PhotoBanter.com - View Single Post - Turning film cameras into digital cameras

**Bill Funk**

On 6 Apr 2007 19:28:31 -0700, wrote:

Let's for the moment we think "out of the box". If there is a product
which has the shape of either a 35 mm or 120 film cartridge, and you
can just load it into your old film camera. However, this product acts
like a digital "film", in which it will store images in digital
format, instead of into film, would you buy such a product? It is
just exactly like your old film cartridge, put into the back of your
camera, set the camera as it has a film in it, advance the lever ,
take photos, go to next shot, etc. The difference would be when you
complete the shots (24 or 36 exposure), you connect this cartridge to
your computer and downloaded the digital data, just like a media card
in your digital cameras. This product would be re-used again and
again, just like the digital cameras.

There is no way to make such a product as you describe, for reasons
already pointed out. Mainly, there just isn't room for the sensor
using the camera's original back, as the sensor is several times
thicker than film.
But the associated support hardware already fills purpose-made digital
cameras (have you ever seen cutaway or X-ray images of digital
cameras?). There is no way to fit the PCBs digital needs into film
bodies.
Plus, the logistics of even Silicon Film's back were too much for
actual production; each camera needs its own back (the production
nightmares of this are well imagined); cooling of the electronics is
seemingly ignored, upgrade paths are similarly ignored, connecting the
mandatory controls to the camera's shutter and aperture would be
different for each brand/model, to name just a few.
The idea sounds good at first, but quickly fails under the weight of
implementation.

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