Beginner question here: My grandfather gave me both of his cameras, because he’s suffering from Macular degeneration and can’t use them anymore. One of his Cameras is the EOS IX which works with the discontinued APS-films. Is there any way to still use this camera? Or will just be a (relatively) pretty paperweight?
The other camera is a Canon A-1 in a very good condition, so I think i have a decent foundation to start a new hobby.
No tips here but a photographer with macular degeneration is a special kind of horrible. My sympathies to your grandfather.
You‘re basically out of luck. APS is a dead format. Your only possibility is finding expired APS cartridges and shooting those. I have an old EOS IX7 that I got for like 20€ because I happened to have two expired rolls of APS. And even that wasn’t really worth it and I just did it for the lolz and I already had a compatible lens.
Your best bet is probably to take the lenses for your IX and use them on other cameras. If it’s an EF-S lens, you can use it on any Canon EOS DSLR and if it’s a regular EF lens, you can use it on any EOS SLR or DSLR. You could get an EOS 500 or similar 35mm camera body for close to nothing on eBay and get some use out of it, given it’s not an EF-S lens.
Thank you for your advice! Thats what I already feared, but I’ll try to make use of the lense.
Not familiar with the APS form factor, but is it possible to buy some of the canisters and bulk roll it yourself? You can buy large rolls of motion picture film for bulk rolling. Depending on the size of APS you may have to cut the film yourself. You will also very likely have to develop yourself as most labs won’t touch films with a remjet layer.
Edit: incase it wasn’t apparent you’d have to do this in a darkroom.
Not really possible. Besides APS film being smaller, the sprockets are spaced differently, the film has a magnetic strip and the cartridges are basically unworkable without the right equipment. It’s a dead format…
I’m not familiar with the eos ix. If it’s a different gauge film it would be a matter of sourcing it and then finding out if your local photo shop processes it or learn to develop it yourself. A-1 is still pretty popular these days. I have an ae1 I use time to time. FD lenses are still being used in mirrorless world so can be easy to find in second hand market.
Enjoy! Film photography isn’t just for the hipsters. It’s hella fun and the purest form of the craft itself. Just expensive…
Thank you for your kind and motivating words! The eos ix uses APS film which come in a special casing that isn’t produced anymore, meaning you won’t get new films anymore. I was (faintly) hoping for way to use a camera that has no compatible films available.
They do make digital film cartridges that might work for at least one of your cameras: It effectively replaced the film with a microsensor on old cameras
I know, but those cartridges work for the camera I still can buy films for.
Could I’m back film (Kickstarter) be an option, once it actually arrives?
I believe the current offering takes the form factor of a 35mm cannister. It won’t physically fit in an APS camera.
Ah, ok. I don’t know photography stuff. Just remembered hearing about this recently.
