British camera maker Intrepid Camera has announced a Kickstarter to fund both a new electronic shutter and their first lens for large-format cameras.
The shutter and lens have been announced in a Kickstarter campaign which launched on Tuesday (24 September).
The Brighton-based company, which started making large-format cameras in 2015, has regularly added to its range of cameras over the years, as well as branching into darkroom accessories such as a compact darkroom enlarger.
The new shutter and lens are the first examples they have tried to bring to market.
Intrepid said in a press release: “We have spent the last 18 months working on developing a novel electronic shutter for large format cameras that is compatible with all Copal 0-size lenses, the shutter will work with all current large-format cameras and mounts to lens boards in familiar way.
“At the same time, we have been working on our first ever large format lens, a 150mm f/6.3 Cooke Triplet. We decided to join these two projects together and will be bringing them both to Kickstarter. People can choose to get just the shutter and controller, just the lens or both!”
With regards to the shutter, Intrepid Camera: “Unlike traditional manual shutters all of the settings are now dialled in on the controller, think of it like a super smart cable release with a screen! Features include being compatible with all Copal 0-size lenses, shutter speeds from as long as you want to 1/125th and a self-timer! Exposure made easy, just set your target aperture and ISO to get live EV readings so you don’t have to keep going back to your light meter.”
The shutter has a “shutter open” warning, and can be controlled from a Mac or PC.
The shutter, made out of weather-proof aluminium, is also powered by a rechargeable battery which fast charges via a USB-C cord.
The lens, meanwhile, is a three-element Cooke Triplet design with a widest aperture of f/6.3 (equivalent to f/1.8 on 35mm). Intrepid Camera said: “It renders colours beautifully, making it an excellent all-rounder and a great addition to anyone’s kit.”
The development of both appears to have been spurred by new interest in large-format photography and the lack of new products, Intrepid Camera said.
“There are still a lot of second hand mechanical shutters out there, but they are not getting any younger and the skills required to repair them, as well as spare parts, are getting harder to come by. You don’t exactly get people starting a career in large-format shutter
repair anymore. So an alternative solution is quickly needed and we think we have it.
“Intrepid has been in business for 10 years now and in that time we have built up a deep knowledge of large format photography and what the industry needs to grow into the future. We have seen a huge resurgence in investment in film stock from the likes of Ilford and Kodak and it is time we looked to the future too and invested in shutters.”
The new lens will cost £159, the shutter is priced at £289 and the combination will cost £429.
Intrepid Camera is looking to raise £25,000 ($33,500) with this Kickstarter campaign, which runs until 24 October.
“This project is Intrepid Camera planting a flag, if it is successful then this is just the first in a line of shutters, and lenses,” the company said. “We are super excited about this new venture for us and where it could go, technology has moved on so much since the shutters and lenses we all use were first designed and whilst they are beautiful pieces of engineering, isn’t it really exciting to think about what else they could do if they were designed today?”
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
