Focusing on film: TTArtisan unveils its first-ever camera
Image: TTArtisan CP+ is barely underway, but it's already been a busy year for the International Camera and Photo Imaging Show. TTArtisan is adding to the growing list of surprises this year by announcing its first-ever camera. The brand revealed the Folding Instant Camera on its Instagram account, announcing that it is on display at CP+ in Japan. TTArtisan is best known for its lenses, though it has also dabbled in photography accessories. This is the company's first foray into cameras, however. Its Instagram post says to "stay tuned for the official launch," so details are slim at this point, with no specifics about when that "official launch" may be, even. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TTArtisan (@ttartisanofficial) What we do know is that the Folding Instant Camera is retro in more than just looks. As the imagery shows, it uses a foldable design with bellows. It will feature a fully mechanical design with a spring-loaded shutter that doesn't require batteries. The lens uses a Cooke Triplet design, which was patented in 1893. It is made up of three air-spaced elements – two biconvex lenses surrounding a biconcave lens – which helps reduce distortion and aberration. Of course, given there is no power for the camera, it will be manual focus only. TTArtisan promises soft bokeh and a bulb mode for long exposures. It will use Fujifilm Instax film and looks to be of the Mini variety. The images posted to its Instagram account suggest the camera will come in a range of colors, including blue, orange, pink, and black. TTArtisan didn't provide any information on exposure or metering, but a close look at the lens reveals what appears to be an aperture ring, shutter speed and DoF scale, suggesting full manual control, unlike most modern instant cameras. The camera looks quite nice, and the idea of manual control with instant film is intriguing. Hopefully, further details aren't too far off.
 |
| Image: TTArtisan |
CP+ is barely underway, but it's already been a busy year for the International Camera and Photo Imaging Show. TTArtisan is adding to the growing list of surprises this year by announcing its first-ever camera. The brand revealed the Folding Instant Camera on its Instagram account, announcing that it is on display at CP+ in Japan.
TTArtisan is best known for its lenses, though it has also dabbled in photography accessories. This is the company's first foray into cameras, however. Its Instagram post says to "stay tuned for the official launch," so details are slim at this point, with no specifics about when that "official launch" may be, even.
What we do know is that the Folding Instant Camera is retro in more than just looks. As the imagery shows, it uses a foldable design with bellows. It will feature a fully mechanical design with a spring-loaded shutter that doesn't require batteries. The lens uses a Cooke Triplet design, which was patented in 1893. It is made up of three air-spaced elements – two biconvex lenses surrounding a biconcave lens – which helps reduce distortion and aberration. Of course, given there is no power for the camera, it will be manual focus only.
TTArtisan promises soft bokeh and a bulb mode for long exposures. It will use Fujifilm Instax film and looks to be of the Mini variety. The images posted to its Instagram account suggest the camera will come in a range of colors, including blue, orange, pink, and black. TTArtisan didn't provide any information on exposure or metering, but a close look at the lens reveals what appears to be an aperture ring, shutter speed and DoF scale, suggesting full manual control, unlike most modern instant cameras.
The camera looks quite nice, and the idea of manual control with instant film is intriguing. Hopefully, further details aren't too far off.
