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Building a New Film Camera Isn’t as Easy as You’d Think
Pentax Japan just announced the Film Project, where they will begin to investigate building multiple types of cameras for the analog community.
At first you might think, “Well, they made those for years. That should be easy.” But the reality is far more daunting.
This is not you remembering how to ride a bike after years of driving a car. More appropriately, it would be you designing your old 10-Speed, manufacturing the parts, and remembering what you did to make it better than everyone else’s.
Pentax has the wisdom to realize that engineers who helped them design some of the best SLRs ever built, are still alive. But who knows for how long? The nuances that they know are just as important, if not more, than the blueprints and parts lists that are safely stored in vaults.
The new magic could be the blending of old wisdom with current technologies; a partnering of film artisians and young designers who have their fingers on the pulse of the market. If Pentax can perform the perfect alchemy, the result will be gold.
But endeavoring this in a vacuum, manufacturing every part yourself, is a mind-numbing proposition. Honestly, it feels like a moonshot.
