Take Digital Photos and Video with Your 35mm Analog Camera

Perhaps you have a film camera that’s been passed down to you, or that you simply don’t use anymore in this age of digital images. Many of these cameras feature excellent quality mechanical components and lenses, the best of which can cost much more than an entry-level DSLR. The only “problem,” is that they use film.

Samuel Mello Medeiros’ I’m Back system, now available on Kickstarter, aims to fix this by substituting a digital sensor for film, allowing it to take photos and even video without needing to wait for shots to get developed. The back features Wi-Fi, so you can easily use your smartphone or tablet to remotely view through the camera.

A focusing screen is placed where normally there’d be a film roll, so instead of creating an image on the film the image is now created on a camera module located behind the body of the camera. The picture is then saved inside an sd memory card inside the back. The picture taken can be viewed either on the LCD display located at the back or on a normal smartphone/tablet and then transferred on your computer.

Several versions are available, as either a Raspberry Pi Zero W-based kit or a fully assembled device using upgraded hardware produced by a camera company. If you do decide you do want to go back to film, your camera can be changed over to this capability again as needed!

To learn more about the low-cost digital back, be sure to check out Medeiros’ Kickstarter campaign here.