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UltravioletPhotography

New instant film camera with M42 mount


dabateman

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I just saw this interesting new camera idea. Its M42 mount camera that takes Fuji instax mini film. The shutter is 30 mm in diameter and the shutter to film back is 34 mm. So it may be modified to take other mounts. The designers maybe looking into other mounts, just not officially yet. The shutter goes from 1/500 to bulb.

 

You can back it here if interested:

 

https://www.kickstar...amera-nons-sl42

 

The Fuji instax mini color film may not be good for UV photography though. I found these plots for sensitivity for the ISO 800 color film:

post-188-0-95329300-1582227729.jpg

 

And this is the film layer diagram:

post-188-0-36899000-1582227743.jpg

 

Seems there is a UV blocking layer built into the film. I did back it for fun as I like to have a print in one shot. I am hoping that the Chinese film that comes with it is not genuine Fuji and hopefully missing the UV blocking layer. I don't know if anyone else makes this film and if they would not include that UV blocking layer. Would be great if I could source a UV capable film for this camera.

 

As of now it looks to be limited to 380nm.

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Yes I fully agree. But there are major differences. This looks cool and passes my smell test. Its cheap to create a block with a shutter and a film advance for probably much less than $200. As people have made similar things out of everything. Being out of china I think makes this one more likely real than fake as the components there would be available and much cheaper than this. So when its out in 2 years it might be much less than now. That does happen.

 

Not sure why this is calling to me. Maybe I want instant film again with the ability to change lenses. Having a super easy M42 mount is also fun as I have the lenses and mount adapters.

 

So no doubt do I think this will be real, but will it just be a Diana camera? That should be $20? Not sure. There might be light leaks, film advance problems and the mount registration might just be off. But those are problems I might be able to hack once I have the brick.

 

Hacking the film might be harder. I am searching for knock off film that might not have that UV blocking layer. That would be useful. Let me know if you see anything. The Chinese instax film on Amazon, just seems to be less sensitive. As in not ISO 800. Don't think anyone tested it for UV, and with the current fixed len on the fuji camera you couldn't.

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The fuzzy circle frame reduction doesn't appeal to me at all. about 2 grand... reminds me of an old Polaroid, but looks snazzy and M42, but...? I can't see myself really wanting one. Such is history, retro at best.
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I have had some back and forth comments with the creators. They are considering using the dead Canon Ef mount. Dead in that no electronic communication with the camera. So hopefully that happens and using adapters most lenses could be used.

 

For about $200 USD, its surprisingly a good deal. Just researched instax cameras and lomo versions. They are much more expensive than I had remembered. Sure you can get a fixed 60mm f12.7 lens camera with fixed shutter speed of 1/60 for $50 right now at B&H. But look at those compromises, fixed aperture, fixed shutter, fixed film speed ISO800, focus control is also limited. Others approach the cost of this with plastic fixed lenses.

 

Then the film cost isn't bad. It costs me $15 a roll to get someone else to develop my 120 film and it takes 2 weeks. So more than a dollar a shot if the film is free, which it sure wasn't.

The instax film can be purchased for $12 for 20 shots and its development is free and more importantly instant. So can check if a light source is strong enough or what the focus shift was at just $0.6 per shot. Yes its credit card size and you may have a circle on that limiting it currently to about 46mm x 46mm roughly. But still looks like fun. Macro might expand that circle.

 

I still have to figure out if anyone has complained about fadding, for certain film source. That is a sign of weak UV blocking.

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No you can have a dead EF mount. You don't need to add the electronics or the communication protocol.

If they did then I think the camera would become too complicated. Better to just be a dumb EF mount.

I have a couple adapters like this. A dumb EF tilt to M43rds as an example.

 

The advantage of a dumb EF mount is its easy to mount M42, Nikon F-mount, CY mount, Adaptall, T-mount, Pentacon six. Those are the adapters I own.

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An EF mount would not be a good idea since it gives people the impression you can use EF lenses. But these rely on electronics for focusing and aperture so they can't be used. I just think it's not a good idea to equip a camera with a certain mount and then having to include a warning telling people they can't use "native" lenses on that camera and they have to go and buy separate adapters.

But I agree it would make the available lenses much larger and if I had the choice I would choose the EF mount as well.

On the other hand, we're talking tiny Instax pictures here. Any vintage $10 M42 lens will suffice.

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A "dumb" Z mount will accommodate almost everything due to its very short register distance ...

 

It could, but then they would need a different shutter. They have gone with an electric controlled shutter, that is currently only 30mm in diameter, but 34mm away from film plane. So the shortest mount they could use would be a four thirds mount with 38.6 back focus distance. That would only help me as I have a whole bunch of four thirds mount adapters. But the EF mount I think would be more common and adapters are cheaper.

I do hope more people buy in and they change the shutter to a wider one. An EF mount with a wide shutter would be best. Only limit me from using my MD/MC mount lens. But its not great anyway. Just a Vivtar 28mm.

I don't know how I feel about an electric controlled shutter. One that could be manually wound might be nice, could double as the prism switch. But you still need batteries to control the instant film and ejection mechanism. So will not be removing that.

I will see if it gets made and then test out what it looks like. I miss instantaneous film. Haven't played with a Polaroid in maybe 30 years.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was thinking e-mount since it has adapters for nearly every lens system available (I have 12) but it the camera has a mirror right? So the distance between mount and film is way too big.

 

I miss instantaneous film. Haven't played with a Polaroid in maybe 30 years.

It's so much fun but if you choose Polaroid it's terribly expensive nowadays. I usually try to get expired film and put it in a fridge.

I think I have over 15 Polaroid cameras, mostly the high end consumer models. The SX-70 is still my favorite but unfortunately that uses the lower sensitivity film. I have electronically modified an SX-70 though so it now works with 600 type film.

The best model has to be the SLR-680 which is SLR, has AF and flash plus it uses 600 type film.

Don't buy a Polaroid Spectra camera, the film has been discontinued last year.

For regular use I would recommend Instax Wide. It's way better than the teeny tiny Mini format and price per picture isn't much more than Mini (I usually pay €15 for 20 pictures). You can get a used Instax 100 (not much different than the latest 300 Wide) for less than $50

If you want more control, get a Lomo Wide.

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Well it looks to have been funded.

Yeah. So should get one in August or September.

 

They will make an EF mount one for me as well or anyone whom orders now. You will specify if you want M42 mount or inactive EF mount on the exit survey.

 

Should be fun. Now just have to find some knock off Chinese instax film without the UV absorbing layer.

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Well it looks to have been funded.

Yeah. So should get one in August or September.

Only if the project has estimated their costs and technical difficulties correctly.

Almost all projects are finished much later than first estimated.

Some projects fail just before delivering the items.

 

Three of the projects I have funded failed that way.

If they fail the money is lost. You have no way of recovering the money.

 

You are gambling and funding the development of an exiting new design and if the project succeeds you are rewarded with getting it early to a nice price.

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Should be fun. Now just have to find some knock off Chinese instax film without the UV absorbing layer.

Or try taking some regular pictures now and then ;)

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Or try taking some regular pictures now and then ;)

 

Oh you mean reference photos. Yes I take those too ;p

 

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