DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

This LEGO camera is a fully functional pinhole camera and shoots with real 35mm film

Aug 26, 2022 by John Aldred 1 Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

There isn’t much of a shortage of LEGO cameras. We’ve covered a bunch on here before that either look like real cameras, such as Nikon, Olympus, Leica, Hasselblad and Polaroid and we’ve covered a few functional LEGO cameras, too, although most of those require some… non-standard (LEGO standard) components. This one, though, looks just like a real camera and works just like a real camera, too.

The LEGO ZH1 is a fully functional pinhole camera by Zung92 made entirely of LEGO. It features an actual shutter button, film advance, film take-up reel, a wind lever with a wind release, customisable lenses and you can even switch it up between half and full-frame mode.

It’s a very cool design and it’s probably the first functional LEGO camera I’ve seen that actually looks like a camera. There have been others in the past, of course, but most of them look a bit brutal and kind of industrial – or, well, about as industrial as a bunch of assembled teeny tiny plastic components can get. Making something functional, affordable and “as compact as possible” was Zung92’s goal with this. But it wasn’t easy to achieve, as he writes:

The biggest challenge is to make the body lightproof as my first and second film rolls were completely fogged up because of bright colourful bricks that illuminate the light inside the camera body, and it has several holes between the bricks. It took me several days to figure out how to seal it completely and also remained portable.

The LEGO logo printed on it is the legit LEGO logo, although it might not be the one you’re familiar with. This one’s from 1934, which fits in with the camera’s overall aesthetic. It’s something that Zung92 hopes that Lego will turn the ZH1 into a real live LEGO kit that people can buy and build for themselves. It currently has over 2,600 supporters and if it reaches 10K before the deadline then there’s a good chance of it happening.

I have to admit, I haven’t bought any LEGO in years but if this were real, I’d definitely have to buy one, even if just to play with it and see how the images actually turn out. I also have to admit that I’d probably only put two or three rolls of film through it and then never use it again, though. At least it would look cool on the shelf.

If you want to show your support and help bring the LEGO ZH1 to reality, head on over to the LEGO Ideas website.

[via Yanko Design]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailFully Automated Lego Pinhole Camera This realistic LEGO Polaroid camera even has a functional film tray This Halloween costume is a fully functional Nikon camera Default ThumbnailBest Costume Ever – A Fully Functional Nikon Camera

Filed Under: news Tagged With: Film Photography

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Vlogging your next vacation to a National Park for YouTube could land you in jail with criminal charges
Is the difference between an f/2.8 and an f/4 lens really worth the price? »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Samyang adds 100mm T2.3 to its compact autofocus cine prime lineup
  • Build your own DIY night vision camera with a Raspberry Pi
  • This adorable LEGO retro camera set hits the stores soon
  • Here are the cameras that shot Flickr’s best images
  • Meta AI image generator Imagine gets its own website

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy