Amazing! This guy turned a Konica S3 into a digital rangefinder.

BillBingham2 said:
...the current Digital M's are as close as anyone has gotten... to the classic film camera with digital capture ideal.
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I agree! that's why I spent the money for one. And it's why I'm loath to let go of it even if I only use it infrequently.

There are a lot of issues to manage making a true production camera of this type that a one-off doesn't deal with. But it's so cool to see someone do a creditable job of it anyway. 🙂

G
 
Great project.

It is very exciting to see what can be done. The future will indeed be interesting.

But I think I like my M3 or ZI just the way they are. 🙂
 
I think what is so great about this project is that it shows where things could go in the digital printing world. I mean, what would stop someone from hollowing out an old M for this kind of project?
 
He had to use an APS-C sensor because he could not calibrate (or afford) FF.

Full frame would have required substantially more processing power and therefore a nono-RF camera body.

Neat project.
 
Godfrey said:
I agree! that's why I spent the money for one. And it's why I'm loath to let go of it even if I only use it infrequently.

There are a lot of issues to manage making a true production camera of this type that a one-off doesn't deal with. But it's so cool to see someone do a creditable job of it anyway. 🙂

G
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Amen Godfrey.
I certainly would not even know where to begin. He determined what from the Nex 5 was necessary to keep. How did he even know? He knew how to do CAD design. Way beyond my skills.
My earlier comment about a clip on digital back for my OM-1n, well I wouldn't expect it to 24X36mm. Shoot, I'd settle for 18X24mm (can you tell I'm a long time half frame fan). That and a special screen that outlined the image area. If you crop the edges of FF to match the 3:4 aspect ratio of half frame then the lens factor is only 1.33, thus a 24mm (my widest Zuiko) would equal the AOV of a 32mm lens on FF. Never cared for the FF 2:3 ratio anyway. If you are going to go wide...go 1:2 at least.
 
Is there anybody here who does not believe this story?
We all like the idea and I would love to have one of my old OM's converted like this, but it is not going to work.
The Konica and the Sony are to completely different systems. How does he let them work together. He discribes how to build the thing, but not how he lets the Konica mechanism work with the Sony parts to get the right exposure, he just builds the two in one camera housing. I'm sure you can fine tune the rangefinder, but the difference between the systems is that big, that I doubt if you keep the whole distance range. Beside that , the name Frankencamera comes from a completely different project. So it must be a hoax.
I think if you want something like this, you have to build it up from scratch, like Leica and Nikon did. It is a dream for many of us, but I think it will stay a dream :-(
Frank
 
Merlijn53 said:
How does he let them work together. He discribes how to build the thing, but not how he lets the Konica mechanism work with the Sony parts to get the right exposure,
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That is trivial. Set the same ISO on both the sensor back and camera (or rather, lens), through the menu system on the one and through the dial on the other. The Konica essentially is a RF focus and (non-TTL) AE lens module mounted in front of a film transport block, so the only coupling needed is the release (which can be coupled to the X sync in the case of a leaf shutter camera). Given that the Konica shutter and Nex sensor won't have many speeds in common (probably only the 200-400 range) that could even be done once and then blocked up.

Things do grow more difficult in the case of focal plane shutters, where something like a bulb sync contact and a release delay built into the firmware would be required to make it work at speeds past the X sync speed on the shutter. And OTF TTL AE like in Olympus SLRs (or in the flash system of most AF age SLRs) probably could not be done at all - the problems with the sensor's low reflectivity proved too big for the camera industry, even without having to wrestle with a modified body.
 
He said the NEX is set to bulb. The NEX activates when the shutter is pressed and stops when the shutter is released. There is dual switch inside.

I've considered something like this for a Leica: and this shows it's definitely doable though the ergonomics would be poor. For a Barnack you would need a custom body shell but if machining the film gate can be avoided then the conversion would NOT be one-way. The effort required to avoid cutting the film gate would be substantial though: shortening the flange-"film" distance with a custom thin lens mount is probably the easiest. The nett result is a much fatter camera than a Barnack. All you would retain would be shutter and RF as the iconic body design would be lost. And getting your eye to the VF would be nearly impossible.

Would it really be worth it?
 
Scrambler said:
He said the NEX is set to bulb. The NEX activates when the shutter is pressed and stops when the shutter is released. There is dual switch inside.
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That won't do for more serious cameras with FP shutters and a wider range of times - you need a defined start of the sensor ahead of the shutter, and must keep the sensor active until the shutter closes. But it usually will be possible to hack something like that onto a shutter, the same way different flash sync options have been added in the past.
 
Yeah having the NEX set to bulb mode is a clever idea and means this could be done with any camera, including a fully mechanical one.

I was just looking through the blog page again and noticed it doesn't seem like the film gate has been machined, and he also says "The viewfinder is very clear and being a rangefinder is easily adjustable for use with a different focal plane" which suggests the mod is reversible. The sensor also looks as if it has been "shimmed" forward to fit into the film gate itself (rather than sitting behind it), which is guess is the benefit of using a crop sensor - an FF sensor wouldn't be able to fit inside of the hole. I think I remember a Leica SLR digital back that worked the same way.

So yeah looks like there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to do this with any film camera providing you're able to rig up a switch into the shutter release - nice. It'd be even better without a screen but with an NFC connection to a smartphone for off camera ISO adjustment and chimping (plus a slimmer design) which would be doable with one of the many new APSC cameras around now.

I'm getting pretty tempted now.
 
I don't see why it shouldn't be possible with FF. Film also sits behind the gate. The only problem you could have is that the guide rails are in the way. If you have to machine these of then it isn't reversible anymore.
 
Merlijn53 said:
Is there anybody here who does not believe this story?
We all like the idea and I would love to have one of my old OM's converted like this, but it is not going to work.
The Konica and the Sony are to completely different systems. How does he let them work together. He discribes how to build the thing, but not how he lets the Konica mechanism work with the Sony parts to get the right exposure, he just builds the two in one camera housing. I'm sure you can fine tune the rangefinder, but the difference between the systems is that big, that I doubt if you keep the whole distance range. Beside that , the name Frankencamera comes from a completely different project. So it must be a hoax.
I think if you want something like this, you have to build it up from scratch, like Leica and Nikon did. It is a dream for many of us, but I think it will stay a dream :-(
Frank
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What point would there be to creating a hoax like this? He's not offering anything for sale. He made the camera to entertain himself and offers the site to entertain others.

G
 
Spanik said:
I don't see why it shouldn't be possible with FF. Film also sits behind the gate. The only problem you could have is that the guide rails are in the way. If you have to machine these of then it isn't reversible anymore.
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Because unlike film a digital sensor has a sensor filter stack in front of it, usually somewhere between 1 and 4 mm thick.
 
Wow, can we buy some of the 3d printed parts to assemble this camera.
I would rip apart my NEX to use my Konica FD ^.^
 
Godfrey said:
What point would there be to creating a hoax like this? He's not offering anything for sale. He made the camera to entertain himself and offers the site to entertain others.

G
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People do this for fun. It's happening all the time. Because it's easy. Just show people what they want to see.
But it's just my first reaction when I see something that looks too good to be true. If it was this easy, someone would have done this commercially. There have been attemps the last 15 years and you still find them on the internet and nobody really succeeded.
Frank
 
I have a Nikon FE2 that has been converted to digital, but had to install an APS-C sensor inside instead of FF. I took the time to make it weather-sealed, increase the frame rate, and add auto-focus.

It's called a Fujifilm X-T1 😀
 
Back in the Day, when digital was starting, I remember two companies that came up with a digital back/module. Both had big write-ups and a bright hope. Both were bought out and never to be heard of again.
Also one of our members was converting an M3 and got pretty it pretty well along.
 
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