A Domokon? A TTL reflex camera? This is an unlikely product review as it gets and we haven't even gotten our hands on one to see it first hand but it is intriguing.

The Domokon Experimental

Cardboard TTL Film Reflex Camera 

Overall View

I’m not sure where this came from. All I know is that this story is actually two years old by the time the images reached my desk but here it is – the Domokon Experimental, to give it its full name. This is a TTL reflex film camera with a non-interchangeable lens and other than the glass in the lens and mirror, everything is made from cardboard!

If you think it’s crude, think again. In the photo above, you can see that the person who crafted it has to be an engineer or at least one who possesses an engineering mind. The blueprint with three-dimensional pencilled drawings is clearly visible and what’s more, you can also see a few interesting clues too such as another ‘prototype’ in the far corner (behind the Domokon) and a strip of film. My guess is that the film was cut to length to estimate the geometry for the Domokon’s feeder and take-up spools.

From this view, it’s obvious where the lens is. The brownish looking ‘baseplate’ is interesting and I think it’s there to give the camera some form of stiffness to keep the whole cardboard camera rigid. The same coloured back is removable; somewhat like the releasable film camera back. A chopped-off pencil holds the film in place and there’s a tiny winding spooler as well. It’s obvious that the orange-coloured arches are a key feature here. By the looks of the three-stage lens barrel, I would say that focusing is adjustable. As you will see in later photographs, the point of interest and the one feature that has the greatest engineering input is the mirror box.