16/1/2023
I'm suuupppppper excited to share some updates with you.
The shutter
This is the shutter, borrowed from existing Mint camera designs and has proven to work well. Although the basic design hasn't changed, we upgraded the speed of this shutter electronically to make it faster. It took us quite a while just to get this part right - battling with shutter speed testers, high speed cameras, a lot of components, and some clever programming... man am I glad it works now and I really hope it'll pay off.
Supply chain challenges
When the film camera industry was booming, around thirty years ago, many components were available off-the-shelf.
Nowadays, one of the biggest challenges is getting the right components for your design. Sometimes you design something, and it can't be mass produced at a reasonable cost, you have to redesign it. We try to be creative and work around whatever inventory the supply chain has to offer. Sometimes it means the components have to be completely reinvented.
Good news:
With our experience in making Mint cameras, we have been working under these conditions from day one. Well-established relationships with suppliers means things get done quicker and access to rare parts.
Financial challenges
R&D is a very capital intensive process. We are basically betting our whole company on this project. So far we haven't asked for any investor money, and we're not planning to. My biggest fear is to be pressured by an investor and compromise on quality.
Prototype #1
Well, of course this is not the first prototype... we've already done countless mock-ups before reaching this stage. But I want to call this Prototype #1 because it is the first one that really works and is able to snap real pictures.
How you can help: Spread the word, or get a Mint camera to help us financially. Right now, we just need more supporters to get this off the ground!
BIG THANK YOU, and stay tuned!
P.S You can find me here @gary228ho