Reflex on Kickstarter

[Jack Conrad]

Somewhere they mentioned that many schools won't allow used equipment to be budgeted or purchased, which might offer a potential untapped market for this rather flexible new product. More economical and less risky for the students too.

 

[aizan]

why? i'm excited that somebody is trying to start a new camera company, but i don't get why they'd make a camera like this. except for the interchangeable back, it's just weird.

 

[littleearth]

I would much prefer a reliable 6x6 with Kiev/Pentacon Six mount. That would make sense to me !
Plenty of cheap and reliable 35mm SLR's out there !

 

[Phil_F_NM]

The is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
Sorry to be a curmudgeon here but one could save money by just buying the older body and lenses you want. You can get a lot of very high quality SLRs with lenses for very little money. If you chose to go Pentax or Nikon, you can buy the whole system. For example, with some shopping around, you could buy all the pro level Nikon bodies and say, one 50mm lens, and use that lens on them all. Same goes for Pentax from the screwmounts through all of the K mounts. Just stick that little adapter on the lens and you're good to go.

Like John said way earlier though, this is the forte of the short-registration EOS mount.

Phil Forrest

 

[Axel]

I would much prefer a reliable 6x6 with Kiev/Pentacon Six mount. That would make sense to me...

They are available.
From Araxfoto.

 

[Pioneer]

I would much prefer a reliable 6x6 with Kiev/Pentacon Six mount. That would make sense to me !
Plenty of cheap and reliable 35mm SLR's out there !

My Kiev/Arax 60 has been plenty reliable. A bit clunky, but reliable.

Of course they aren't actually building them anymore but there are still new ones out there.

😀

 

[santino]

Isn't every new film camera a Solution to a Problem that doesn't exist?
It is a niche product in an even smaller niche... it does have to be creative and unique.. as some of you have already mentioned, there are a lot of superb cameras on the used market.

 

[jsrockit]

Wow, expected a little more support than this here... if Leica made yet another M with nothing new to offer expect paint or leather, people would be excited. Some company tries to make their dream camera and they are panned.

 

[alexwbacon]

The Reflex concept is great for photography!

The Reflex concept is great for photography!

I'm disappointed with all of the negative comments I'm reading here. Talk about curmudgeonly!

The concept is really quite great, and whether or not you like the actual design of the camera is beside the point. The Reflex I, if it succeeds in reaching it's goal, is a NEW film camera coming to market! This is incredible news. Purchasing second/third/fourth hand takes knowledge and time, and not everyone is willing to spend their free time researching OLD film cameras. Again, this is a NEW camera, and the photography world needs new blood to grow. If the Reflex succeeds hopefully there will be other, even better concepts to follow.

Even though I don't use SLR's I'll back this project because I want film photography to live and be thriving after I'm gone. Film photography should be just as accessible now as it was when I was buying my first camera. Hell, it should be just as accessible as buying a digital camera! If my daughter wants to get into film photography I really don't want her to have to search the worlds 2nd hand markets to buy a 80+ year-old camera with no guarantee it even works. Because if that's where things are going then we are definitely the last generation of film photographers, and that would be a shame.

 

[ptpdprinter]

...whether or not you like the actual design of the camera is beside the point...

The world does not need a new poorly designed film camera.

 

[Keith]

I hope they succeed but with Cosina pulling out of film camera manufacturing and the world wide glut of used cameras of all varieties it's a brave move.

 

[jsrockit]

The world does not need a new poorly designed film camera.

I guess you've actually used it? Tell us more...

 

[ptpdprinter]

I guess you've actually used it? Tell us more...

Stop down metering and exposure. You have to press the "inverted" depth of field preview lever to open the lens to focus. This is the stuff of the 1950s. Almost any film camera from the 1960s onward would be easier to use.

 

[jsrockit]

Stop down metering and exposure. You have to press the "inverted" depth of field preview lever to open the lens to focus. This is the stuff of the 1950s. Almost any film camera from the 1960s onward would be easier to use.

Yet, people use many cameras daily that aren't easy to use... especially on a site like this.

 

[Huss]

I hope they succeed but with Cosina pulling out of film camera manufacturing and the world wide glut of used cameras of all varieties it's a brave move.

There isn't a glut of new film cameras available.

Currently I count 4. Nikon F6, and Leica M7/A/P.
The cheapest of those is $2200.

Not everyone wants to buy a used camera. Or used car. Or used trousers.
You get my drift..
😉

Currently the kickstarter is at $113,000 of $132,000 with 28 days to go.

There is a demand.

 

[hamish_gill]

There isn't a glut of new film cameras available.

Currently I count 4. Nikon F6, and Leica M7/A/P.
The cheapest of those is $2200.

Not everyone wants to buy a used camera. Or used car. Or used trousers.
You get my drift..
😉

Currently the kickstarter is at $113,000 of $132,000 with 28 days to go.

There is a demand.

And regardless of the specifics, what’s important is that campaigns like this help to prove the demand

 

[Michael Markey]

And regardless of the specifics, what’s important is that campaigns like this help to prove the demand

How so ?
Even if it did how do you expect that to translate ?

A larger film user base maybe .... I would be surprised.
I`ve been using film for over fifty years ....still do ....but I don`t see many of the current film community (as we apparently must refer to it) as showing any long term commitment.

I see a lot of trying to be different and fashionable posturing but little else that you would call sustainable over the medium to long term.

Clearly you are more optimistic .

 

[aizan]

after calming down about the seemingly wasted opportunity and getting over the fact that they didn't design this camera with me in mind (all i want is a new nikon f...with the ability to use ixmoo-like cassettes), i thought about the camera's features and concluded that it's not a ripoff at $458 and not a sign of the apocalypse. it's really some people figuring out what kind of slr young film photographers would like, unfortunately a younger demographic than mine. 🙄

 

[jarski]

interesting, am curious. as pointed out, changeable mount add potential light leak source, so hope its carefully designed. changeable film back is nice, although not deal breaker personally. but main thing is brand new camera, without issues that decades old ones often have. I never bought any kickstarter/lomography/impossible products so don't know what quality those have.

 

[Spanik]

Thought a bit about it and I find so many things wrong with it. I get the ideas behind the changable back and lens mount. But for me this fails with the battery and a freaking arduino in a film camera. If there is something that I appreciate about film cameras it is that I don't need to charge them and if there is a battery in them it is enough to change it once a year.