DIY Motion Picture Film camera

Tim Joy

Tim Joy

Veteran
I know this is a forum for video, but hey, most people here are trying to make video look like film as close as possible... so why not build a film camera? :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

I have searched the internet for a home-brew film camera with no luck, except for existing patents, there isn't anything I've found. I know it's a crazy project to try, but hey, that's me! It sure would be a hell-of-a-lot easier than building a video camera.

The main features of a film camera-

The shutter- A disc/blade that is adjustable in it's surface area that blocks the light and mechanically linked to the "film mover system". I don't know what its technical name is. The gate?

The film "mover system"- The film slides through a track ,pulled down by a claw and held in place by the registry pins while the shutter opens, exposes the film, then repeat 23 more times in that second. (or more for slo-mo) Somehow, this operation would be controlled by a crystal that keeps it at exactly 24fps so the sound would all sync-up just perfect.

The eyepiece viewing system-Some kind of mirror or prism thingy that gets the image to your eyes. How does this even work?

Now, it's got to be super quiet, and totally reliable so it doesn't eat your movie, and...
I just can't understand why these things cost so much...


All the other parts of a camera are just blah blah blah. Magazines, lenses, video tap. Easy.

I am a machinist, so any parts I need can be made, (there might be quite a few) and everything else can be bought.

Now, should it be 16mm? Super 16? 35!? 70? IMAX? SUPERIMAXANAMORPHICCINEMASCOPADELICHUGEASSFILMTHATICANTAFFORD?

Writing this highlights the ridiculousness of this DIY project. I think I'll stick with my dvx for now. Thanks for listening.
 
You could always get a K-3 for like $300 if it doesn't work out for you haha. Plus, those things have a 1:1 resale value if you decide you don't want it anymore. Way better than renting a film camera.

The only costly part would be film stock and developing/digitization
 
yeehaanow said:
I think I'll stick with my dvx for now. Thanks for listening.
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Wow, did you just start and stop a DIY project in one post...

Come on man you can do it. Maybe base you ideas on one of the original ones that you had to hand crank and go from there.
 
instead of giving up... take an existing film camera and make it do something kewl like 1200fps. or mount a dslr sensor to it and give Red a run for the money but the latter would seriously cut into the time spent surfing the web ;)
 
zergtherobot said:
Make a documentary about your quest for the homemade film camera.
Id watch it.
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So would I. It wouldn't matter if the final product worked or not, it'd be interesting to watch the search for parts, the attempts at assembly, taking a spool of film in for developing and watching totally overexposed footage, etc.
 
Thanks for the encouragement, it would make a good project for a documentary, however, I already have 4-5 documentaries in the can waiting for me to find time to edit. Between building a chapman-like dolly, dolly track, hot-head for my crane, 35mm dof adapter, follow focus, rails, matte box, superman costume, and apple pie, I'm pretty FULL on DIY projects right now. Yes, "full" is an understatement.

Being a gear-head techno-geek it's all too easy for me to slide from Filmmaker to Guy-who-makes-stuff-to-make-films. It seems like many people have the same problem, where the longest "movie " they made was that test footage from the last gizmo they built. How many of us have spent more money and time building up our video production gear when we could've just picked up a $1000 16mm ebay camera and a wheelchair and 10k dollars worth of film and told a STORY? I guess there's still time.
 
Seriously, does anyone think it's possible to take a dslr sensor slap it in a film cam and somehow make a 24 frame per second beast of an hd camera? I mean at first it would be raw having to take each image arrange it in a timeline, but can it be done?
 
zergtherobot said:
Seriously, does anyone think it's possible to take a dslr sensor slap it in a film cam and somehow make a 24 frame per second beast of an hd camera? I mean at first it would be raw having to take each image arrange it in a timeline, but can it be done?
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The amount of effort to get the shutter working flawlessly ---not even Nikon or Canon accomplish now... People using the hi-end dslr's for stopmotion animation, find that flicker eventual developes (subtle variations in the exposure changes oh so slightly-even though it should be dead-on each frame (even with old 70's manual lenses) but isn't.

secondly, there are major concerns with LivePreview on dslr's overheating the sensor, so the sensor really isn't built to withstand more than 5 minutes of continuous use.

but since when do we let logic and near certain failure stop a DIY project?

;)
 
All the new camera's are now coming out with live preview and every year they come closer and closer to 24 frames per second. Right not the Nikon d3 in dx mode does 12 at 6 megapixels. How long until they reach the 24 mark? Will digital photography and video eventually become one? There is already a camera that shoots 60 frames per second, and as far as im concerned thats a video camera not a still camera. I personally don't have the know how to get something like this done, but it would be an interesting endeavour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvMHVGbv7ck&feature=related
This is the link to the new casio, its well on it's way.
 
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Okay, I don't want to built a video camera. Video sucks. That was the whole point of this thought exercise about building a film camera, because there are things film can do that video simply can't. (Okay, MAYBE panavision's super-delux custom $$$,$$$,$$$ HD camera can) If I had that kind of money I wouldn't need to build a film camera anyway.

The old Ebay cameras could be a good start. Something with a standard lens mount, and a few magazines for $1000 and maybe I could update it and make it quiet. Maybe I could use it as is. Or maybe I could stick with the limitations of my DVX and just make a good 'ol entertaining story that makes people laugh, cry, gasp, shout, and cheer....all at once.
 
I understand your original post, I was just throwing out the idea that someone else had about the possibility of taking an SLR sensor and making some super hd camera.
 
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