Added information about Pentax’s upcoming new film camera is available in a new video. These will be made public for you here. As well as discussing this camera and their Film Camera Project, we’ll also share a few videos.
This comes after their December 2022 announcement that they would be creating new film cameras for the first time in a very long time.
Table of Contents
Listening to Film Camera Enthusiasts
Takeo Suzuki, a designer for Pentax, claims in the video that the company got a lot of feedback. They were inspired to create a brand-new model of film camera as a result, even though some components might have been shared with earlier models.
Suzuki reiterated what he had previously said, saying that Pentax wanted to create a camera that young photographers would enjoy using and would make taking pictures enjoyable. He verified that Pentax is indeed making a manual-winding film camera, pointing out that this is an action that is “totally unique to film cameras” which creates “joy and satisfaction of actually manipulating a film camera.” Right now, they think a lever-action mechanism is the best option, and they even included a ratchet wheel sound in the mechanism.
My Theory for Getting Hands On
Numerous young people are drawn to manual and mechanical items, as I have seen. I think they have a strong desire for tactile objects that older people took for granted when they were young. Patchbay and modular synthesizers, with their knobs, cables, and sliders, are most popular with younger musicians. For the past fifteen years, younger people have primarily been responsible for increasing record sales. Old film cameras are also typically bought by younger people. My Yashica T4 35mm point-and-shoot camera actually sold for more money than I did when I first bought it.
Back when we were talking about Pentax’s announcement to release film cameras in our Nightaxians YouTube podcast #15, I explained my theory for this.
Compact
It won’t be an SLR, but a compact camera when Pentax first introduces film cameras. However, they think they will still be able to use SLR and other cameras’ hand-wound mechanisms.
Fixed, Non-intechangeable Lens
Pentax also seems to be keeping things straightforward at first. Their first film camera in the project will have a fixed, non-exchangeable lens. Lenses on older fixed-lens compacts were frequently among the smallest and sharpest available. I have a feeling a lot of film enthusiasts will be delighted if they release this with a wide-angle, large aperture fixed lens on a small body.
Surprising Admission
You might be surprised by one of Suzuki’s admissions if you watch the entire video. The team requested assistance from the original film camera engineers after creating the initial hand-winding mechanism using 3D CAD drawings. They were trying to make the design simpler. However, the old engineers said that the team were “ignorant,” although it seems that this was meant in a friendly manner. By working together, the teams created a lever for a ratchet wheel that advances the movie.
But given the incredible features and innovations Pentax regularly incorporates into their cameras, I have a hunch that in the future, their film cameras may also include some surprisingly innovative features. After all, this is the business that also includes features like body illumination, Night Vision LCD, built-in time-lapse mode for in-camera stacking, Astrotracer for tracking stars, and others.
The Call for Collaboration for the Film Camera Project
“The goal of this project is not only to produce a new camera, but to create a solid environment in which those that witnesses this project and those who love film photography can more freely express their ideas, opinions and hopes,” Suzuki says. “For the sake of realizing this future, we would like to play a supporting role.”
Prior to this, Suzuki had also disclosed that a Pentax survey found that, excluding disposable or instant cameras, only 20% of Japanese citizens still use traditional film cameras.
Read More: How to Put Film in a Camera?
Source: photofocus
