over $1m ! And it's pointless.

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Hi Simon, I've been following this for some time, it's a great innovation for film lovers and I hope it attracts more people back to using the medium. There's this misconception that film is inconvenient and expensive, but if you do the sums it's probably less expensive than digital. What's more, film could make you a better photographer. Not sure I'll be an early adopter, but a friend of mine put money into the Kickstarter, so I'll see it in the flesh before making a decision.

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Infinitely so, a totally stupid and rubbish idea.

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Quite right Paul. The 'Reflex' would not replace my digital Pen-F, I have become very attached to it;) However I do believe that I could be very tempted to run the Reflex and Pen-F 'side by side.

The fact that you can use a wide range of lens mounts on one body and the IMO 'brilliant' interchangeable film back that is no wider/taller that the camera itself adds real 'value' and 'usage' to this camera, plus it's a rather good looking camera too!

Olympus OM 21mm F2.0 , Nikon F 58mm F1.2 Noct , Canon FD 85mm F1.2L ..... all mounting to just the one same body. 3 or 4 film backs, Tri-X in one, Extar in another, maybe Pan-F and Velvia in another two ... change backs mid roll, then change back again, no loss of frames just like many medium & large format kits. H'mmmm ...... I like that :)

Simon

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Let me know what you think of it Steve.

Simon

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Why stop with a film back? If you really want to go retro, why not have a Daguerreotype back option, or any number of other obsolete technologies?

;)

Jim

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

All I would say is that £135k sounds way too little to develop this. Multiply it by 10 IMHO.

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Lets wait and see, ..... after all a small acorn grows into a mighty oak;)

Simon

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Ah but film isn't obsolete Jim, plenty still shoot it, in fact its usage is 'rapidly' growing just as vinyl is making a strong comeback. Neither will likely reach the same levels as in their heydays but it's impressive never the less. Remember, with the rate technology is advancing it may not be very long before 'digital' is knocked off of its perch;) by what I do not know, but I do know that it's only a matter of time, that's the natural order of progress. Will that make your digital obsolete? ... Not if it's still working and of relevance to you;)

Simon

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

58 years old this summer ( the camera body, not me ) , built like nothing is today, serviced by Leica two years ago .... yes they still have parts and if they don't they can be manufactured with the exception of the rangefinder. So refined it is not possible to adequately describe, you have to handle an M3 to truly understand.

'Capture medium' still produced ;)

Undeniable 'Cool Factor' if that's your thing:cool:

A true Icon and as relevant today as it has ever been.

I love my Pen-F but in all honesty I will be bloody amazed if it is still working in 57 years time or if I will be able to buy SD cards then;)

Simon

http://e-group.uk.net/gallery/data/500/leica_m3_.png

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Gorgeous cam - you've bought one, good for you if you have. One of the best, but the M2 is equally seductive, and not silly money.

Regarding your Pen Fd - you're realistic I'm sure, but 5.8 years could be pushing it. Technology will have moved on by then meaning a 20MP cam like this is vertually worthless. I've found this myself with the EM5 Mk1 purchased in 2013 for top money, now almost worthless.

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Good morning Steve,

It's the one Leica I have held onto. Digital technology is advancing/evolving at such a pace the monetary value of the equipment assuming you purchase 'new' is rapidly eroded. It doesn't make the camera 'obsolete' so long as it still produces to your expectations but it does mean that after a few years there is very little '£value' left in it.

Simon

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

Morning Simon,

Your right of course, unlike mobile phones that do become obsolete in a few years with advancement in operating systems and applications.

The M3 has to have one of the nicest film advance mechanisms I've felt, an absolute joy to use. Nice thing about these old Leicas is that they increase in value year on year. I think my M6 has doubled in less than 12 months, whilst the electronic M240 is probably down by a third or more.

Re: New 35mm 'film' SLR
 

The only things obsolete are attitudes and misconceptions about film. It's fully alive, and growing in popularity. Next time you're out, try to observe the number of young people using film cameras. I've asked a few on my travels and the simple answer given is that film renders differently to digital, plus the ability to change the sensor simply by loading a different film.