This Photographer Built an Awesome Medium-Format Rangefinder, and so Can You

Dec 06, 2025

Jeremy Gray

On the left, a close-up of a modern, 3D-printed film camera. On the right, a black and white photo of a pony standing in tall grass on hilly terrain under a cloudy sky.

Photographer Albert Cornelissen wanted a medium-format rangefinder camera that could utilize great glass and wouldn’t break the bank. The second restriction meant the legendary Mamiya 7 and Fujifilm GF670 cameras were out of the question, so Cornelissen took matters into his own hands and built his dream camera: The MRF2.

“The MRF2 is the second version of the (M)edium-format (R)ange(F)inder — a truly unique camera that combines old and new technology for a one-of-a-kind analog photography experience,” Cornelissen explains. “Built for the Mamiya Press lens system, it uses microelectronics and software to bring a modern lens-coupled, LiDAR-powered medium-format rangefinder to life.”

A close-up view of a black camera body with no lens attached, revealing the lens mount. The camera has a viewfinder, a grip labeled "NEW DEM-8 35/37," and various buttons and dials. — The MRF2

A close-up view of a black and gray 3D-printed camera adapter with a large mount ring, red accents, and various textured surfaces.

A black, boxy, retro-styled camera with angular edges, a round lens opening, red and black buttons, and a prominent viewfinder, photographed on a white background.

While the photographer sells a fully assembled version of his camera on his website for $1,156, although it is currently sold out, his project is entirely open source. Anyone can access his 3D-printable files, read the instructions, and learn everything they need to make their very own medium-format rangefinder camera on Github.

“The camera-making community is amazing. They are welcoming, open to share knowledge, and super encouraging. I’ve built and shot cameras designed by Oscar Oweson (Panomicron), Mario (SPRKPLG), and many others. People like Ethan of Cameradactyl are also extremely inspirational. How could I not give back?” the photographer tells PetaPixel of his decision to keep his project accessible to all. “I am also a firm believer in the ethos of open source, and hope that others can build on and improve my work!”

As for the MRF2, Cornelissen also drew inspiration from his peers for this new camera.

A close-up of a black and dark blue film camera with its back cover open, revealing the film compartment and internal components. Wires and buttons are visible on the side and bottom.

Five black rectangular film slide mounts with large cut-out windows are arranged on a white surface. Three mounts are in the front row and two are in the back row.

Close-up of a black 3D-printed camera with a round lens, a small digital display showing "1", and a white control dial on the right. An arrow is embossed above the dial on the camera's top right.

“I had made and shot some of the excellent cameras by Mario from SPRKPLG that use the Mamiya Press lenses, and realized I could use those lenses as a starting point to design my own modern rangefinder,” the photographer tells PetaPixel.

“Oscar Oweson from Panomicron had released the Thulium not long before, and that was the perfect foundation to start with. At that point in time off-the-shelf hobbyist electronics to tie this all together had also started to become much more accessible. So it was the perfect storm and a few years later the MRF became reality.”

The DIY camera community is rich, diverse, and very generous. It has helped Cornelissen in many ways over the years, and the MRF2 is certainly not his first rodeo, as the camera’s name suggests. He started working with 3D-printed camera parts and modifications a few years ago, designing and sharing files to mount the Lomograflok Instax Wide back to Polaroid Pathfinder cameras.

A man stands on the back deck of a canal boat on a calm river, surrounded by leafy trees. Sunlight filters through the branches, casting dappled shadows on the water and the boat.

A man stands outdoors wearing a backpack and a camera around his neck. He looks at the camera, with trees, people, and part of a building in the background on a sunny day. The image is in black and white.

Two large, diagonal concrete beams frame a cityscape with a cathedral in the background. Two people are seated on a low wall in the middle ground, and the sky is cloudy. The image is black and white.

Black-and-white photo of an old graveyard with weathered headstones and stone pathways, surrounded by leafless trees. A building is visible in the background. Film sprocket holes frame the image.

A black and white photo of an old, weathered camper van parked in an overgrown yard, surrounded by trees and bushes. The image includes film sprocket holes along the edges.

Black-and-white photo of stone buildings with sloped roofs, bare trees, and a tall church steeple in the background. The image is framed by the borders of a strip of 35mm film.

Black and white photo of an old industrial building near a railway track, surrounded by dense trees and rolling hills under a partly cloudy sky. The scene is peaceful and slightly elevated.

A row of old stone buildings with slate roofs on a grassy area, surrounded by trees under a cloudy sky. The scene appears quiet and historic.

A row of old millstones leans against a rustic stone building with a wooden window. An aged wooden bench sits nearby, and grass grows among the stones, giving the scene an abandoned, historical feel.

“That set me on the path of designing and building cameras like a tiny clone of the Bight, a Polaroid SLR, a 4×5 rangefinder that was the precursor to the MRF, as well as numerous little bits and pieces to make the analog photography experience just a little more pleasant,” Cornelissen says.

He has been a lifelong hobbyist photographer with extensive experience across a wide range of formats. He says he also loves making things, so “these passions were bound to cross paths sooner or later!”

While some DIY camera builds can be quite complicated and require specific expertise, which is not necessarily a bad thing, Cornelissen’s MRF2 has gone through “many iterations” to make it as easy to build as possible. He says the biggest hurdle for many will likely be the electronics, but that said, “it’s mostly plug and play, with minimal soldering.”

“And you’ll hopefully have fun and learn lots along the way,” the photographer and builder says. He has an excellent YouTube video below that goes through the entire building process so people can follow along.

The MRF2 can do a lot. It features custom PCBs, custom firmware, LiDAR-based lens-coupled focusing, dual OLED displays, and 3D-printed parts, ensuring it is versatile, configurable, and supports multiple film formats. The camera can capture 35mm panoramas and shoot in 6×4.5, 6×6, 6×7, and 6×9 formats, has a light meter, a horizon level indicator, and an external display that shows relevant exposure, battery, and format information. Most importantly, as the sample images throughout this article show, the MRF2 can capture incredible photos.

Black and white photo of an old industrial building near a railway track, surrounded by dense trees and rolling hills under a partly cloudy sky. The scene is peaceful and slightly elevated.

A row of old stone buildings with slate roofs on a grassy area, surrounded by trees under a cloudy sky. The scene appears quiet and historic.

A row of old millstones leans against a rustic stone building with a wooden window. An aged wooden bench sits nearby, and grass grows among the stones, giving the scene an abandoned, historical feel.

Black and white photo of a rugged mountain landscape with a large hill, a reflective lake in the foreground, rocky terrain, and cloudy skies above.

Black and white photo of a rugged, steep mountain slope with rocky textures and sparse vegetation under a cloudy sky.

Black and white photo of a rocky mountain reflected in a still lake, with cloudy skies above. The shoreline is covered in rocks, and the scene feels calm and remote.

Black and white photo of large stone arches and ruins of an old abbey or church, showing weathered, detailed masonry, with grassy grounds and hills visible through the arches in the background.

A white pony stands in tall grass on a moorland, with rolling hills and cloudy skies in the background. The black-and-white photo creates a calm, timeless atmosphere.

A windswept, leafless tree grows out of the edge of a rocky cliff, leaning sharply to the left. Rolling hills and a cloudy sky are visible in the background. The image is black and white.