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Photographer Alexander Gee has created something pretty cool: the first (to our knowledge) Sony E-Mount 35mm film camera. It’s called LEX, and when it’s finally finished, Gee intends to make the camera’s design files open source so that anybody with a little bit of interest, soldering skill, and access to a 3D printer can built their own from scratch.
The LEX is the result of more than a year of design work, 3D printing, and trial & error, which Gee actually documented on the LEX Optical website. Development began around the shutter mechanism from a Sony a7, and continued from there until he had achieved a working prototype that has been improved upon and tidied up to create the version you see below:
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The current prototype isn’t quite as pretty as the mockups, but it’s not far off either. And more importantly: it works. There are already sample photos posted on the LEX Optical website and more (we assume) to come as development continues. The website doesn’t offer any specific timetable, but Gee does say that he might crowdfund “a small batch of devices before opening the design files up.”
To see sample images, keep an eye on the project’s status, or jump onboard if and when Gee crowdfunds that batch of pre-built LEX cameras mentioned above, head over to the LEX Optical website or follow the project on Facebook and Instagram.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)