Adventures with old digital camera backs

Now that I’ve got a very old digital back for my very, very old camera I thought it was time to take some pictures with it. I’m a bit constrained, in that the camera has to be connected to the computer when I use it, but this is still much easier and cheaper than using film.

The digital back that I’m using has a sensor which is around the size of a 35mm frame. This means that I’m only capturing the centre of the picture, but I’m not unhappy with the results.

It’s been great fun walking around the house and taking pictures of stuff. It has allowed me to practice focusing and framing without spending a fortune on film. I’m really looking forward to taking some portraits with the setup. The absolute picture quality is pretty good. I know that modern cameras, and even phones, can produce images which seem sharper and brighter, but that’s not the point. I love the filmic quality of the results I get from this kit.

If you have an old computer (and you will need an old one - new ones are no good) that you can dedicate to the project and you happen to have an old film camera that will work with a digital back you should definitely have a go.