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Converting a Super 8 movie camera to digital using a Raspberry Pi

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When old tech basically becomes completely practically obsolete, I love seeing it get a new lease of life and this is no exception. In this video, Clem from Element 14 found a Super 8 camera in the trash. After realising just how expensive it is to buy and develop the film for it, he decided to send it digital, replacing the film cartridge with a Raspberry Pi.

The great thing about this project is that the camera isn’t destroyed in the process. Electronics have gotten so small these days that you can just fit everything into the film cartridge slot and you’re good to go. If you ever want to shoot film with it again in the future, you’re good to go.

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Check out this 3D Printed seamless background stand for photographing small products

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Shooting small products can be a lot of fun. It can also be quite challenging, too. In the case of Clayton Parker of 3D printing YouTube channel Uncle Jessy, he wanted to photograph the models he’d been creating on his resin printers. He essentially wanted to build a studio for them, in miniature. He decided to go for what is essentially a seamless backdrop.

It is exactly the sort of thing you see in human-sized studios for shooting portraits. Only smaller. Clayton tried some not-so-great solutions in the past and just learned to deal with them before finally stumbling across this locking Photographic Sweet Stand by HPaul over on Thingiverse. And, well, judging by the video, it seems to do the job pretty well.

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How I made a 3D-printed wigglegram lens from three disposable cameras

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I gotta admit that half of the reason I bought a film camera was to post cool-looking pictures on Instagram, so when I saw these things called “wigglegrams” on IG I immediately wanted to make my own. I found out that they are typically made with a Nishika camera which has 4 lenses to capture 4 separate images, which can be animated into a 3D-looking video.

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This extreme Raspberry Pi camera mod uses a laser to removes the Bayer filter array

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There are a lot of reasons why one might want to have the sensor in their camera modified. We see it all the time for those who wish to shoot infrared or ultraviolet photography. There are even companies out there who will do the whole process for you. Usually, though, it doesn’t involve stripping off the Bayer filter array. Typically it’s just removing the filter that blocks UV and IR.

Well, for Les Wright at Les’ Lab, just removing the blocking filter on his Raspberry Pi camera wasn’t enough. he wanted all the raw data, without any colour interference at all from every pixel on the sensor. So, he went on a mission to figure out away to remove it without killing the sensor. Ultimately, the best method proved to be to burn it off with a laser!

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Make this simple DIY food photography background for under $50

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If you shoot food photography, a good backdrop is a must. And if you enjoy making your own props and backdrops, you’re going to love this project. In this video, Amie Prescott shows you how to make your own DIY background from a few simple ingredients and on a budget. You can give it your favorite colors, and paint it on both sides to get two looks in one.

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Loose rubber rings on your lens? Here’s how to easily fix it with leather

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The trouble with rubber is that it gets loose and crackled over time. If you are a fan of vintage lenses, I’m sure you’ve learned this the hard way. But there’s a quick and easy fix for loose rubber rings on old lenses, and it even looks much nicer and more elegant. Marek a.k.a. teh_m uses leather, and he shared with DIYP some tips on how to do it.

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This simple DIY rig is a cheap alternative to a probe lens

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A probe lens like the Laowa 24mm f/14 open up a whole new world of creative possibilities. But this world costs around $1,600 and you may not be in the position to afford it right now. If this is the case, Jay P. Morgan has a video for you. He will show you how to made a rig that gives your videos a very similar look to a probe lens, but at a much lower cost.

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How I made a DIY compact flash from a disposable camera’s flash module

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A bit of background

Recently I bought a film camera from the 1970’s – the Canon A-1. Considering that the camera is almost 3x older than me, it was no surprise that there are a few issues with it. The first camera I got jammed before I even loaded in my first roll, and the replacement camera had a battery drainage issue (which took an almost complete disassembly to fix).

But anyway, that isn’t the point of this blog post. Electrical problems aside, my main issue with this camera is its lack of a flash. Unbeknownst to me when I bought this camera, film cameras can’t really operate without a ridiculous amount of light (at least by modern camera standards). Even in a reasonably lit room, the camera struggles to take photos without the help of a tripod. This led to me trying some creative solutions, with limited success.

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This wooden DIY camera takes Rolleiflex-style photos with your phone

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If you like retro-style cameras and photos, but you’re not confident with shooting film, you’ll love this DIY project. Photographer and cinematographer Ryan Ao brought retro and modern together, blending a Rolleiflex-style DIY camera and a smartphone. I loved his invention so much, that I just had to learn more! So, I chatted with Ryan and he shared a bit of information about “Phoneiflex” along with some tips for building it and the photos he took with it.

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Make yourself this DIY camera stabiliser rig for under $5

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This is an old one, but a good one. In the days where we’ve got so many camera stabilisation options it’ll make your head spin, sometimes it’s nice to get things back down to the bare basics with a project you can make yourself for virtually no money at all. Especially when it produces the kinds of results we’re happy with.

In this short 3-part series, the folks at CineFix show us how we can build our own DIY camera rig along with some tips and techniques for how to use it effectively. While you might feel you need a gimbal to get steady footage, that’s not always true. And with modern developments like IBIS, rigs like these can be very effective.

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