DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

This guy actually made a digital back for his 35mm Nikons out of a Sony NEX camera

Mar 7, 2017 by John Aldred 10 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

I’ve been following the “digital film” saga for years. There’s been at least 4 failed attempts to get one working, and one hoax. Nikon even filed a patent for one of their own at one point. But besides those early digital film hybrid cameras, none have ever really made it. At one time I thought this was an amazing idea that was bound to happen at some point. Now, I’ve pretty much given up on that ever happening.

There’s a multitude of problems with the whole idea, and no ideal solutions to most of them. But a photographer by the name of Robin Guymer actually seems to have cracked things to find a way that works for him. He’s repurposed an old Sony NEX camera into a digital back for his 35mm Nikon FE.

That first video went up in October last year. But now Robin’s put up another showing us how we can make our own. He also set up a website to detail the process, too.

The whole idea of making your own is a little bit mad, I think, but it’s still very cool. I’d toyed with the idea of trying to repurpose some other camera and bolting it onto the back of a film camera. But ultimately I knew I’d screw it up, as Robin says he did a couple of times, resulting in some dead NEXes. Good on him for sticking with it, though, and getting something that actually works.

Robin uses a stripped down NEX-3 as the whole sensor & electronics system. This is then attached to a modified standard film back for his Nikon FE. This allows the sensor to sit on the focus plane where film would normally reside. So, the lenses could still retain all their focus range.

He also removed the IR filter from the top of the sensor. This essentially turned it into a full spectrum camera. He mounted the filter back inside the camera, which can be removed when the mirror is locked up. This means that he can replace it with other filters, to use it as an infrared or UV camera, which is pretty cool.

It’s a little cumbersome, and the workflow isn’t quite as seamless as a DSLR. It’s probably easier to just get an adapter to mount the Nikon glass on the Sony camera. But it’s a start, and I’m sure Robin had a lot of fun experimenting and getting it to work.

You can find out more about Robin Guymer and his cameras on his website, and definitely go subscribe to him on YouTube. So far he’s only put out these two videos, but hopefully if there’s enough people interested, he’ll start doing some more.

[via PetaPixel]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailFitting A Sony NEX 5N With A Fan To Shoot Extended Videos Default ThumbnailGiving An Old Nikkormat A New Life As A Sony NEX-5N Nikons D4s Set for Release in March PSEUDO Film Canister plans to succeed where others failed, bringing digital sensors to 35mm bodies

Filed Under: news Tagged With: 35mm, Analog, Analogue, Digital, film, PSEUDO Film Canister, Robin Guymer, SiliconFilm

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Finalist photos of Wellcome Image Awards show incredible science-related images
4 Lighting Principles I wish I knew when I started Photography »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • This year’s Nature TTL POTY winner puts global warming right in our faces
  • TTArtisan announces super-low-budget 500mm f/6.3 super telephoto lens
  • NASA reveals five photos of space objects invisible to human eye
  • Tamron’s 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD lens ships in October
  • Facebook now lets you (legally) have multiple profiles

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy