Can a 35mm film SLR be converted to digital?
Asked 8/2/2010
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I have several old 35mm film SLR bodies and lenses that I’d love to keep using, but I’d prefer to shoot digital rather than film. Is it possible to replace the film with a digital sensor and effectively convert a film SLR into a DSLR? I’m interested in whether this exists as a practical product or only as a custom project.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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This has certainly been done with medium format SLRs that have interchangeable backs (e.g., Leaf and Phase One backs).
For a 35mm camera, the situation isn't nearly so positive. There was once a company that claimed to be working on a digital sensor that would be shaped like a 35mm film cannister with the sensor sticking out roughly like the film tongue. I'm reasonably certain they never produced even a partially working prototype, and even more certain they never put a product onto the market. Personally, I rather doubt it could be done.
In any case, the market opportunity for such a product is mostly past -- the vast majority of people who want to shoot digital have given up on the idea and bought digital bodies. Most have upgraded at least once by now, so used digital bodies are fairly common and quite reasonably priced...
Originally by user603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user603
16y ago
0
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In principle, yes—but for 35mm film SLRs it is generally not a practical conversion.
Digital backs are a real thing for some medium-format cameras with interchangeable backs, where the film plane can be replaced by a sensor unit. That’s the closest established version of what you’re describing.
For 35mm SLRs, however, there has not been a widely available, practical “digital back” solution. The space, power, storage, controls, display, and sensor-position requirements make it very difficult to package into a standard 35mm body. There have been concepts and one-off custom builds, but not a mainstream product.
So the realistic answer is:
- medium format: possible, but expensive
- 35mm SLR: technically possible as a custom engineering project, but not a normal consumer option
If your goal is simply to use older lenses, a digital camera body that can mount them is usually the most practical route. If you want to keep using the film bodies themselves, shooting film and scanning with a good film scanner is the usual alternative.
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