Film Save a 100,000 Analog Cameras

Save those film cameras. SOMEBODY will come up with Digital Film...
There are digital back devices like I'm Back but they're limited to which camera bodies they support.
Someday we'll see something like the Film 35 project actually bear fruit, a digital device the size & shape of a standard 35mm roll that can be used with any body. The technology is getting closer to it being feasible, I think it'll come down to how much of an actual market there'd be for it. Until the want for it reaches mass consumption momentum it'll remain a niche area of interest. :(
I'd have to do some searching to find the details but I recall Nikon themselves got as far as submitting a patent for a digital back but I don't think they ever actually released a product. I can't think of seeing reference to the other major players like Canon working on something similar so if we ever do see a viable product it'll likely be from 3rd-party manufacturers like Film 35.
 
The Nikon Patent had to do with a "novel" method for making sensor alignment easier. The technique Kodak used 30 years ago works well. My first Digital Camera is a Nikon N8008s with a Kodak DCS back on it, 1993.

15 years ago I was taking pictures at Nikki's Kindergarten when one of the Dad's looked at my N8008s, loaded with color film, and said- "Still using 35mm, I have 3 of those at home but shoot all Digital now". I looked at him and stated "Are you kidding, THIS camera used to be Digital. I converted it to use film." It was from a DCS200ci, the back had died.
 
The Nikon Patent had to do with a "novel" method for making sensor alignment easier. The technique Kodak used 30 years ago works well. My first Digital Camera is a Nikon N8008s with a Kodak DCS back on it, 1993.

15 years ago I was taking pictures at Nikki's Kindergarten when one of the Dad's looked at my N8008s, loaded with color film, and said- "Still using 35mm, I have 3 of those at home but shoot all Digital now". I looked at him and stated "Are you kidding, THIS camera used to be Digital. I converted it to use film." It was from a DCS200ci, the back had died.
Well, now you've caught my attention since a Nikon N8008s has just recently entered my collection of 'shiny stuff' here at the house! It was originally my brothers, ended up at my sisters when he went digital, and now it's with me.

Do you have any examples in your collection yet of images taken with the combo you were running?

 
These are with the Kodak DCS200ir, the N8008s is unmodified except for a special screen to show the cropped FOV of the KAF-1600 sensor.

Micro-Nikkor 55/2.8. The camera stores 50 images on an Internal 80MByte SCSI drive.
BUTTER10.jpg
FLOWER5.jpg
MTVERN7.jpg


Most work I've had to do is take the Back apart and clean contacts. Still works.
 
Camera Rescue is a well know project here in Europe, but I see is not the case across the pond ;)
Of course, they need profit, but they are also an important contribution for analogue photography.
Even if CR itself is quite new, they had a previous project (which name I don´t recall at this time) and they are on the market for several years.
I never traded with them, but I see prices are reasonable and I've not seen complaints on condition or service done.
 
It would be most helpful if they compiled and posted repair manuals on their site. I've found some original manuals, but most repair information out there is from home hobbyists taking apart camera equipment and posting lessons learned.
 
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