Giant DIY camera Archives

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

Mar 24, 2021 by Cheng Qwee Low 1 Comment

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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This photographer turned a shipping container into a huge camera with a built-in darkroom

Jul 16, 2019 by Dunja Djudjic 13 Comments

Photographer Brendan Barry has made quite a few DIY cameras from most unexpected objects: a pineapple, a mannequin, a loaf of bread, to name just a few. His most famous project is a giant camera and portable darkroom made from a $200 camper. In his latest project, Brendan has converted a shipping container into a fully functional camera with built-in darkroom and teaching space. As he jokingly says, it’s basically “the world’s biggest, slowest and most impractical Polaroid camera.” But it’s impressive nevertheless!

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Photographer turns $200 camper into a giant camera and portable dark room

Oct 5, 2017 by Dunja Djudjic 4 Comments

When you have imagination and skill, almost anything can become a camera. Photographer Brendan Barry is skillful and loves to build cameras, so he bought an old camper trailer off eBay for £150 (around $200). After some work, it became a giant, functional, and a rather stylish camera.

Other than taking photos with it, this “camper camera” doubles as a portable darkroom, so he can take and develop his photos anywhere. And just like the regular camera, he can always bring this one with him. If there’s a place to park it, though.

Brendan shared some details about his awesome camera with us, as well as the photos he took with it. It’s not just the camera that looks beautiful, but the portraits Brendan took with it are amazing, too.

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This military truck will become a large format camera

Dec 9, 2016 by Dunja Djudjic 1 Comment

It’s hard to believe that a massive military truck can be turned into something beautiful. But, thanks to a documentary photographer Kurt Moser, this is going to happen. The Ural- 375, which was once a Russian military truck, will get a completely new and unique role – and a more peaceful one.

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