Smena goes digital!

My latest crazy idea
We have an extra tiny Canon Ixus, and I would like to shoot digital with an old looking FSU-camera. So why not take a Smena and cut it so that the Ixus can be fitted into it
I have done some measuring, and the best body donor would be a Smena-8, but I am afraid that the hard bakelite can crack when cutting? Or can I cut it with a Dremel? Anyone ever tried? Or do I have to try and possibly ruin one of the zillion manufactured?
Next one is 8M, but it looks too dull, not FSU-like enough
And hardest to fit is Symbol, as the body is not thick enough. But looks OK

Just so that you get the idea, it is not impossible sizewise:



Naturally I have to add two pushbuttons on top for ON/OFF and release, but that is not a hard thing to do. Zoom I can leave out, this Ixus has only 2x zoom and I can do with a fixed 38mm equivalent.
All other controls are in the back, so I will cut a large opening in the Smena back cover and case to get access to them.
Smena lens & shutter I will disassemble away.




Best regards,
Juhani

LOL! You are insane!

Reminds me of this: A fish in a bear suit!

Hi,

let me show you this ...




Best Regards,
Aidas

Well, if I am insane then Aidas is beyond any help

What camera is it inside?

... may be this photo could help you to recognize ...



Best Regards,
Aidas

Oh boy! This is completely crazy, hehehhehehehhe! Very cool though! Didn't think anyone would actually attempt it.

Now I will HAVE to make mine, no going back

Best regards,
Juhani

I am curious on how they managed to connect that mode dial on top to the camera inside.. very interesting... Everything else is more or less easy.

Vlad

that's seemed to be easy : just a thick rubber whasher ...isn't it ?

So you think it's mechanically connected? They didn't move the electronics contacts out to the top?

Hi,

tomorrow morning i will place here the rest photographs I have of particular "digital" Smena

Best Regards,
Aidas

nice work indeed ...must be fun on other common cameras .

wow!! The Smena body is completely altered! Someone did an excellent job on it! AND It has the LCD on the back! really nice work indeed!

Some major drawbacks...

The original idea of using Smena-8 will have to be postponed, the smell of cutting the hard plastic is so terrible that it needs to be done outside!

Plan B was to use an 8M body, but I haven't got the donor. Seems that pre-1990 were with hard inside and later ones with soft plastic inside. And my usual version is old, hard plastic. The later ones suitable for cutting are special versions, so I won't use them!

Now I will search a cheap normal version of later 8M and then we go further!

Best regards,
Juhani

Okay, now getting finally done! But with "plan C"...





So the original Smena-shell, but with a much easier slim cheapie digital for 9 euros. Needing much less cutting & glueing! Still needs painting black the lens hood = "lens" with no lens and shutter any more, and adding the front ring (previous focus ring). But it needs shortening to avoid vignetting.

But the idea that from front it looks almost like an old Soviet camera is done and that ws my intention!
And I will show the inside when finished, still testing the combo!

Best regards,
Juhani

Cool work!

I am thinking about a home made digital back for a Kiev 88.. But this seems like a much easier starter project!
Keep it going! :)

Wow nice job Juhani! Somehow I missed your post.. Show us the final piece when you paint it, right now it does look a bit rough .

Christian - LOL! You can file down the Hasselblad digital back to fit the Kiev, but it'll cost you about $20,000 to do that .. 6x6 sensor is quite amazing.. with such a long body I have no idea what small pocket cam would even be able to get correct focus if mounted on the back.. this reminds me of a thread here from some time ago that someone mounted a flat bed scanner on the back of a wooden view camera to scan the glass thus getting like ridiculous resolutions of an excess 30MP.. .

Vlad

This is the thread I was mentioning:

http://www.ussrphoto.com/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=85

Vlad

And here it is, lens front ring now chopped & lens cavity = hood painted black:





And it was done from these, seen from front with lens components taken away:



Here it is easy to see my idea: cutting enough from camera back to make a holder to the digital camera. Mounted upside down to maintain lens-to-lens alignment:



Actually the hardest part was to get the digital camera lens to be in Smena lens axel, and at the same time to fit the digital camera into the Smena body dimensions, and to keep the controls usable...:



The Smena case is actaully the only thing that holds the components together, and all digital controls are unvisible from camera top/front. The case doesn't fit 100% perfectly, but neither does it on the original Smena:



And what should I call this? Smena-8D by St Karensburg's Optodigital Zavod SKODZ

Best regards,
Juhani

PS: If you ask why no flash I answer did the Smena-6 have an integrated flash? If you ask why no zoom I reply did the original Smena... And if you ask about zillion pixels remember the picture quality of the Smena

hehhehehehehe.. nice! I give you an "A" for creativity! The best part is that you can change backs

Vlad