Light Lens Lab Is Making an All-New Film Camera

Light Lens Lab has shown off one of its many photography projects, showing that it is in the early stages of making an all-new film camera.

Light Lens Lab may be best known for its excellent lenses, many of which faithfully recreate classic lenses that are either very hard to find or prohibitively expensive for most photographers to enjoy.

However, as the company has detailed recently, Light Lens Lab is also working on developing an all-new black-and-white film emulsion, a monumental task in and of itself, and new peel-apart film.

Now it’s time to add yet another product category to Light Lens Lab’s ambitions: An analog camera.

While Light Lens Lab writes on Instagram that it is in “extremely early development” of a new camera and will not be making a more formal announcement “anytime soon,” it is hard not to be excited by what Light Lens Lab is working on.

The short video teaser above shows a fairly straightforward-looking, 3D-printed camera body prototype. The camera shape itself is reminiscent of a classic Leica rangefinder, channeling the vintage vibes of many of Light Lens Lab’s M-Mount lenses. The project is in such an early stage, and Light Lens Lab has shared so few details, that just about anything is possible.

“The camera is, at the moment, a rough prototype,” Light Lens Lab tells PetaPixel. “We are also not related to any previous project that we worked on, like lenses and are creating something of our own. It will have automatic features and also new patent-pending technologies.”

As for what these patent-pending technologies could be, Light Lens Lab is keeping details close to the vest since its patent is, as it says, pending.

Light Lens Lab is very far from releasing its camera, telling PetaPixel that it is targeting sometime between 2027 and 2030 for release.

Given the company’s massive investment in making all-new film, a new analog camera makes a ton of sense. Between its lenses, the new film, and a new camera, Light Lens Lab will make an end-to-end analog photography system.

Light Lens Lab continues to work out the kinks of its all-new black-and-white film | Light Lens Lab

Then there’s Light Lens Lab’s teaser headline: “Recreating Legacy, Engineering Tomorrow.” To me, that suggests Light Lens Lab may want to take the same approach to reviving classic rangefinder lenses as it does to bringing back a classic rangefinder camera for a modern audience.

In any event, Light Lens Lab is making yet another new photography product, further solidifying its well-earned reputation as a passionate and ambitious maker. PetaPixel can’t wait to learn more.

Image creditsLight Lens Lab