What is this Camerhack thing?
Who is CamerHack?
Hello, my name is Claudio and CamerHack is a personal project, not a business company. It’s a place where I experiment hacks and products designed to put very old cameras back to work in the simplest way possible.
This adapters thing project started the same day I got a Kodak SIX-16 folding camera as a gift. My friend told me that he couldn’t use the camera because its film format was unavailable, and so he was giving it to me as a collectible item. The camera was in near perfect condition and looked gorgeous, with its Art Deco style of the late ’30ies.
I soon realized that the camera was not worthy in terms of price quotations: it was produced in various models for the mass market, in thousands of copies, and didn’t cost very much even at the production time.
Still, it was a shame to let it sleep on the shelf.
I wanted to convert the 616 camera to accept 120 film, but quickly understood that it was easier and more practical to convert the 120 film to the 616 size by adding adapters. It took some costy efforts, but in the end I developed the FAK (Film Adapters Kit) adapters for 116, 118, 122 and 616 formats with one simple idea in mind: robustness. The final product is made in two materials: 3D-printed organic polymers and Laser-cut steel plates. The steel inserts reproduce exactly the interlocking holes that are on the original Kodak metal spools, so that any camera accepting the vintage film format will work with regular 120 film just like it was the original film.
You won’t need an original old spool in the camera. Some photographers use original spools as take-up spool for the 120 film, but when your film is exposed you would need to respool it back on the 120 spool in order to shoot more flm. With my adapters you just put 120 film in the camera and use a 120 film spool as a take-up, just like any medium format camera.
FAK for all.
It was not easy to get to a usable product, robust and simple, which also prevents any modification to the cameras’ bodies: some of them are over 100 years old and they sometimes are rare and precious.
Film Adapters Kits are now in their fourth version, available for 116, 118, 122 and 616 cameras. I also recently intorduced a kit that converts a 135 film (35mm) into 120 film for medium format cameras. And lastly, the FAKMATIC, a reusable 3D printed cassette that can make Instamatic cameras shoot on 35mm film!.
Today, a number of photographers are using my adapters around the world: in USA, UK, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, France, Singapore, China, Japan, Brasil, Colombia…
Warranty
Camerhack is my attempt to combine my passion for graphic design, my love for film photography, and my skills as a web developer (which happens to be my real job).
All the products are crafted by hand. They come as-is and without warranty. Camerhack is an experimental project and for most products it’s impossible to guarantee that they will work in whatever the antique camera a customer may have. In some cases I’ve crafted absolutely unique pieces, crafted especially for one particular camera. I am always open for collaborations and support is delivered personally. I respond to every single email: in case you have some question or issue, just send me an email and I will reply as soon as possible.
For old fashioned communications, here’s my mailing address
Camerhack c/o Claudio Bettio
via Monte Ortigara 13/B
31040 Volpago del Montello (TV) Italy
P.IVA IT04972640264
Yours truly,
Claudio.
