Film camera tester helps you tune your rig

Film camera tester helps you tune your rig

Arduino Team — October 10, 2022

By their very nature, digital cameras always measure the amount of light hitting their sensors and use that information to adjust exposure times. But film cameras require adjustment to get the right exposure for a particular setup and even changing lenses can change that. Traditional calibration equipment is expensive, but this DIY film camera tester kit is an affordable alternative.

To perform the tests necessary to calibrate a film camera, you need a precision light source and an accurate exposure sensor. An exposure sensor alone works for some tests and the kit has provisions for these, but a calibrated light source helps configure the cameras built-in light meters. This kit provides both light source and exposure sensor options, with different modules available for common camera types. The complete kit enables both time-based calibration and light build-up testing for film cameras.

The key component is an Arduino Nano board, which monitors the connected exposure sensor. Using a custom shield PCB, it displays exposure results on a 20×4 character LCD display and a control interface board allows the user to configure each job. For tests that require it, there is a calibrated light source that provides highly repeatable output from exposure to exposure. The kit on Tindie is currently out of stock, but this project is open source so users can create their own film camera tester