YouTuber digitizes 50 year old analog camera using 3D printing technology

Do-it-yourself technological know-how YouTuber befinitiv has applied a reduced-cost 3D printer to turn a 50-12 months-outdated analog digital camera into a digital just one.

By swapping out the film canister of a vintage Cosina Hello-Lite DLR with a Raspberry Pi and its 3D printed housing, the articles creator was capable to give his camera a contemporary-working day spin. Placing his digital creation to the check, befinitiv located that he could seize complete High definition illustrations or photos and history movies, as properly as live-stream his videos to his computer system more than Wi-Fi.

He said, “It can do every thing that you expect from a electronic digicam currently. It can do video clip, it can stream video clip above Wi-Fi, and it can retailer issues on an SD card.”

The original Cosina Hi-Lite DLR with its film canister. Photo via befinitiv.
The initial Cosina Hello-Lite DLR with its film canister. Photo by means of befinitiv.

Analog vs. Digital

In advance of integrated electronics swept around the world, we experienced analog cameras. These archaic devices worked by exposing photographic movie to light-weight, which would reproduce the picture in entrance of the lens on the film product through a chemical response with silver halide. The movie would commonly then be made in a darkroom and transformed into a whole-measurement print. As is the circumstance with many obsolete systems, analog cameras had been clunky and cumbersome, and required photographers to carry film spools with them at all occasions.

Rapidly forward to the 90s: the purchaser-grade electronic camera revolutionizes the photograph-getting video game, making it much easier than at any time to immortalize household features and drunk nights out. These days, analog cameras are mostly considered antique items, identified mostly in charity stores and the bedrooms of Fine Artwork learners.

The custom 3D printed cartridge and Rapberry Pi camera. Photo via befinitiv.
The customized 3D printed cartridge and Rapberry Pi camera. Image through befinitiv.

Digitizing a Cosina by means of 3D printing

To digitize his analog Cosina camera, befinitiv simply taken out the cylindrical film canister and replaced it with a Raspberry Pi Zero. He 3D printed a housing cartridge for the Pi in the condition of the initial movie spool, that means he could literally spot the Pi digicam in the location exactly where the film would commonly be exposed to light (proper behind the camera’s shutter). The 3D printed casing also contained a regional battery and a DC to DC converter to improve the voltage up to 5V.

To leverage the analog camera’s own optics, he eliminated the lens that arrived with the Pi camera, resulting in some extremely large-resolution imaging. As effectively as comprehensive High definition pictures, befinitiv captured a movie of the surroundings outside the house his house and was even ready to broadcast the stream reside to his laptop computer, owing to the Pi’s Wi-Fi capabilities. In addition, the Pi’s small sensor intended that the digital camera also showcased a remarkably “insane zoom”, primarily performing like a telephoto lens.

He concludes, “From the image excellent standpoint, I’m actually impressed. I could not truly convey to from the video that this was shot on a 50 12 months old digicam, it appears to be like like a electronic camera to me. Over-all I’m really pleased with how this turned out, it in fact gives some fascinating and nice on the lookout visuals.”

The digitized camera features Wi-Fi functionality for live streaming video. Photo via befinitiv.
The digitized digital camera characteristics Wi-Fi functionality for dwell streaming movie. Photo by means of befinitiv.

3D printing content material creators like befinitiv present an available avenue for the general population to understand additional about additive manufacturing and its positive aspects. Earlier this month, 3D printing YouTuber Training Tech intended and 3D printed his very own open-supply variation of a scarce antique fractal vise. Dubbed ‘the coolest tool you didn’t know you needed’, the 100-calendar year-outdated fractal vise is near difficult to acquire these times, and is able of morphing to grip practically any item, irrespective of the complexity of the geometry.

Elsewhere, student YouTuber Lucas VRTech has earlier made and 3D printed a pair of lower-cost finger tracking gloves for use in virtual actuality. Named LucidVR, the open up-resource gloves grant buyers the capability to precisely observe their fingers without having the use of dedicated VR controllers.

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Showcased picture demonstrates the unique Cosina Hello-Lite DLR with its film canister. Picture by way of befinitiv.