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Hi folks,

This Kickstarter just launched: Mercury Works, makers of the Mercury Universal Camera system, have created a stereoscopic camera system (complete with viewers for slides and digital...

Hi Ivan,

Our Kickstarter film predicted this situation, so don't say we didn't warn you! ;)

But seriously, my gratitude to you and your wife for supporting the campaign!

Hi Drew,

Don't worry, we will open up some form of pre-order store soon, and you'll have another chance. You'll be in line after the KS backers, of course, but all is not lost! ;) That's really...

Yes, we did it! A big thanks to everyone on this forum who backed, shared, and offered their support! I also appreciated the many discussions and suggestions in this thread and elsewhere, which...

Hi Folks,

A big thanks to all of the LFP folks here who have backed the Mercury Kickstarter! Your support, requests, and suggestions have been invaluable!

Corran, our 4x5 ground glass is...

Hi folks,

I've now posted a new technical video (Update 2 on the Kickstarter page) that shows the camera's main modules and how they fit together. I think that this will answer a lot of questions...

europanorama, here's a link to the laser distance finder that I'd recommend if you want to go that route: ...

Thanks plywood! You are right: we have indeed learned a great deal about what folks out there want, in just a little over a week. That has been the most rewarding thing so far about finally...

Hi Joseph, thanks! We all know that large format photographers are young at heart! ;)

Seriously, though, I do hope that this introduces more young photographers to large format.

Cheers,
Zach

Thanks Garrett! Indeed, the difficulty of a project like this is getting it seen in time by enough people! We have no doubt that the need is out there. We are also quite confident in the system...

Hi Jac, the Mercury, in order to fulfill its promise of being able to pair nearly any lens to any format, must incorporate many standard design elements. We are not trying to push the limits of...

My pleasure! The focus scales are 3D printed rings keyed to fit onto the helical focus unit. Each accepts an adhesive strip (sticker) that contains the markings for a specific lens. Once adhered...

You are a wise man, Randy! Suggestion taken!

A rise and/or shift unit for the Mercury certainly should be possible, and is on the roadmap for some feasibility engineering, but isn't available yet. I would definitely like to seek community...

Thanks Daniel! It's fixed now, cleaned up a bit, and has the header row and lens column frozen for easy browsing.

Bryan, you didn't miss that info--it simply couldn't fit in the Kickstarter (and a minority of users know the pleasure of true ultrawide, nonretrofocal lenses)! But I've now added the additional...

Bryan, thanks for your support, and your excellent questions! Let me give them a quick shot:

For ultra wide lenses, the normal Mercury Focus Unit is swapped out for a special "Rotating Wide...

Yep, we've tested this exact setup!

DrTang, as Bob notes, there are a number of 80mm Planars! :) The Graflex XL / Linhof version is a real peach, and works beautifully with the Mercury. It may be my favorite lens for medium format...

Yes, Oren, this is absolutely correct. I'll just clarify, though, that we currently have a Graflok 23 back spacer that does exactly this, but not yet a 4x5 Graflok. I think our design would scale...

Hi Drew,

Yes, that is exactly what the Mercury does, and was my original goal when making for myself: To utilize the great lenses out there for 6x9 on a really light and portable camera. Then I...

Hi Jac, thanks again for your comments.

Yes, there are some good cameras out there that can do this. If that's all you need it to do, and can afford and find one, those are great options! The...

Oren, you are right: lots of surgery is required on the Lomo backs to give them standard mounts. Unfortunately, it is not physically possible to do so at the standard film plane. Our Instax Mini...

Thanks Tim (and Rich and Kevin)! I often wonder the same myself, but that just seems to be how the web works. I just try to take all criticism as constructive on some level and stay positive. In...

Yep, our brilliant engineer Andrew worked out our helical issues, and we ruled out injection molding for that part (or rather, multiple parts) from the beginning. Tolerances are just too tight to...

Hi Randy, I know that Instax is not everyone's cup of tea (and many of us are still in deep mourning over the discontinuation of Fuji's peel apart instant films), but I've gotta say that it is really...

Hi Ian, sorry for any confusion about this. The LF back is the Graflok standard, which is about as universal as LF gets, and thus can take any Graflok accessory. It definitely takes standard 4x5...

Jac, thanks for your comments. Mercury Works is a collective, not a company, and our mission is to contribute something to the world of photography, not turn a profit. That's why we're creating the...

Dear All, thank you for your interest and questions so far! I'm happy to address anything that comes up here. As I said at the outset, this is a fabulous community and your input is very important...

Ken, the basic body that has been initially developed doesn't have movements, but because the camera is modular, that is a definite possibility for the future if there is demand!

Bob, no relation...

Hi Pfsor, I thought the photos were clear enough, but perhaps the resolution that Kickstarter displays them at is a bit inadequate. There are many more photos on the official site (still in beta...

Dear LF community,

I am very pleased to announce a camera system that has been two years in the making: The Mercury: the world's first universal camera. It is a fully modular, open system that...