Do you or someone in your family have a Leica M2 tucked away? For starters, it’s a piece of history in itself, since the most famous photo of Che Guevara was taken with that camera, but it’s also one of the best examples of “retro cameras” you’ll come across. Interested in the idea of reusing a camera like the Leica M2 without depending on film rolls or making permanent modifications? The project is called I’m Back, and the “magic” comes through a Raspberry Pi 3.
“Retro is back” is no longer worth debating. Remakes and reboots in cinema, Nintendo preparing a new version of its most famous console — the examples abound. In the DIY world, the comeback is even more intense, as we find all sorts of projects based on arcade machines, Game Boy systems turned into emulators, old AM radios that play MP3s, 128 gigabytes inside a floppy disk, and much more. But what about cameras? Photography enthusiasts try to do everything possible to use their cameras and lenses under the same original conditions the manufacturer set at the time, a reasonable choice given how complex and delicate certain models are. However, that doesn't stop the “old” and the “new” from teaming up in an… unusual way, if you will. With that said, let’s take a closer look at I’m Back.
The idea is to take a Raspberry Pi 3, connect a compatible camera module (with a maximum resolution of 8 MP for the moment), and use an analog camera as the lens and shutter mechanism. The case is 3D printed and flexible enough to fit a wide range of cameras, including the aforementioned Leica, Olympus, Nikon, Pentax, and others. I’m Back requires a certain calibration process, so to speak, since not all cameras are made equal, and the project still needs to polish the software side (the plan is to hire a Python programmer to create a sleeker solution), but it’s progressing.
I’m Back has already received all the basic funding it needs through Kickstarter, so the rest depends on how much you want to work to make it function. The I’m Back files, along with the materials list and instructions, cost 18 euros. The already-printed device raises the price to 99 euros, and if you prefer the complete option with all components, its value is 349 euros. We could debate for a long time how practical I’m Back is, but I love the idea that something like this is possible.
