Convert SLR Camera to Digital with "Electric Film"

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Your awesome old SLR camera can be converted to “Electric Film” by installing a cut down mirrorless camera to a spare back. Your SLR can still be used as a film camera. I will show you how to achieve perfect focus by installing the 1.5 crop 14.2mp CMOS sensor at the film plane. Take photos in normal colour or infra red with an easy swap over of the filter glass. See this project from start to completion at
or

Next video shows Nex assembly on the SLR in more detail —–
Thanks for watching.

23 Comments
  1. Robin Guymer says

    Update Modification – I have rubbed back the glass covering the sensor to less than 23.95mm so that it now sits between the film rails on my other Nikons. This digital back now works on my Nikon FA and Nikon FE2 however it is not possible to fit the IR Filter inside these cameras. But leaving the filter off and adjusting the Sony to manual white balance at 2900k G8 provides a deep rich colour photo that can be converted to multispectral infrared black and white. I would say that the Nikon FM has the same rear door, so this digital back would also work on them. As an IR Filter can be fitted at the end of a lens there is now no reason why this digital conversion cannot be done for any 35mm film camera like Canon, Minolta, Leica etc. RG.

  2. select says

    عندي كاميرا ونفسي اعمل كدا فيها

  3. orhan ermiş says

    Wo finde İch diese convert

  4. DJRonnieG says

    My Nikon F has a B setting and a T setting. B closes the shutter the instant you let go of the button, while T keeps the shutter open until you turn or change the shutter speed nob setting. I also sometimes see it "get stuck" when I got a 1/8 sec shutter speed set but it seems to behave normally after a few test shots every year or so.

  5. DJRonnieG says

    Ahhh yes, you're on the right track. This is sort of what I had in mind… the only challenges that stop me from trying involve syncing the shutter or at least ensuring that the shutter release button also triggers the electronics.

  6. Bridgett Verdugo says

    this is so fucking cool !!!!! Good fucking work guy

  7. Zain Ahmad Riza says

    I don’t see how this is better than putting a lens adapter on a modern DSLR. But I appreciate the enthusiasm.

  8. Devic Arellano says

    Does long exposure work??

  9. Narwaro says

    Actually this exactly how the first digital SLRs worked.

  10. 99% Perspiration says

    I find that regular digital cameras are terrible in low light because of the small aperture lenses. I would like to convert my old SLR to digital so I can use my bag of lenses.

  11. thecaveofthedead says

    Mad project but loads of fun.

  12. Christian Rivera says

    Amazing

  13. Jan Fellstrom - Design says

    Love it! Genial…I have a FE and prefer the simplicity old style SLRs but prefer digital. Most DSLRs are over packed with features most people never use. Nikon missed out on a market here and their retro DSLR was never the answer.

  14. g karr says

    Wow! Genius!

  15. Riccardo Boscolo Cegion says

    GREAT GREAT GREAT IDEA, MANY CONGRATS AND COMPLIMENTS…. BRAVO. 😁😊😁

  16. Mike Delima says

    Thanks for the video. Good job Sir! Obviously photograph industry is not interested on create an adapter that brings back old analog cameras. Planned Obsolescence! Mean while, they will keep creating more and more tech garbage. That's happening these days (2018) in the digital and technological era. Can you believe that?

  17. U1N3L says

    Awesome video, keep going like this I'll suscribe <3
    this is a really interesting mod in cameras

  18. e.c. havard says

    Very creative!!!

  19. Kareem Alsaady says

    To those wondering as to why this matters/ is important/ why would you want to shoot old slrs when digital bodies already exist:
    Between the 70-90's there was an insane camera revolution that lead to cameras such as the Contax T2 and Nikon F3 shooting on the same format, even though they are are incredibly different cameras. In medium format you saw cameras like the Hasselblad shooting on the same format Rolleiflex cameras. When everyone is shooting film, you all have essentially the same sensor, and so camera manufactures were competing to create cameras that had the best experience for photographers. This had a lot of trail and error and every manufacturer had a different approach and releases before finding the current DSLR. That lead to companies like Pentax experimenting with 6X7 medium format prism SLRs, like an up scaled 35mm camera and Mamiya making the RZ67 based largely off a mix between large format cameras and the Hasselblad. This meant that if your needs are besides the mass consumer's (which have all been accommodated with the DSLR and mirrorless systems) then you can probably find a better system for you during this camera revolution, all you need to do is give up digital conveniences and shoot those systems. Well, some cant give up digital. This is a great insight into the progress that could be made for digitizing some of these older more outspoken cameras. The F3 is widely considered to be the best 35mm SLR camera ever made, with that Im sure you can understand some people would still like to use that body. Also, it means you can escape the more generic cameras of today where you essentially have 3 choices: Mirrorless, DSRL or Fuji (who make both those generic cameras packaged in an attempt to remember off the past).

  20. I love the experiment, and it's great if somebody does something for fun.

    But for all the haters: YES this is basically the same as just taking a Digital camera and adapting a vintage lens. In this case, the SLR body is the adapter. And smaller, easier adapters are available for 10$ on ebay.

  21. 2012truth1776 says

    @1:221:23

    sounds like (FuCKIN DO IT !! ) 😂

  22. mikewinburn says

    Cool project to be proud about.

  23. ian ball says

    now go to China to perfect it and to keep the cost down

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