Light Lens Lab Is Focused On Its Film Project but Cameras Are Important Too
Light Lens Lab’s old-school, Oskar Barnack-inspired rangefinder film project is back in the limelight after appearing on numerous photography websites in the past week. The project looks incredible, but although it has popped up again, it is not a current focus for Light Lens Lab, the company confirmed to PetaPixel.
Light Lens Lab last posted about its “Standard Camera Prototype” back in January 2023, and it was, at that time, in its early prototype stage. Light Lens Lab is focused on other projects right now, but it has not abandoned this prototype.
When Light Lens Lab shared the images in 2023, which are resurfacing again now, the company determined that its Standard Camera Project was not financially feasible given its production and assembly levels. In the time since, Light Lens Lab has shifted its focus toward its other mechanical camera project, the Seagull TLR Upgrade Project, and, most importantly to the company, its film development initiatives. Light Lens Lab’s most recent development update on its film project was published just a couple of weeks ago, and the company says it is progressing nicely toward large-scale production.
The prior update, published in late August, revealed Light Lens Lab’s latest progress on manufacturing and packaging its new 35mm and 120-format film.
“This journey is still ongoing, but every improvement brings us closer to launching a truly independent film that reflects our vision from start to finish,” Light Lens Lab wrote in August.
Light Lens Lab also tells PetaPixel that although it is not prioritizing its decidedly beautiful Standard Camera project, nor actively working on it at this time, it remains an objective for the company.
Light Lens Lab has a lot of balls in the air at any one time. The company is working very hard on its highly anticipated film project. The company is sharing regular updates about it, and even more is expected in the coming weeks. Light Lens Lab has made significant progress on its film and is now preparing its facilities for mass production. Light Lens Lab says its utmost priority is the success of its film project. Everything else follows from there.
On the camera side of things, Light Lens Lab’s Seagull TLR Upgrade Project is the primary focus. This project, last updated in July 2023, will be completed before Light Lens Lab returns to its Standard Camera Project, the company tells PetaPixel.
As for optics, which encompasses Light Lens Lab’s most prominent work, like the fantastic 50mm f/1.5 Z21 lens that launched earlier this year, Light Lens Lab says it remains intensely focused on developing new glass.
On the one hand, given that Light Lens Lab is so open about its ongoing development projects, there are bound to be great ideas that either take a very long time to materialize or never get completed at all. But on the other hand, it’s fantastic that the company shares what it’s working on and provides photographers with a rare view at the work that goes into developing new products. We expect to learn even more about Light Lens Lab’s film project very soon, which is excellent news for analog enthusiasts. Once that’s completed, there will be fresh progress on the company’s interesting camera projects, too.
Image credits: Light Lens Lab
