An Australian film lab, Film Never Die, has just launched a Kickstarter project for their film camera design, Nana.
The camera was on presale on their website since October last year (I briefly wrote about it here: analog.cafe/r/film-photogr…). It then listed a 31mm 𝒇9 fixed-aperture lens, motorized film advance, and a metal body.
The Kickstarter version now offers a 31mm 𝒇11 single-element fixed-aperture lens with a top shutter speed of 1/125s. It’s a “focus-free” camera (similar to Kodak Ektar H35N analog.cafe/r/kodak-ektar-…). FND says they’re working on a side-in lens element (presumably for sharper close-ups), but it’s unclear whether that’s going to be done in time for the product launch.
The camera is designed to be light and compact (110mm x 62mm x 38mm) and 300g with film. The company has also shared photos demonstrating the Nana lens outperforming their previous “reusable” (presumably plastic lens) film camera — though it’s the same image they shared last year, attributed to a 𝒇9 lens design.
Kickstarter pledges that include the camera are between AU$225 to AU$275 (or $150-$180 in USD).
I love Alan’s openness and positive attitude towards cheap new cameras, which often undeservingly get flack just because they’re made of plastic. Diana Mini (analog.cafe/r/diana-mini-7…) was an excellent example of such a camera, and Super Sampler was another one that was my entry into the film photography world (analog.cafe/r/lomography-s…). There are others like the Ektar H35N (analog.cafe/r/kodak-ektar-…), which feature a glass and an aspherical element.
FND aimed to make a premium version of a cheap new camera with a metal casing and a quirky autofocus mechanism. Unfortunately, the focusing system did not work out, and the quality of the Nana lens does not appear any more impressive than of the cheap plastic “toy” cameras mentioned above. Worse yet, according to Alan and FND’s blogs, there seems to have been an attempt to circumvent Kickstarter’s TOS with a significant (allegedly ~AU$20,000) “self-pledge” to force the project into fruition. This is a big no-no.
FND is offering refunds to anyone who wishes to withdraw from the project. I’m curious to hear user feedback once Nana, which is admittedly a pretty camera, is in the hands of its backers.
Dmitri May 17, ‘24
Dmitri Sep 22, ‘24