NEW! Half Frame 35mm Film Camera! I talk to ALFIE CAMERAS
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 มิ.ย. 2023
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Some commentators here haven’t yet grasped how important the Alfie Tych is. This is a brand new 35mm camera that’s not a mass produced piece of nonsense. Everyone in the film photography community should be embracing what Dave has set out to do- and achieved.
Like that!
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss Apart from the price. The reality is it's to expensive and it won't sell in any numbers.
It has a vertical portrait shaped frame. I am old enough to have been around in the days of the Olympus Pen. They sold because of the attraction of 48 or 72 frames on a roll, but people tended to hate the vertical frame. Konica did bring out one with landscape orientation proving it could be done and everyone I know loved that Konica, but it was rare to find people who loved their Pen.
I had one and I detested it because of the annoyance of having to rotate the camera for 90% of photos. I still have it, but haven't shot any film with it since the 1980's. It is a reminder of what a bad buying decision that half frame camera was. Portrait orientation is for the birds.
@@artistjoh I have a Pen and I shoot in vertical 99% of the time. I can understand why people found it annoying back in the 60's but I would bet good money that the phone in your hand is not currently in landscape mode reading these comments 😉
What once was a liability can now be an asset.
@@user-co6ww2cm9k Reading comments on a phone is annoyingly too small. I use an iPad and it is always in landscape orientation, so I guess you did not win that bet :) And on the phone I always shoot photographs in landscape orientation.
Stuff like this keeps film photography alive and kicking
Good on him for taking the plunge, it's great that he is ballsy enough and has the vision to come up with something different that keeps film interesting and in the now!
It does take balls to do something like this Andy. We all have ideas and dreams. Few are followed through. Like my Time Machine.
That was the best idea Roger, but just using it to get extra time in the pub at last call is a bit naff lol
Very cool. I love seeing new cameras still being produced. Half frame cameras are so much fun. I have that same Olympus pen.
I don't mind paying good money for a good brand new camera, but I've grown wary of USB rechargeable batteries. They inevitably get weak, won't hold a charge, and you either can't replace them or can't find a replacement. I prefer batteries I can buy at the local drugstore, or better yet, a fully manual camera with no battery at all. Still, though, this is worth a look.
I was wary of putting a usb rechargeable camera out there for the reasons you have stated. We have designed it to be 1 screw to get at and replace the battery should it be needed in the future. If you are happy loading film into an old camera you can probably do the battery replacement 😀
@@alfiecameras9480 Cool, long as the battery will be available in the future.
As much as I like having replaceable batteries for my cameras, I do see having an internal lithium ion battery will reduce the size and weight of this camera. Since it's not powering a flash or advancing the film, I image the charge should last for quite a long time.
@lihtan it depends on the way you use it. Switch off between shots and you get many films worth of battery life.
Looks like a lot of fun. I'll be excited when they come out.
Bravo to David for his work, to James for his contribution and to Roger for making a great video.
NOt really a 35mm film shooter so much these days. Now, I MIGHT be interested in a half-frame 120 camera.
Hope he succeeds in his business.Interesting camera for sure 👌
A built-in battery is a deal breaker, given the price, especially since it is needed to use the camera. Ambitious idea and great to see that people are trying to come out with something new.
I agree. I will never purchase a device that exclusively utilizes a built-in rechargeable battery, with limited exceptions for some electronic necessities such as smartphones. But, we purchase things like smartphones with the understanding and expectation of their limited lifespan and eventual need for replacement. I otherwise applaud the passion, effort and creativity here.
@@joshography I only saw the camera on the last analogue spotlight but if I remember correctly the battery can be easily changed with just unscrewing some parts, nothing like glued-in smartphone batteries. All in all a very well executed project!
Its nice to see new film cameras!
That looks like great fun and I wish Alfie luck with the venture but I think the cost is a deal breaker for me.
I'll stick with my Holga and thrift store cameras.
half frame is just so much fun. i love it.
Love the concept of having four lenses in a Half camera :) Awesome & Thanks :)
As others have said, very interesting concept and it's great to see new film cameras enter the market but unfortunately it's way too expensive for what it is, a 3D-printed camera with fixed focus lo-fi optics. The single meniscus lens option is a fun one, it has a look of it's own, like an antique box camera. Not sure how it will fare with the smaller negative size of 35mm film though, especially half frame.
I hope this will find it's buyers but unfortunately at that price it's hard to compete with the old cameras available on the second hand market.
Now, if it was available as a parts kit containing the non-printed parts, STL-files for the printed parts and detailed build instructions for, say, a 100 dollars/euros I would be interested. After all printing and assembly are the most time consuming parts of the manufacturing so leaving them to the customer would probably make it possible to lower the cost considerably. I assume the parts could be printed on an SLA printer which are fairly affordable and common these days?
Awesome! So much looking forward to get mine from Dave! Lucky man Roger! Cheers!! 🎉😎🤟
Good luck to him, hope he makes a success of it.
Brilliant! This is very inspiring!
Love it 🙂
Yay Alfie cameras! Dave is such a brilliant guy 😊
Very cool. Best of luck getting it to market.
First time I've seen it in the hands of someone shooting it. Actually looks really neat! I kinda shrugged it off when I first heard about it and I think that was a big mistake on my part. I generally shoot large format but obviously that's not what this camera is for :) What it IS for, however, yeah looks super cool! Hoping for great success to Dave!
Its a ballsy project Tim. Good luck to him.
Great news! Not like a new film camera back in the 80's 8-)
Hope this project goes like a rocket!!!
Interesting camera, just a shame about the price.
I like the choice of lenses.
I think there is a market for a good, modern, half frame camera, with the high cost of film and developing.
I think I'll stick with my Olympus Pen EE half frame camera though, which I paid just £15 for.
It's over 60 years old, works perfectly fine and looks mint.
I wonder if this modern equivalent will last the same amount of time?
Bro he literally designed a camera from scratch. Thats just what it costs.
@@melody3741 I appreciate that fully.
For me personally photography has always been a 'budget' hobby, I spend as little as I can get away with to get the maximum bang for my £$.
For me this often involves buying 'obsolete' gear and making the best if it.
I like that challenge.
Some people go into it with an open budget and just spend thousands on gear, it doesn't always mean they'll take better images though.
I have a Pen that I bought in 1980-ish. I loathed that camera because of the annoying portrait orientation of the photos. Konica made a lovely camera that did landscape orientation half frames that is a more likable camera. However, you can buy a 1980-ish Nikon full frame camera for half the money of this new one, and AI-S lenses are way better than anything on this camera. Old Nikons are a brilliant creative investment and are what I would recommend for anyone wanting to explore film, along with old Pentax, Minolta, Canon, or Olympus OM. Those old SLR's give a lot more long term satisfaction than most of more recent film cameras.
@@artistjoh I have a few full frame SLR film cameras, such as a Chinon CX and a Canon eos 500n plus a few point and shoot cameras.
The beauty of half frame is the smaller size of the camera and twice as many shots on a roll.
I don't personally mind the native portrait orientation of the olympus pen, you can always rotate the camera 90⁰ to get a landscape orientation shot if needed?
The only landscape half frame that I can think of was the Yashica Samurai, they can be had for around £50 and are quite an advanced SLR type lens arrangement with some nice features built in.
that is so cool little camera.
This thing is sick
When the camera was first announced, I was really enthusiastic about it. But when I got to the price, my hopes kinda went down quite a bit. So I guess I'll stick to my Agat 18 and my Chaika for half frame stuff.
Exactly. You can buy a half frame camera for dirt cheap. $500 is way too expensive.
Nice camera! I would have loved this half frame setup with an interchangeable lens system.
Then you need an old Olympus Pen, there was a whole set of really nice lenses for them.
I chatted to this guy and had a play with the camera at the Photography Show a few months ago. I couldn’t get past the price, plus it was 3d printed so felt a bit cheap. That might not have been a production model though.
The top and bottom plate is now metal.
when is it gonna be available!? Really need one
Great to see and all kudos to him, but whilst I maybe interested in the camera itself, the steep price for it is the main sticking point. I hope he can up the rate of production and the quantity produced so the price can come down to something more reasonable for what you get, but as it is, I think it will be a hard sell. This is why it's so hard for individuals going into something like this because they have to charge a price which recoups their outlays, so prices tend to be high. Unless you're really lucky or are so niche you can afford to charge a high price, you can't compete with a company or small business with the capacity to generate a decently high throughput.
The thing which seems odd to me about this camera is that it puts a lot of effort into metering, and then just uses mostly pinholes and disposable-camera lenses. What would really be thrilling to me is a half-frame camera which could mount (selected at purchase) Fuji X or Sony E lenses, with no electronic connections or focus. Basically, you’d use the cheap manual focus lenses out there these days from folks like TTArtisans, or common adaptors for M mount or SLR lenses. There would need to be a shutter, and personally I’d be fine with a basic one-speed-plus-bulb shutter, it more speeds would obviously be great. It’d be scale-focus only, and finding viewfinders which provide accurate framing could be tricky, but it’d be a lot of fun. There’s a lot of options for budget lenses these days, but you could also use things like higher quality Samyang manual lenses, or adapt even Leica glass.
Imagine the cost!
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss I feel like I didn't really describe what I was thinking about. I'd envision something like a simpler version of the Bessa L. An LTM-39mm camera with a top-notch shutter and TTL metering, but no viewfinder, no rangefinder coupling.
Something I think would be cool would be to follow that pattern, but go for a simpler shutter that might only be one speed + bulb like a lot of Lomo/Holga type shutters, and skip the TTL metering.
It'd be a cold, dumb mount which could hold a lens in front of a single speed shutter, and wind film. Now the shutter might be tricky, since there wouldn't be much space between the film and the lens, and probably needs to cover a bigger area.
For viewfinders, there are a pretty fair number of basic external viewfinders that someone could acquire, and the camera would probably need some sort of L-shaped bracket to mount one on, to get the portrait orientation.
Kudos to Dave. But £499 for that camera is way too high for me. I own about 12 vintage half frame cameras in full working order, and none of them cost me more than $275. This includes a couple Pen Fs, a Pen FV with a couple lenses, a Konica Autorex (that shoots half or full frame on the same roll), several Yashicas, Ricohs, Canons, etc. All of those are solid, full metal, and have superb lenses.
It is nice to see new camera gear come out because it definitely helps the film industry but at those prices, I hardly think it will make a difference what we need is lower, priced quality built cameras don’t get me wrong the camera looks like it has loads of features, but 3-D printed greatly diminishes the value in my eyes. What we really need is more companies out there making film at reasonable prices. I am so sorry but these cameras price is definitely not reasonable. I understand it parts are expensive to source out. I think he needs to get back to the drawing board and start thinking outside the box if he plans to succeed because these prices are definitely outside the price range of most consumers even if it was truly a quality product with quality materials. It’s a nice attempt hopefully somehow it will succeed.
Hi! Would half frame (in film) be bigger or smaller than a digital micro four thirds sensor?
I wouldn't know! Sorry
Question: The internal surfaces of this camera (thank you for those closeup shots), like most 3D-printed objects, looks a bit like sandpaper. Perhaps this is just my own ignorance, but how does film withstand being raked over such an abrasive surface without impacting the integrity of the emulsion?
Me thinks he should've gone for a 35mm (24x24) square format.
That would be a more interesting kit, IMO.
Should give about 63 frames on a regular length film.
Nice idea, but 3D printed and at that price point? I'd better get a used Olympus PEN FT for that money..
I just wish it can trigger flashes
Couldn't get anywhere near the website,for pop ups??? .
I was really interested in this until i saw the price.
Yeah they have some recent issues they are fixing.
That was a bit of a bombshell right at the end. Pity, because forty sobs and I would have had one.
As Dave said in the video he would love to get the cost down but hasn't got the buying power.
Lovely one, long live film. You probably meant 76 not 86 shots. on one film.
It was a film reclaimed from a disposable kodak funsaver camera boasting 27+12 exposures. So in theory it should have been 78 on half frame but there was clearly excess on the roll. Just kept going and going.
@@alfiecameras9480 I have been pondering trying loading film in a dark bag into my pen FV. I reckon I could get to 80 or 82 out of Ilford films.
Best of British to this guy, hopefully he'll get enough orders to start buying parts in bulk and halfing the price; unfortunately I can see somebody like Lomography trying to get their hands on it and running it as a loss leader for a few years. He needs a British manufacturer to give him financial backing to get enough made to have any impact on the market.
Can you combine it with a flash?
Good question. I don't think so. I did not see a hot shoe or Port.
We are working on a flash unit. Plugs in to the USB socket.
Went to the website and got a virus warning on my phone. Be wary!
Thanks for the heads up, I have put the site in to maintenance mode whilst we fix the issue.
I shoot with a Yachica MAT 124G and a Nikon FM2. Bunch of lenses for the Nikon. Both have been serviced. Neither one cost near as much. If I was interested in half frame I'd buy a cheap half frame and have it serviced. It wouldn't cost me anywhere close to $500 with service.
If you want to overspend on a fancy Lomo with a miniscus lens, have fun. But it's a shite camera and I'll spend my money on good lenses for a legendary camera. (Which I can also use on my digital with a cheap adapter.)
Either you pay for the camera or for the film. Not many can do both. All respect for this innovation, but cost consideration is a big factor. The day film comes down to a reasonable price is when one can try these new cams.
@ SAAAMTV: f it were that much of a revolution, it'd still be on the market. Turns out you can't find it on Amazon or B&H. So: it's dead. Flash in the pan!
I, like others, appreciate the introduction of a new film camera. However, I wonder who the market for this camera is. The price seems to price out the casual and brand new film photographer....as least for mass market appeal. For me, who owns 10 film cameras and who is always buying and selling film cameras, I am honestly not that interested in this camera simply because I haven't even scratched the surface of used and vintage film cameras readily available. So it really comes down to the multiple lenses available on one camera, which points out that I am actually a potential buyer for this camera, because I don't think casual or new buyers will care that much for the lens options. The half frame feature is a plus and minus....smaller negatives lowers image quality for enlargements and the vertical orientation would be annoying to some. For me, right now, the cons outnumber the pros.
Now excuse me while I return to researching and shopping for an Alpa.
While the lens turret is a nice detail, it seems such a waste to handicap this little, capable camera with meniscus lenses. Its creator has proven capable of building a working electronic shutter, and a viewfinder. I´d humbly suggest to do away with the turret, and replace it with a mirrorless mount (Sony E, Fuji X, EOS M or LTM), so cheap chinese manual focus lenses (7artisans, TTartisans) can be used. This would transform this camera from a cute device, into a serious competitor to even the best half frames ever made. I firmly believe photographers invested on APS-C lenses will be more than willing to pay the asking price. If a simple uncoupled rangefinder can be added too (there are some 3d printed examples) it would be a runaway success.
Last night I dreamt that I was in my van and realised that Roger lived somewhere very close to where ever I was . I had his number on my phone and I was thinking of popping in for a cup of tea ! I wasn't sure as it was 10 at night
The next dream was even more odd as I preparing to launch my spaceship and return alien children to their parents !
Could have popped in for a cuppa before launch!
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss next time !
for me its a no, id go with a pen half frame every time
To me this looks like another cheap piece of plastic junk but if Alfie takes more time and build a really solid camera made of metal and some quality lenses, this could really turn into a hit. We need more analog cameras.
Anyone else try to go to the website only to be taken to a phishing scam?
They are fixing the issue.
Oh no, you went to China.
built in battery makes me cry, one day we need to have it replaced to a service center, why not just use ordinary batteries? a big deal breaker.
Hi, The battery is really simple for the user to replace (just one screw to get in and disconnect). We will be offering replacement batteries once we have been in the market for a while although the battery is a fairly common mobile phone size. We originally wanted to have an off the shelf battery but couldn't achieve the small size without going built in.
So much for and against here. I guess the only question is did you hand over £500 for one Roger ? If not, I don't see why anyone watching would either ? Just a thought.
I liked it Andy. Just because I wouldn't part 500 quid for one doesn't go to say I should shy away from showing it on the channel. It's a film camera and people make their own mind up. It has plenty of backers and Dave's a nice chap.
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss Fair enough mate, it's your channel.
469 pounds? Seems a bit nuts considering you can get an Olympus Pen F for between $50-100.
I’d say that’s a bit of an exaggeration, pen Fs generally go from around $300
@@oversharingturtle4462 I can confirm that price! In addition the lenses are not cheap (especially if you break one, which is definitely not something I did when attaching extension tubes).
That said, they are immense fun. I got it for when I want to take digital and film on a trip)
Good on him, looks like great fun!
"Lots of half frame" means an absolute tonne of pictures!! I love it with fp4, and it's probably the only way I'll ever try provia or Ektachrome
I got a Revue/Konica Auto-Reflex for less than a third of this new camera.
@@oversharingturtle4462 $200 buy it now from Japan and they always overcharge. Shop around you can get one for under $100. Either way, it isn't $500 like this camera.
When will camera makers ever learn? This camera repeats the same mistake that caused half frame to be a relatively unpopular back in the day. The attraction to 72 shots on a roll made a lot of people want a half frame. It was enough to keep Olympus trying across numerous models of Pen, but none of them were big sellers. I owned one, the Pen EEE. It was my second most hated camera. The Exakta Varex VX was worse. But the Pen had a fundamental mistake - a vertical frame.
Konica made a popular one with a landscape shaped frame, but despite customers always complaining about the portrait orientation, Olympus never listened and eventually the series died out due to poor-ish sales. Their answer was just rotate the camera. Users, like me, replied that we would rather buy a different camera where we did not have to rotate it.
It did surprise me when I looked through the view finder. I probably shoot portrait view more than landscape though.
@@ShootFilmLikeaBoss All that landscape orientation requires is rejigging film transport to vertical. In the Konica it works really well. You should check it out. The model is called the Konica Recorder. Unfortunately they are really popular and so used prices are ridiculously high.
But this new camera is square shaped so it would have been really easy to have vertical film transport, so therefore landscape shaped photos. A missed opportunity.
Looks plasticky
Probably due to being a plastic camera.
3D printed
Not my cup of Tea !
I’d still call £299 fairly egregious pricing for something that, just from this video, feels like a novelty camera. I can’t really say from not having held one but it looks overall very cheaply made and with how small it is, I feel like I’d find it really awkward to operate. Hopefully I’m wrong but I’d like to see a more nuanced review of this product. One not directly linked to the inventor. This feels more akin to a sales pitch.
It's a fancy lomo camera. Until you can compete on price with the older, cheaper, more capable cameras, good luck.
Of course its a sales pitch. The man needs backers. He's probably not got the manufacturing facilities or funds to mass produce enough to get the price down to a reasonable level. Its a great idea and I hope somebody's willing to invest enough so he can bulk buy parts; if he doesn't get that selling two or three a week isn't going to allow him to go full time.
That's how business works, come up with an idea, make a prototype, show that after a hundred or so sales that its a runner and persuade investors to give him the funds to increase production. Otherwise, even if its a runner, he'll end up either being bought out or giving up on the dream and go work for a salary.
Good luck to him.
£299 is up there but I wouldn't call it egregious. It's very difficult to even get manufacturers to talk to you if you're only building small widgets in a low quantity. Hopefully he's able to slowly get the costs down and make it more accessible :)