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This 489-megapixel DIY camera costs only $150 and uses the reclaimed guts of a flatbed scanner

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In the vast majority of the cameras we own, or at least use on a daily basis, we have an image sensor. It’s either a CCD or a CMOS. A single, static non-moving chip (IBIS notwithstanding) that captures your whole scene at once (or as close to it as you can get if you have a rolling shutter CMOS sensor). But there is another technique for capturing images, and that’s by scanning.

Scanning cameras are not a new idea. In fact, they’ve been pretty much the only way you can shoot with large format cameras digitally. But this DIY solution from Yunus Zenichowski turns the idea into at truly portable camera which uses a projector lens and creates beautifully detailed photos. And best of all, it cost him less than $150.

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This is the worst digital camera in the world with a resolution of only 48 pixels and no lens

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Digital camera sensors have come a very long way in the last few decades. Even just in the last 20 years, we’ve gone from the likes of the 4.1-Megapixel Nikon D2h to 100-megapixel monsters from Fuji, Hasselblad and Phase One. Hell, even smartphone camera sensors now boast 200-megapixel resolutions with a lot of neat digital wizardry. But as complex as processors have become, they’re very simple at their core.

This one, proudly proclaimed by its creator to be “the worst digital camera of all time ever”, shows that basic principle off extremely well. It was created by Peter Sanchez at Electromechanical Productions. It features an 8×6 grid of light-dependent resistors (LDRs) for a grand total of 48 pixels of resolution.

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This DIY USB camera features interchangeable lenses and sensors, and is completely open source

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There aren’t too many cameras out there in the Open Source world. At least, not digital ones and certainly not digital ones with interchangeable lenses and sensors. There are a few but not many! And this project from electronics engineer Gaurav Singh is one of them. An open-source USB 3.0 camera with interchangeable lenses, thanks to a built-in C mount, as well as interchangeable sensors.

The camera communicates with its host over Type-C USB and is designed primarily for industrial use. It’s extremely compact, fitting everything onto just three tiny 27 x 27mm (a little over one-inch square) circuit boards. One is the USB controller that communicates with your PC, one is for the sensor for collecting the image data and sandwiched between them is an FPGA core module that allows one to talk to the other.

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How to make a 35mm film camera out of concrete

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I’ve seen some pretty weird cameras during my days here at DIYP. Creative folks made them out of most random things: from a pineapple or a mannequin, all the way to giant ones made out of old vehicles, and even buildings.

Just when I think I’ve seen all the unusual camera ideas, creative people surprise me with more awesome DIY projects. One of those people is a lady who goes under the nickname amuu. She made a 35mm film camera out of concrete and shared the instructions so you can make your own. It’s surprisingly good for something so rudimental, and it will give you some concrete results.

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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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Building an ultra-large-format 16×20 camera with a massive aerial lens and cardboard

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A few years ago I built an ultra-large format camera that is 24 inches by 24 inches. While it was a pretty huge camera, it was a simple build it was just two square standards, one for the front and one from the back which was connected by a big bellow.

There was no support base or focusing rails and I just support the two standards by using two tripods so it was not the most stable camera. After a while, I dismantled the whole setup and recycled the wood and the bellows so I thought that would be the end of my Ultra Large Format (ULF) camera building adventures but who knows a while back, my friend passed me a big lens and it got me thinking of rebuilding an ultra-large-format camera again.

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How I made a camera from 23,248 coffee stirrers, powered by a Raspberry Pi, and controlled with a Nintendo controller

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This is the story of how I created one of the strangest cameras you may ever hear about. I’ve been working on the design for over a year and I’m finally ready to share it with the world. It’s a long story, but first I want to jump to the end. Here’s what the final camera looks like as well as what a photo take with it:

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Lomomod No. 1 review: a fun and frustrating DIY cardboard camera with a liquid-filled lens

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When the Lomomod No. 1 was first announced, I had the honor of covering the news for DIYP and I thought to myself: “Man, would I like to try this out!” Fast forward four months, and I’ve had the chance to play with this DIY medium format camera and do a thorough review.

The Lomomod No. 1 is a camera like no other I’ve seen or used. It comes in pre-cut pieces and you’re supposed to build it yourself, which is interesting on its own. It’s paired with a liquid-filled 80mm Sutton lens, which lets you change the tint of your images depending on the liquid you use. Sounds pretty cool, right?

In this article, I’ll share my impressions of the Lomomod No. 1. From initially opening the box to seeing my images for the first time, I’ll write about everything I liked and didn’t like about it. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

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Photographer makes two working film cameras out of old film cassettes

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Perhaps you remember Iranian photographer Alireza Rostami for some of his epic projects. He has turned an old watch and a broken computer into working cameras, and now he has made two film cameras from 35mm film cassettes. One of them is a 4×5 camera with 120film back, and the other is a medium format camera. They don’t only look interesting, but pay a perfect homage to film photography many of us still love and shoot.

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This guy created an Open Source DIY digital camera – including a 1-kilopixel sensor

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Digital cameras have become so high resolution these days that you might wonder why somebody would want to build one of their own from scratch with a resolution that’s not even a fraction of what digital cameras could do a decade ago. But some things just need to be done because they’re fun.

YouTuber Sean Hodgins has been working on this idea for a long time, and now he’s finally made and released a 1-kilopixel DIY camera. He’s also released the files as Open Source so you can download and make your own, too.

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