| Image: I’m Back |
Crowd-funded startup I’m Back has developed a clever fix for one of the drawbacks that photographers have pointed out in their digital module for film cameras.
The I’m Back Roll, which is currently approaching $1M of backing on Kickstarter, is a self-contained APS-C sensor module designed to fit into the film bay of legacy 35mm film cameras.
One of the challenges this latest project hadn’t overcome was the need to activate the sensor before the camera body’s mechanical shutter could then define the exposure.
When the Kickstarter opened, the company showed renderings of a Bluetooth-connected trigger unit that you would have to attach to the camera body, initiating a digital exposure so that the sensor would be active when the mechanical shutter opened.
This (along with the sensor size smaller than the cameras were originally designed for), was one of the main areas of concern expressed by backers.
The company has designed a clever workaround: a shutter button that screws into the camera’s shutter button.
In response, the company has designed a clever workaround: a shutter button that screws into the camera’s shutter button.
The “Sync button” add-on is a small additional button that can screw into the cable release threads of cameras that have one. The company also suggests another version may be possible without the thread, presumably to be glued onto cameras without a threaded shutter button.
The renders of the button show a flat cable extending from the button but don’t show what that cable would need to connect to. The company’s development video suggests it will need to connect to the I’m Back Roll unit, to avoid the latency that a Bluetooth trigger is likely to have.
While we’ve repeatedly stressed the many challenges that stand in the way of creating a quasi-universal digital module for old film cameras – challenges that prevented the original Digital Film project, back when the aim was to perpetuate the use of film bodies as an alternative to switching to dedicated digital cameras – we’ve been impressed by I’m Back’s persistence to make it possible to revive old film cameras for the fun of it. And, even if the implementation still looks like it may be a bit clunky, it’s an undoubtedly clever idea.
The Sync button can be added as an option during checkout and existing backers can add one to their order for around $38 (it costs 20 Swiss Franks, with an additional 10 CHF for postage to the US).