Taking EBS to the next level: Introducing the 'Buckshot EBS Revolver'

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Introducing the Buckshot EBS Revolver

Credits: buckshot

As I said in the teaser launch blog for this ‘mystery product’, every big idea since the dawn of mankind started out with the simple question, “What if…?”.

Well, the simple question I asked myself — while sitting on a commuter train to work one morning in early May this year, contemplating my next symmetrical EBS project, and trying to think up a way to take some of the pain and technical difficulty out of shooting with this technique — was this: “What if you could simply turn the film around inside the camera…?”.

After having this ‘revolutionary’ idea, I spent many more train journeys thinking through how it might be possible to build such a camera, or to adapt an existing one that would do the trick. The questions were many — What camera to start with? Which parts to cut away? How to achieve the rotation? How to wind the film? How to ensure perfect alignment? How to make it light-proof? How to not obscure the viewfinder? What materials to use? What tools to use? — and they all posed challenges of their own.

However, I like challenges like this, and I like building ‘stuff’ generally, so once I’d got a basic approach sorted out in my mind, I started building a prototype. I’ll spare you all the messy details; suffice it to say that, five months of weekend labouring later, I now have a working prototype of what is, as far as I’m aware, the first camera in the history of photography that allows you to flip the film around while it’s inside the camera.

Let’s have a closer look at this beast!

And here are some shots from my first test rolls

Credits: buckshot

Yes, it shoots vertical EBS on 35mm film too…!

Credits: buckshot

You can see more of these test shots in my album Talkin' 'bout a revolution.

With a few minor modifications, and with a few things I’ve learned from shooting these test rolls, I hope to be able to get better shots out of this baby soon…

In the meantime, thank you for reading/watching, and thank you for your interest!

Love & bullets,
buckshot.

written by buckshot on 2014-10-13

41 Comments

  1. neanderthalis
    neanderthalis ·

    Brilliant execution!

  2. gauthierdumonde
    gauthierdumonde ·

    Dude you're a genious

  3. nia_ffm
    nia_ffm ·

    Wow!!! What a great idea! I love the Lego part! Great idea, great camera, great video! I hope Lomography buys the idea and you become a millionaire or you just build one for all of us ;) Brilliant!

  4. bloomchen
    bloomchen ·

    Awesome work mate. Brilliant idea. And great results. Keep it up. I especially like the TLR things becuase you are really able to see what you shoot. It is not only estimating through the viewer.

  5. mafiosa
    mafiosa ·

    Amazing!!! Well done @buckshot.

  6. bravopires
    bravopires ·

    Brilliant!!!

  7. clickiemcpete
    clickiemcpete ·

    That was very very fun. You are a creative genius sir! :D

  8. iamtheju
    iamtheju ·

    Genius ;) I would love to have one.
    If lomography aren't going to start making 220 film then they should work with you to make a more compact 35mm version.

  9. gepo1303
    gepo1303 ·

    You're a real Lomo-freak :-)

  10. thejomi
    thejomi ·

    Now modify for 120 film and take my money! :)

  11. sandravo
    sandravo ·

    This is seriously awesome! I so want one of these :D

  12. gepo1303
    gepo1303 ·

    The genius! Love the choice of Lego...

  13. weleasewoger72
    weleasewoger72 ·

    This is amazing! Well done mate!

  14. jean_louis_pujol
    jean_louis_pujol ·

    Amazing!!!! very clever! eager to see other results with this camera!

  15. buckshot
    buckshot ·

    @neanderthalis, @gauthierdumonde, @nia_ffm, @bloomchen, @mafiosa, @bravopires, @clickiemcpete, @iamtheju, @poepel, @gepo1303, @thjomi, @sandravo, @weleasewoger72 and @jean_louis_pujol: Thank you all so much for your incredibly kind and generous feedback - it's particularly encouraging to get support like this from such great Lomographers as you guys...! thanks a million! :-)

  16. stacy_mcpommes
    stacy_mcpommes ·

    How cool is this!!! Congrats on your first results, they're great!!

  17. tsingtao
    tsingtao ·

    Wow!! You are a genius!!!

  18. mrmaart
    mrmaart ·

    @BUCKSHOT - please come over to Amsterdam with your machine and blow away all lomographers down here. The beers are on me.

  19. buckshot
    buckshot ·

    @mrmaart Free beer...? You're talkin' my language, friend...! :-)

  20. vici
    vici ·

    Genius!

  21. mrmaart
    mrmaart ·

    sure @buckshot. get in touch with madri.vanveldhuizen@lomography.com en arrange that exciting EBS meet up!

  22. oliviermenard
    oliviermenard ·

    This idea is absolute genius !!! I have successfully a few 35 mm films last year and i dreamed of medium format EBS but it appeared too dificult to achieve and I even did'nt try it. Super congratulations !!! And thank you very bery much to share your tricks with you very good kittel film. Friendly. Olivier

  23. alienmeatsack
    alienmeatsack ·

    Very cool! (He says a month late.) Seriously, I dig the idea and the fun and thought you put into it. And the results are very nice.

  24. forceusr
    forceusr ·

    I am speechless. Crazy cool.

  25. fotobes
    fotobes ·

    inspired and inspiring - well done!!

  26. stouf
    stouf ·

    Holly shit how could I miss it? Fantastic idea and execution! Congratulations!

  27. digitaljunk
    digitaljunk ·

    Great effort with this camera modification. And the best use of 220 film I've seen!

  28. nural
    nural ·

    Oh my goodness!! this is brilliant!!!

  29. euripidesaltintzoglou
    euripidesaltintzoglou ·

    Epic shit! Speechless...

  30. hodachrome
    hodachrome ·

    I don't know how to say.. I witnessed the evolution of EBS. Pls come to Japan and let's have a EBS session with me!

  31. buckshot
    buckshot ·

    @hodachrome Ah, that would be an honour and a great pleasure, my friend! Japan is kind of far away, but who knows... maybe one of these days! Thanks a lot for your interest, Hodaka :-)

  32. schlogoat
    schlogoat ·

    Amazing!

  33. lonur
    lonur ·

    spectacular!

  34. superlighter
    superlighter ·

    Some people have great Visions like the One on your T-shirt :) Fantastic!

  35. superlighter
    superlighter ·

    Some people have great Visions like the One on your T-shirt :) Fantastic!

  36. buckshot
    buckshot ·

    @superlighter Ah, yes, Roger Waters — a great man indeed! :-) Thanks for your interest!

  37. b2377
    b2377 ·

    @buckshot So how do we go about getting @lomography to manufacture this and not charge a small fortune for it?

  38. buckshot
    buckshot ·

    @b2377 I guess it would be cool if they decided to produce a simpler, affordable version, but then I wouldn't be the only person in the world to have one, so they'd have to pay me a BIG fortune for the idea...! ;-)

  39. b2377
    b2377 ·

    @buckshot Absolutely, they would! :) Ever thought about starting a Kickstarter or GoFundMe campaign so you could make more of these and sell them yourself?

  40. joeribt
    joeribt ·

    @buckshot I loved this and, like the previous poster, I immediately thought of Kickstarter. Fix the last few errors, replace the lego with, well, other Lego, and you'll have me backing this! Very cool and congrats!

  41. lafilledeer
    lafilledeer ·

    Amazing!