Whilst it may be easy to buy a toy camera or second-hand camera ready to use, where is the challenge in that? Well, perhaps you’d prefer to make your own digital camera, and thanks to Doruk Kumkumoğlu that is now possible! Using off the shelf parts, as well as a 3D printer, Doruk has designed a fully working pocket digital camera, called the Optocam Zero, with 8 built-in filters.
Full instructions are provided on his Github page, along with all the parts needed, which start with a Rapberry Pi Zero 2 W ($15), and a Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 ($25) – this is a 12MP camera unit with auto-focus lens. There’s a 1.3inch screen, a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, and more all detailed in the “Bill of materials”. You’ll find full instructions are provided, and soldering skills are recommended.
Whether you do make one or got for something already made off the shelf, it’s clear to see the images certainly have character in these photos:
If you don’t want to make your own compact digital camera, then perhaps you might want to look at the Kodak Charmera (around $30), or one of the other toy cameras available, especially as these should start up quicker than the Optocam Zero, which has a 22 second start-up time.
Vvia Hackaday.
Related reading:
- Vintage digital cameras you should actually buy
- Best compact camera – the perfect point-and-shoots for photos and video
- How to make a pinhole camera
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