It is 2024 and there is a 3D printed Barnack body available to buy online

[Al Brown]

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You can find it under Project B23 "Barnack Reimagined" from Midnight Camera Repair. Albert Tong from Hong Kong has been meticulously designing, 3D printing and testing polymer bodies for Barnack mechanisms. His  goal is better ergonomics and about 95 grams of weight reduction. It mounts over a Leica iiif but can fit a couple of other Barnacks as well. You can opt for no slow shutter speed dial, film reminder bracket on the back, quick load spool, taller shutter button, clip-on 28mm finder and everything is apparently reversible. The lens mounts to the original mount on the mechanism body. It also comes with assembly instructions and you need a donor camera for the mechanism "skeleton".
Intrigued? YOu can see Albert's quest on his instagram @midnightcamerarepair

NO AFFILIATION, have not even seen one in person, a friend of a friend bought one and posted on his story.
Does the project make sense? Does it arouse your interest? Comment below.

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[andybarton]

Does the project make sense? Does it arouse your interest?

1. Does it work?

2. Why - there are thousands of Barnaks out there and you need to pull one apart to make this thing.

So, no, I don't think it makes any sense, apart from in a "Look what I can do" way.

[TomB_tx]

24 minutes ago, andybarton said:

Why - there are thousands of Barnaks out there and you need to pull one apart to make this thing.

That rubs me the wrong way too, if it means ruining a classic. But they do claim it is reversable - can put the works back into the original body. On the other hand if the original body shell is damaged enough to be unusable, this could result in a working camera - if the internal works survived whatever damaged the body shell. I do like to experiment, but this seems a bit extreme.

[Anbaric]

 

[frame-it]

1 hour ago, Al Brown said:

You can find it under Project B23 "Barnack Reimagined" from Midnight Camera Repair. Albert Tong from Hong Kong has been meticulously designing, 3D printing and testing polymer bodies for Barnack mechanisms
Does the project make sense? Does it arouse your interest? Comment below.

 

i talked about this a few years back but specifically for 3d scanning the metal components that people usually need and then using a metal 3d printer with steel, for spare parts etc

but was ridiculed on this forum

Edited September 28, 2024 by frame-it

[Anbaric]

Fabricating unavailable spares from metal seems like a sensible idea. Our local B&Q hardware store has an automated key-cutting kiosk that is basically a 3D scanner and some sort of specialised CNC machine. It scans your key and makes a copy like a Star Trek replicator, only with more grinding.

Making a plastic LTM body when you presumably already have a metal body with the works in it, not so much.

[TomB_tx]

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There is a stereo camera available to use even with the $200 3-D printer I have that can scan parts and make a 3-D file to print copies (in plastic). They show examples of gears and other mechanical parts. Metal printing is too expensive for me (still use lathe and mill) but I'm tempted to see what the camera scanning can do.

[250swb]

An LTM body costs £400 at most, and there are plenty about, and even a donor may need a CLA, so the costs of going plastic soon ramp up, and it's not even attractive plastic, it looks like Fred Flintstone whittled it.

Edited September 28, 2024 by 250swb

[willeica]

On 9/28/2024 at 2:17 PM, Al Brown said:

You can find it under Project B23 "Barnack Reimagined" from Midnight Camera Repair. Albert Tong from Hong Kong has been meticulously designing, 3D printing and testing polymer bodies for Barnack mechanisms. His  goal is better ergonomics and about 95 grams of weight reduction. It mounts over a Leica iiif but can fit a couple of other Barnacks as well. You can opt for no slow shutter speed dial, film reminder bracket on the back, quick load spool, taller shutter button, clip-on 28mm finder and everything is apparently reversible. The lens mounts to the original mount on the mechanism body. It also comes with assembly instructions and you need a donor camera for the mechanism "skeleton".
Intrigued? YOu can see Albert's quest on his instagram @midnightcamerarepair

NO AFFILIATION, have not even seen one in person, a friend of a friend bought one and posted on his story.
Does the project make sense? Does it arouse your interest? Comment below.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

For a collector this would be a ‘complete no go area’. Even for a user it is much less fun than using a camera that may be between 70 and 100 years old. The cost of a CLA is irrelevant as there is a chalk and cheese difference. The Jurassic Park quote is apt, but this has even less justification. In fact an FSU copy or fake would have more validity.

There are a lot of joy killing technologies around these days, including many applications of so-called AI. Seeking better ergonomics and weight reduction in an already light camera is ridiculous, as it misses the point about using such a camera. My recommendation would be that the man from Hong Kong should come up with a completely new design which would have far more validity and justification. 
 

William

[qqphot]

I'm not sure I understand the purpose - is it just to make the body somewhat lighter?

[Anbaric]

On 9/29/2024 at 6:34 PM, qqphot said:

I'm not sure I understand the purpose - is it just to make the body somewhat lighter?

I'm not sure I do either. Maybe they just love plastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUc8vkO3oxY

[pippy]

I'm going to be 'contrary' - to an extent - in that my own view is in the 'Hey; Whyever Not?!' camp.

Curiosity-value aside I certainly wouldn't choose to have one myself and, as has already been mentioned, there are many reasons why this exercise seems to be rather pointless (to put it mildly!) but if the originator of the project simply came up with the idea and thought that they would like to take it to its conclusion I can fully understand that mindset. It's quite an achievement in its own way.

There are hundreds of thousands of prospective 'donor bodies' out there which can be picked-up for (in Leica terms) peanuts so I can see why a few 'Camera Enthusiasts' (as opposed to 'Camera Collectors') might acquire one due to its inherent novelty value as a very unusual curio. As the kit is fully reversible it's not as if any harm will be done to the Leica in the process.

Who knows? There is also the chance that Herr Barnack himself - were he to have been around to see it - would have found the project to be of some interest from the engineering point of view.

A hearty 'Chapeau!' from this quarter.

😺

Philip.

[BernardC]

It's a fun proof of concept. There isn't much need for a replacement camera body, because the body isn't a common point of failure, but the fact that it can be done is a step on the path of creating a complete camera from 3D printed parts and common fasteners.

[romualdo]

On 10/1/2024 at 8:15 PM, Anbaric said:

I'm not sure I do either. Maybe they just love plastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUc8vkO3oxY

or a "White Rabbit"

[Anbaric]

1 hour ago, romualdo said:

or a "White Rabbit"

I think the designer has followed the white rabbit, and ended up with a white elephant. But everyone needs a hobby!