Swedes Do It Themselves

When Swedish filmmakers Göran Olsson and Daniel Jonsäter couldn't find a camera that fit their needs, they decided to build their own. They started Ikonoskop and haven't looked back (except that they are still active filmmakers).

Their first camera, A-cam SP-16, was a 'Super' 16mm film camera. They stripped out all non-essential components to create a light-weight and low cost camera that is about as much as a higher end DV camcorder. It is the first newly manufactured 16mm camera produced in 20 years.

Then, a few months ago, they introduced their second camera, the A-cam dII, their answer to HD digital video. Unlike other DV cams, the dII does not compress the footage. At all. It is built on the technology and learning from their previous camera. It also uses the same lenses.