Film Camera Project

Pentax offers a sneak peek of new film camera prototype at Japan exhibition

Jul 4, 2023 by John Aldred 2 Comments

It’s no secret that Pentax is working on a film camera. They’ve actually made quite a big deal of it, with the launch of a video series documenting some of its development. At least, the parts of its development they’re currently prepared to post publicly. The first announcement that Pentax is pursuing film again came in December 2022. In May of this year, we saw an update that suggested the first film camera would be some form of compact.

Now, although there’s no new video yet, Pentax is showing off a prototype of the new camera at an exhibition in Japan. The PENTAX Film Project Exhibition, which runs til the end of July, is being run by Ricoh themselves. As with the videos, though, they’re not showing off all the details just yet. It’s encased in an acrylic display stand, with the winding lever and part of the grip being the only visible parts.

Pentax Update #2 reveals their first new film camera will be a compact camera

May 15, 2023 by John Aldred Add Comment

In December, Pentax announced they were developing a new film camera. At the time, there was no real information on exactly what type of film camera it would be. In fact, it wasn’t even revealed whether it would use 35mm film or medium format. And while many hoped for a modern-day update to the Pentax 67 or a fully mechanical 35mm SLR, it seems that the first new Pentax film camera will be a compact camera.

The information comes in the second video update for the Pentax “Film Project”, where they expressed gratitude for the overwhelming feedback they’ve received. Given that feedback, it seems that Pentax may be planning to do a range of cameras in the future and that this isn’t just a one-off.

How I made a 3D-printed movie camera that uses 35mm film

May 8, 2023 by Blaž Semprimožnik 1 Comment

A couple of years ago I have been occasionally shooting 35mm films with point&shoot still cameras while also having the desire to shoot motion picture films. Upon reviewing my options, the best way would be to do it with Super8 film, but after financial considerations, I concluded that it would be very costly in the long run since shooting just one standard 50 ft cartridge wouldn’t be enough for me. Purchasing, developing, and digitalizing costs for just one would be over €100! And not to mention the long turnaround time of a few weeks! There had to be a better solution to the problem.

After researching, since I had some experience with 3D designing and printing, electronic design, and coding, I came up with the idea to build my own analog motion picture film camera. I’ve decided that my camera would utilize the standard 35mm film cartridges since these are cheaper and are widely available in much larger quantities and type varieties (B&W, Color, Reversal, UV, IR, special kinds …) and can be bulk loaded.

Pentax takes a step back into the past with the launch of the “Film Camera Project”

Dec 22, 2022 by John Aldred 2 Comments

Pentax is an odd duck, for sure. They’ve held onto DSLRs with a death grip against the onslaught of DSLRs, which could potentially become their undoing in a few years. Now, though, it seems that instead of taking a step towards the future, they’re taking one into the past. But it’s not a backwards step! Film’s resurgence over the last decade or so is no secret. New film brands seem to be popping up regularly and even Kodak is struggling to keep up with demand.

It’s a trend that has not gone unnoticed by Pentax, who have always been a more familiar brand amongst film shooters than digital. So now, they’ve launched a new Film Camera Project. In a press release, the company said the project entails research and developing new Pentax brand “film camera products”, bringing together both veteran and younger engineers to take advantage of both old and new tech.