Canadian company Reveni Labs, known for its remarkably compact spot meter for analog photographers and recent automated film processing machine, has launched an affordable camera tester for repair technicians, store operators, resellers, and avid collectors.
As reported by Japan Camera Hunter and Kosmo Foto, the Reveni Labs Camera Tester promises to be exceptionally useful for the film camera community. The community agrees, having helped the camera tester eclipse its funding goal on Kickstarter with 28 days left in the campaign.
“Our favorite film cameras aren’t getting any younger. Just like any machine, they need care and maintenance to keep them working. However, the repair shops of the golden age of film are no longer in business, and many of the skilled technicians have passed away, taking their knowledge and experience with them. The tradition of passing down the trade to the next generation has broken,” explains Reveni Labs, highlighting how vital it is that not only people know how to repair cameras, but that they have access to the tools they need to make camera repairs possible.
One such tool is the Reveni Labs Camera Tester. It is a “modern device capable of advanced camera system analysis,” including curtain testing, leaf shutter efficiency testing, aperture testing, tools for frame centering for leaf shutters and lenses, and more.
The Camera Tester offers three-sensor horizontal and vertical curtain analysis, curtain-velocity compensated timing, single-sensor shutter efficiency and leaf shutter analysis, aperture and lens transmission testing, automatic exposure testing, multi-sample averaging, continuous shooting framerate testing, and flash sync input.
The device includes a backlit LCD graphical display, a 3-inch x 3-inch LED light panel, stainless steel jig rods, and powder-coated aluminum housing. Its software can be updated using USB, ensuring long-term practicality.
The new tester can analyze shutter speeds as fast as 1/12,000th of a second and shutter speeds as slow as one second. It can test apertures ranging from f/1.4 to f/32. It can do a lot, and Reveni Labs says that in ideal testing conditions, its measurements can be extremely precise. For focal plane shutter analysis, for example, it is precise to a microsecond.
The Reveni Labs Camera Tester has numerous accessory add-on options, including frames for different film formats, flashes, and cables. The Reveni Labs Camera Tester is available to backers for $500 CAD, which is about $365 USD. Reveni Labs expects that its sophisticated testing product will begin shipping in April 2024.
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Image credits: Reveni Labs