FilmNeverDie’s Nana Camera: Updates, Apologies, and What’s Next

The Vision Behind the Nana Camera

3 years ago we launched our first camera, the Niji- a simple plastic point and shoot reusable film camera. We have had a lot of fun with the Niji, capturing wonderful memories on film. But as they say change is the only constant, and it felt like time for an upgrade!

The Niji and Nana Cameras side by side!

Our vision behind the Nana cam is to provide the community and beginner film photographers with an upgrade from disposable and plastic cameras. We wanted to bring a 35mm point and shoot camera to the market that was more reliable, and newly manufactured. This makes it easier to get replacement parts and perform repairs if there is ever an issue with the camera. We know that the popularity of point and shoot cameras and film photography in general has skyrocketed in recent years. As such, cameras are becoming more expensive, and repairs increasingly difficult as replacement parts become more and more scarce. We hope the Nana camera can bridge a gap here.

We also wanted to provide a ‘level up’ to the typical single use and reusable plastic film cameras. The Nana camera has an improved optical system and has a motor, making film advancement, loading and rewinding the camera easier and faster! We know this could make a big difference to those photographers just starting out in film.

The camera also features a metal body- a significant upgrade that increases the durability of the camera. It looks pretty sleek too!

For full FAQs head to our Kickstarter page here

Some of the first ever Nana protoypes!

Key Features of the Nana Camera

1. Motorized Magic: No more manual winding! Nana takes care of that for you, making your photo-taking process smoother and more enjoyable.

2. Aesthetically Pleasing- a Metal Body: Inspired by the finely crafted Contax T2, Nana boasts a premium metal body casing with a minimalist design. It's a step up from the Niji and the typical 35mm reusable cameras.

3. Sharper Shots: Nana is designed with a new optical system that excels not only in portraits but also in capturing breathtaking landscapes with improved sharpness compared to the Niji.

Tech specs of the Nana Cam:

• 31mm f/11 fixed lens , 1/125s , 1 element lens ( updated from 31mm f/9, when first published this blog)
• Dual focus mode achieved by adding a different lens element on the front of 30mm thread (updated from shifting the film plane of the camera)
• Built-in flash
• Operates on AA batteries
• Sturdy metal front casing
• Motorised film wind on and wind off (toggle button)

To learn more about the Nana cam and its journey, head to this blog

Testing new colour ways, a bronze prototype edition of the Nana Camera, a gift for Gary's wife

The Journey of our Kickstarter Campaign

We launched the Nana camera on Kickstarter on Friday 17th May. The Nana camera is the product of hard work, research and collaboration with various suppliers within the film photography community and industry. It features some key advancements from the Niji camera.

The launch was met with much excitement and enthusiasm, as well as some justifiable concerns. We are proud and thankful to all those in the community who have supported this journey and backed the Nana campaign. Thank you for your belief in FilmNeverDie!

How did the community contribute to the success of the campaign? In every way possible! Not only through your support on social media and engaging in the campaign, but also through asking questions and raising concerns. You have held us accountable to certain areas which may have been overlooked, and we appreciate the community holding us to high standards, so we can always strive to do better.

The Nana camera: addressing controversy and concerns

Did FilmNeverDie design the Nana Camera from scratch?

It is our dream to turn the Nana camera into a real product that the film community can love and enjoy. But it is important that we move forward in the next steps of the Nana journey with integrity, and transparency.

We have seen some comments and queries on social media about whether the Nana camera is simply a M301 camera with a metal body. Is the Nana just a re-shell of another camera? We realise we may have confused and misled our followers with what was said on our Instagram live, and we apologise for this (Instagram lives are nerve wracking!). The Nana camera has not been made from scratch, although the ideas and innovations behind the camera have come from the FilmNeverDie team. We did leverage existing parts and manufacturing capabilities for most components, as mentioned in our story and main campaign, hence there may be some similarities with the M301 camera. We're grateful for the support of a 200-person strong factory that's helping us bring this project to life.

The Nana Camera features a metal body. Although this may seem a simple addition to the camera, it is in-fact a lengthy process that involves custom tooling and considerable investment. We believe that the metal body is a significant upgrade to the camera, and provides durability and style to the humble point and shoot!

While the idea for the Nana Camera was conceived from scratch, our goal is to continually improve every aspect of the Nana Camera - from the body to the shutter to the lens. However, we recognise that innovation happens in small steps. We see the Nana camera as a stepping stone to what will be a great and innovative camera. We are a small independent business, and don’t have the resources or capabilities to completely ‘reinvent the wheel’ when it comes to this camera. But we hope that with your support, we'll continue to innovate and make the Nana Camera v2, v3, and beyond even better.

Did FilmNeverDie back their own campaign?

We are thrilled with the support we have had from the film community throughout the Nana campaign. We believe in this camera and are determined to see it off the ground! We have had 136 backers and raised $53,852 of our $50,000 goal, which is incredible!

However we would like to acknowledge that some of us, as individual team members did contribute to this. We are in communication with Kickstarter to see if anything needs to be rectified, please see below a note from Gary.

A Message from FilmNeverDie’s Co-founder, Gary Wong

“Hi All,

First of all, I just want to say Thank You ! Your responses were overwhelming!

Thanks to all backers that believe in FilmNeverDie.

I also like to apologise that I, Gary Wong, backed my company’s Kickstarter campaign. We are working with Kickstarter and all the backers to make sure they know the situation and are not misled or deceived in any way.

Thank you for your patience and trust in the FilmNeverDie team. We endeavour to move forward with the Nana camera with integrity and transparency.

Let’s stay positive, shoot negative.
Cheers,
Gary”

 

Sample image from the Nana Cam, shot on Kodak Gold 200

Refund Policy

We understand that some backers may feel misled or concerned about some of the issues brought to light during this campaign. If you're a backer and feel in any way deceived or misled, we'd like to offer our apologies and the chance for you to retract your backing and receive a refund.

However, we'd like to reiterate that we still think this will be an incredible camera when it is released in December, later this year. We still believe in the vision of the Nana camera and ask for your faith and patience with us.

If you have concerns or would like to chat to us about a refund, please get in touch at shoot@filmneverdie.com

Nana Camera delivery timeline

Deliver timelines for the Nana camera will still be the same as outlined on the Kickstarter. The Nana Camera will take 7 months for us to deliver, aiming to do so in December 2024 for the first 250 units and then Feb 2025 for the rest of the units.

We have since moved into production mode for the first batch and are getting lens samples made as we speak, will keep you all posted with all the progress.

In the meantime, if you have missed the chance of pledging the Nana Camera on Kickstarter but still like to pre-order (at a higher than the Kickstarter early bird price), please follow the link here.

Our hopes and dreams for the Nana Camera

We have so much gratitude to the film community and those who have supported the Nana camera Kickstarter campaign- thank you! We know the journey has had it’s challenges, but moving forward we are committed to transparency and addressing any concerns. We are excited about the future of this camera, and although this the first step- we truly believe that this camera will enhance the film photography experience. We hope you will share this excitement with us.

Thank you for believing in the vision behind Nana, and for holding us accountable. We look forward to delivering the Nana Camera to you soon and embarking on this creative journey together. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Stay tuned for future Nana cam updates!

Team FilmNeverDie

Sample image from the Nana Camera, shot on Portra 400