Topic: the worlds first universal camera!

[Chalky]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/294564710/mercury-the-worlds-first-universal-camera/description

well... interesting!

will keep an eye to see how this progresses...

[Francois]

I must admit that this is interesting. I hope it doesn't get the delays the Travelwide got.

Somehow, it makes me think of an Alpa on steroids.
A simple frame on which you can graft anything. I hope the final one won't get that 3D printed look their sampler has...
I too will need to keep an eye on this. It could prove to be perfect for lens hacking.

[John Robison]

With the Travelwide in mind I'm a bit gun shy to support another Kickstarter. Prototypes exist! Great! But remember, 'hardware is hard' and you can bet there WILL BE major delays. These delays would not be necessarily bad in themselves if, and this is a very very big if, the creators keep the backers informed, not just the good news but bad news too. I think backers get very tired of this "oh geez, sorry you haven't heard from us in the last three months but......"

How about this, if you are going to ask for money then you are required to make available to backers your personal contact info, including home address. If, after a long silence a project creator had to actually stand, toe to toe with a backer, whose e-mail questions had been ignored, then they might realize that after you take the money, you have some serious responsibilities. So unless you are prepared for those responsibilities, Don't. Take. The Money!

[Francois]

I must agree on this. Just checking the number of projects ts that miserably fail even after the goals are reached tends to make me think twice .

[charles binns]

Sounds like another daydream to me.  If there was real demand for a universal camera, one of the big manufacturers would have built one years ago.

[John Robison]

Sounds like another daydream to me.  If there was real demand for a universal camera, one of the big manufacturers would have built one years ago.

Charles, I believe Alpa built a camera with a similar concept a decade or so ago. Of course, with precision machined parts and limited production the price was breathtaking. I think these folks hope to be able to produce the basic components so that hobby photographers could afford to set up a format and lens they prefer for a relatively modest price. Despite my misgivings about the whole crowdfunding platform I do wish them well.

[charles binns]

Sounds like another daydream to me.  If there was real demand for a universal camera, one of the big manufacturers would have built one years ago.

Charles, I believe Alpa built a camera with a similar concept a decade or so ago. Of course, with precision machined parts and limited production the price was breathtaking. I think these folks hope to be able to produce the basic components so that hobby photographers could afford to set up a format and lens they prefer for a relatively modest price. Despite my misgivings about the whole crowdfunding platform I do wish them well.

And that's the thing.  If a professional, experienced and respected manufacturer struggles to make such a camera at a reasonable price (and photographers aren't exactly crying out for a universal camera) a couple of hobbyists aren't going to make it either.

[thatguychad]

This looks like a Kickstarter project that's really an art project. Light on technical details and information, well-produced but cringey video (and man, are they dedicated to that font, or what?), etc. I think it's a cool idea, but I won't be backing this project. I don't really think they have a firm grasp on what it's going to cost or how to do it and see many, many delays in their future.

[Francois]

At least they didn't write it all in Comic Sans 

[Ed Wenn]

I'm all for tangentiality in many aspects of life (yes, I made that word up), but I'm not sure how many people are going to sit through that seven + minute non-sales-pitch of a video and come away knowing what's on offer. I know there was more info in the supporting text, but I think they could have done with a dryer video to explain it more clearly.

Also, if Alpa did it already, then this can't be the world's first universal camera, right?

[Terry]

Nor is it the first camera called the Mercury.  All things considered, I'd rather have the Univex version.

[hookstrapped]

I don't understand the appeal of the concept, let alone the lego-like camera.

[ManuelL]

Hmm, I can't really see what the camera will do, that a light weight 4x5 field camera doesn't do better already. It doesn't look like it is good for handheld shooting so it doesn't have a huge advantge in terms of workflow over a field camera. I am also afraid their pricing is a bit too optimistic. It looks like they want to produce more custom parts than the travelwide has at a lower development and production cost.

[Late Developer]

The concept of a multi-purpose camera that morphs between 35mm and 5x4 and accepts one's existing lenses intrigues me sufficiently to follow this a while.  However, it says it's non-profit which disturbs me slightly as, with no commitment to the bank or profits to accrue, if the crowd-funding doesn't manifest at the required level, the concept ceases to exist.

If I only had 35mm but wanted an apparently quick and relatively cheap(er) way to build a variety of systems, it might grab me more.  I hope they pull it off but, although I'm not risk-averse, it doesn't whet my appetite sufficiently to part with hard cash in anticipation of its success. 

[Sandeha Lynch]

Great, equipment choices in photography always being a compromise, someone's come up with a Universal compromise.   

[John Robison]

Well, looks like they might not make it. Too bad, I backed early and really wanted to try it out. There was sure a lot of negative and dismissive comments on several forums but I really don't think that affects potential backers choice to back the project. Speaking with the creators I think they won't give up if this effort fails.

[lharby]

They did make it.

Either a surge of investment in the end, or perhaps a generous personal benefactor stepped in.

[John Robison]

They did make it.

Either a surge of investment in the end, or perhaps a generous personal benefactor stepped in.

I think there were quite a few stitting on the fence, as it were, who committed in the last two days. The system is so broad with so many options and parts that it was hard for potential backers to be sure just what they were going to get or need to add on to complete a configuration. I had suggested to Zach that he make a video showing assembling a real camera from system components. He did make the video but didn't actually built a camera. That is what I had in mind so backers could get a sense of how the proposed system would actually work. I also feel, at this time, they need to develop a flow chart, showing, in outline form, system components in the sequence they fit to make up the various configurations for different formats and lens combos.
 

[SLVR]

I stopped reading when I saw Papyrus.

If they can't make a well designed kickstarter page I can't expect them to make a well designed camera.

[Francois]

Well... at least they didn't use Comic Sans... That font really gives anything a true sense of, how could I say it, credibility

[SLVR]

Comic sans is kind of the go to font when people think bad fonts. Papyrus and Hobo are both right there though.

[Francois]

I wonder if anyone ever made a list of ugly fonts?
I know I would add Giddyup to that list...

[John Robison]

Despite the negative chatter I was interested from the start. Although I intend to use this as a 6x9 roll film camera it will also offer full manual control to those who wish to shoot Fuji instant picture material. One of the problems of instant photography is the auto exposure only (sometimes with limited exposure bias) and cameras with lenses that often max out at f12.5, way too slow. I am also a unrepentant tinkerer with all things photographic. And this is a tinkerers dream camera. Who knows if they will be successful. I hope so. I waited over 2 years for the Travelwide past the projected ship date and it has been a mixed bag. My sample had a very difficult to turn helical. Very! Difficult! But fortunately, I'm a tinkerer, and after a lot of work it is passable now, not ideal, but passable.

I told Zach, the creator of the project, that just as important as engineering was total and frequent (at least every 2 weeks) updates, even if nothing exciting is happening. That and absolute transparency. That, more than anything else will keep the backers on his side, and when unexpected problems arise, and they will, backers will be a whole lot more understanding and cooperative when, (not if) the projected delivery date slips into weeks or months late. Now it is just wait and see. I already have my lens but still need to obtain a roll film back.

[lharby]

It seems like 3d printing is circumventing issues with cameras only being able to shoot one particular format.

I just got an instax back for my Polaroid 600SE from Option8/Polaroid conversions. I didn't really think about it until it turned up, but most of it is 3d printed. I assume Fuji are OK with this! I mean the possibilities seem almost limitless, so it feels like a good time to have such a kickstarter project.