Ricoh/Pentax announced a daguerreotype camera, catching the film industry off guard. “It’s 1830s specs, but with some modern touches,” designer Takeo Suzuki stated via Instagram.
While the video doesn’t reveal many details or a launch date, Suzuki stated that the camera is in development. “We have wanted to embrace analog technology. The Film Camera Project was just stretching a bit and warming up. Pentax is now seriously throwing down.”
Following the design of inventor Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre
Pentax went on to say that their daguerreotype uses the same process as the original 1830s design. “Young people have increasingly shown interest in these kinds of cameras, and we want them to experience the joy that the early pioneering photographers felt.”
With traditional daguerreotype cameras, the photographer polished a silver-plated copper sheet until it was like a mirror. Then they zapped it with iodine and bromine vapors to make it light sensitive. After that, they inserted the sheet into the camera, where the exposure was made. The photographer then placed the exposed plate over heated mercury fumes until the image appeared. This produced a surprisingly detailed, one-of-a-kind image.
What are some of the updates to the original daguerreotype design?
Since the daguerreotype camera is still in development, Ricoh/Pentax offered few other details. However, they did state that they were exploring various materials. “The original wooden housings were often very large and cumbersome,” Suzuki stated, “so we are exploring other materials, including innovative inflatable housings.”
The company also noted that they were looking into using heated fumes “other than mercury,” noting that customers shouldn’t breathe toxic fumes.
Ricoh/Pentax is also looking at creating silver-plated copper sheets with wifi and Bluetooth connectivity so the photographer can upload their daguerreotype prints to social media easily.
Is this news an absurd head-scratcher? Yep, we got you! Happy April Fools’ Day!
Grahhh!! I was excited, thought it was real! Guess I’m the April Fool.
This particular April Fools was almost realistic enough that you might think, “Sure, Pentax might actually do that!” given their Film Camera Project. But no, making large clunky cameras that formerly used mercury vapor is a bit too far, even for them. Or at least, so we think.
If this hadn’t been done on April Fool’s Day I’d have guessed the author had already been sniffing enough mercury vapor to qualify as the Mad
HatterPhotographer.And you well may have been right. I thought, with the mercury vapor and all, as well as the copper plate and large size, that this might be too ridiculous, but I still “caught” a few people thinking this was for real.