[tonyzoc]

I'm Back - Digital back for 35mm analog cameras;

Has anyone heard about this? Is it real?

[BigMackCam]

Has anyone heard about this? Is it real?

It is real, but it produces quite low quality images as it uses a small sensor to capture the image reflected onto the camera's focusing screen. So you don't get anything like the quality you'd get from a decent DSLR or mirrorless camera.

From the FAQs on the website:

Does the I’m Back pictures have the same quality as a digital camera? :::::::: No. The photos taken by the I’m Back should not be compared to a digital camera of the last generation. The purpose of I’m Back is that of being able to take a picture thanks to the focusing screen, recalling the feel of old photos.

The example photos I've seen mostly look like they were taken with a toy film camera then digitised...

[pschlute]

That's progress for you !

[From1980]

I followed the link above and found the I'm Back idea intriguing. Although it's clear the gadget is not going to produce serious quality, I can't help wondering if a similar back couldn't be made for at least some camera models that would allow the image through the lens to focus on it. Or am I dreaming?

[BigMackCam]

I followed the link above and found the I'm Back idea intriguing. Although it's clear the gadget is not going to produce serious quality, I can't help wondering if a similar back couldn't be made for at least some camera models that would allow the image through the lens to focus on it. Or am I dreaming?

This has been discussed at length on other websites. Apparently, one key issue is getting the sensor aligned with where the film would have been - the problem being, a modern digital camera sensor needs a filter or filters attached in front of it in order to function completely, and that would foul the shutter. Of course, you could position the sensor slightly further back, but then the focusing screen would also need to be moved accordingly. So it's not as straightforward as it first seems...

[From1980]

So it's not as straightforward as it first seems...

Not just dreaming then...I was fantasizing.

[BigMackCam]

Not just dreaming then...I was fantasizing.

Nothing wrong with that. They put men on the moon from the same starting point

[ChrisPlatt]

A digital back - for a Diana toy camera?

I must hand it to them for the many camera models they propose to include.

Perhaps part of the donations will go towards buying
some shampoo for that guy in the I'm Back tee shirt...

Chris

[I'm Back]

Thanks for shampoo idea. ;-)

Hello everyone, I am Samuel Mello Medeiros created from I'm Back digital back to 35mm and now also for the medium format. Ok, first of all, I'm Back is a toy and as such should be seen. Do not buy it to a camera mirrorlles or a dslr or even a cell phone, because they are deceiving themselves. My idea years ago was to get more people to put their hands on their old analogue camera to have fun with it. Everything here. But there are people who take this toy a little more seriously and can make a beautiful movie like this, using a simple Zenith 122 and an Helios 58mm:

You Tube

You Tube

Or I using here a Pentax ME super 50mm f1.7:

You Tube

You Tube

Chers,

Samuel

[nickthetasmaniac]

I've been trying to wrap my head around this and I just don't get it...

If you want to have fun with your old analogue camera why not just shoot, well, film? The quality will be immeasurably better and the camera will work as designed (without that clunky growth hanging off the back)...

My idea years ago was to get more people to put their hands on their old analogue camera to have fun with it.

I seriously wonder if there is anyone using their analogue camera with I'm Back that would not otherwise be using it with film.

[From1980]

I've been trying to wrap my head around this and I just don't get it...

If you want to have fun with your old analogue camera why not just shoot, well, film? The quality will be immeasurably better and the camera will work as designed (without that clunky growth hanging off the back)

Thanks for neatly wrapping this up.
The concept was fun to think about for a while but, as stated clearly already by Mike above, a serious solution is very complicated and would likely be very expensive. Let's shoot film and forget about it now.

[tonyzoc]

I've been trying to wrap my head around this and I just don't get it...

If you want to have fun with your old analogue camera why not just shoot, well, film? The quality will be immeasurably better and the camera will work as designed (without that clunky growth hanging off the back)...



I seriously wonder if there is anyone using their analogue camera with I'm Back that would not otherwise be using it with film.

I do use film. But...film manufacturing and processing generates slot of chemical waste. Digital is clearly a much cleaner technology. That said ...one if the things I like about a film shooting is a more compact camera and a more thoughtful yet simplier process of shooting. Sure, I can switch to manual mode and get a smaller mirrorless camera...like an Olympus Pen F...and I have thought about it. From Pentax the choice is very limited...a K-01 which is still kinda pudgy... No K-02 in the works and probably no mirrorless in the future most likely. And...the IMBack doesn't look like it's good enough and still adds allot of bulk.

[BigMackCam]

I do use film. But...film manufacturing and processing generates slot of chemical waste. Digital is clearly a much cleaner technology. That said ...one if the things I like about a film shooting is a more compact camera and a more thoughtful yet simplier process of shooting. Sure, I can switch to manual mode and get a smaller mirrorless camera...like an Olympus Pen F...and I have thought about it. From Pentax the choice is very limited...a K-01 which is still kinda pudgy... No K-02 in the works and probably no mirrorless in the future most likely. And...the IMBack doesn't look like it's good enough and still adds allot of bulk.

My recommendation, Tony, would be to buy a used Sony A7 or A7II. The prices are coming down all the time, and if you're not too fussy about cosmetic condition, you'll pick one up for a few hundred bucks... maybe $500 for an original A7, which is peanuts for a digital body with full frame sensor. Sure, it's a little dated by the latest standards, but still very good. Add a Fotodiox K-mount adapter (with stop-down ring) and you're good to go. Of course, this is a more expensive solution than buying an "I'm Back", but you're getting an awful lot more for your money in terms of image quality (24MP full frame sensor!)... plus, you can add a whole bunch of other adapters to use different mount lenses as you wish - including just about every rangefinder and SLR mount you can think of.

I bought an A7 MkII (new, admittedly) some time ago for the main purpose of using adapted vintage lenses, and it's been a fantastic workhorse in this respect.

[stevebrot]

My recommendation, Tony, would be to buy a used Sony A7 or A7II.

Yep, either would be my choice if the desire were to closely approximate the compact film SLR experience. An A7 or A7II with an adapter is only a little larger than an M-series Pentax and while heavier, is still a fairly nimble package. Whether such provides a similar shooting experience depends on the adapter used (even with preset stop-down, lack of auto-aperture actuation sucks) and how one relates to the EVF. Even with the same lens mounted, one does not simply train the camera at an overhead flock of sandhill cranes, snap focus, and shoot (my epiphany on my first roll of film after several years of digital...LINK).


Steve

[stevebrot]

An A7 or A7II with an adapter is only a little larger than an M-series Pentax and while heavier, is still a fairly nimble package.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the OP's K-2S also fits in the same size/weight envelope, though with crop sensor.


Steve