HANDMADE · LIMITED SERIES · V5.0-BETA
A1F
The camera that doesn't capture reality.
It reinterprets it.
Every shot enters as a photograph and returns as an illustrated reinterpretation with a touch of fantasy. The A1F transforms the scene into a more sensitive, atmospheric, and imaginative version of the moment, preserving its essence while taking it somewhere less literal and closer to memory. No filters, no style menus, no shortcuts. Just a frame, a red button, and the curiosity to discover what it becomes.
Manifesto
Everyone wants to make things standard. I want to make them different. Framing with care is an experience. Waiting for a photograph to develop is a ritual. Instead of speed, we go back to the origin.
Millions of people live glued to their smartphones: they capture everything, accumulate thousands of photos, and struggle to be present. A1F is a camera designed for just a few shots a day that turns new photos into illustrations, making each shot an opportunity to surprise ourselves, laugh, and share. An invitation to leave the smartphone in your pocket and enjoy the moment together.
Machine vision
What the camera sees before you do.
The viewfinder shows the scene the way the algorithm reads it: green phosphor outlines on black. Framing stops being automatic and becomes a decision again.
The process
From the green line
to the illustrated stroke.
Framing
Machine vision in green phosphor. You see lines, not pixels.
Reading
The algorithm interprets edges, light, and depth in the scene.
Processing
Block-by-block reconstruction. Color arrives in layers.
Illustration
The final result: a one-of-a-kind Japanese-style print.
Side LCD
Your shots are
a finite resource.
An OLED screen on the left side keeps count: tokens consumed, frames available for the day, and percentage left. When they run out, they're out. That friction is the point: every frame is considered before you press.
- 259t
- Tokens
- 1/10
- Frames today
- 75%
- CONSUMED
Cage and engineering
Built around its constraints.
Exposed screws, metal inserts, textured surfaces, and geometries that reveal how it is built. The left grip lets you carry it securely, while the placement of the controls invites your second hand in before you shoot. Physical interaction is part of the experience: hold, compose, decide, capture.
Weight
279g
Light enough to take anywhere, solid enough to feel like a workshop tool.
117
mm width
121
mm height
46
MM DEPTH
Power and connection
3000mAh
High-density battery for full days of shooting. Charging and transfer over USB-C. No docks, no adapters.
USB-C
charge and data
LiPo
3.7 V
NFC
NFC - WiFi Ready
Tap your smartphone on the A1F Camera and reach your photos instantly. No pairing, no setup, no apps to install. One tap and done.
NFC
tap to share
HTTP
local server
Accessory · 1W Light
Its own light,
its own battery.
High-brightness LED module with an independent battery and adjustable power. It mounts on top of the cage to lift dark scenes without touching the main body. Sold separately*
$49 USD
Users
In the city, at the beach, or with friends.
The A1F Camera goes with people who prefer to create outside the studio. You shoot, you look at the illustration, and you try again.
Design and ergonomics. The A1F body is meant to rest naturally on your left hand, offering support and stability without demanding a bulky grip. But the full experience takes both hands. One holds and composes; the other interacts and shoots. It is not an accidental limitation: it is a design decision that brings back the physical gesture of using a camera and deliberately sets it apart from instant smartphone photography.
Two finishes
Space Dark or White Comet.
Matte textured black that disappears into the night. The original finish, a stealth version.
$199 USD+ Shipment
Tech specs
- Main display
- Touch IPS with a terminal interface
- Secondary display
- Side OLED for tokens, frames, and consumption
- Output
- Japanese illustration generated by AI
- Chassis
- 3D printing with threaded metal inserts
- Controls
- Red shutter and black power/back button
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi with NFC pairing
- Accessory
- 1W Light with an independent battery
- Finishes
- Space Dark · White Comet
The story
I was after something beyond perfection.
I designed the A1F from scratch in Florida, United States. The software, the drawings, the parts, the printing, the assembly. I wanted a camera that wouldn't do everything for me — one that would force me to choose the moment and wait for the result.
Anti-UX as a UX principle. The interface rejects the idea that a good experience has to hide complexity. Here the wait isn't dressed up and the processing isn't disguised: it's exposed. It looks anti-UX because it avoids surface-level comfort, but it is pure UX because every state explains what is happening, reduces ambiguity, and makes the machine legible.
It is not a mass-market product and it doesn't try to be. It is a long effort, made piece by piece, that I share with anyone who values this journey and wants a different, handmade retro-tech camera.
— Hegel González, FL. United States.
Frequently asked questions
Questions? Answers.
Limited series. Made to order.
Pick your finish, leave your email, and I'll let you know when the next batch opens.