Homemade SLR
October 25, 2010 1:01 PM Subscribe
And now he needs to make the film. Seriously neat, but also lot of reinventing the wheel kind of stuff.
posted by Old'n'Busted at 1:06 PM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Old'n'Busted at 1:06 PM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
Look at this fucking awesome hipster.
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:06 PM on October 25, 2010 [9 favorites]
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:06 PM on October 25, 2010 [9 favorites]
This is the coolest thing since that guy who made his own vacuum tubes.
posted by phliar at 1:13 PM on October 25, 2010
posted by phliar at 1:13 PM on October 25, 2010
Look at this fucking awesome hipster.
posted by 2bucksplus at 4:06 PM on October 25
i totally picture the guy that with a handlebar mustache.
nonetheless, i'm always in awe when anyone makes stuff out of metal.
posted by fuzzypantalones at 1:15 PM on October 25, 2010
posted by 2bucksplus at 4:06 PM on October 25
i totally picture the guy that with a handlebar mustache.
nonetheless, i'm always in awe when anyone makes stuff out of metal.
posted by fuzzypantalones at 1:15 PM on October 25, 2010
My internal snark generator isn't working here.
posted by swift at 1:17 PM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by swift at 1:17 PM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
Holy shit, why are my fucking hobbies so pointless? Suddenly being drunk and playing videogames seems somewhat hollow.
posted by Keith Talent at 1:20 PM on October 25, 2010 [10 favorites]
posted by Keith Talent at 1:20 PM on October 25, 2010 [10 favorites]
Very nice. It looks like his next project is a rangefinder camera.
posted by daniel_charms at 1:23 PM on October 25, 2010
posted by daniel_charms at 1:23 PM on October 25, 2010
Totally awesome.
I built my own shop last year and I have way more than 500 hours in it but it doesn't fil me with the same sort of squee joy that this project does. Wood frame construction is just so mundane in comparison.
Is his method of film loading (IE: half dismantle the camera rather than an access door) common on older cameras? Seems like a very sensible solution.
posted by Mitheral at 1:32 PM on October 25, 2010
I built my own shop last year and I have way more than 500 hours in it but it doesn't fil me with the same sort of squee joy that this project does. Wood frame construction is just so mundane in comparison.
Is his method of film loading (IE: half dismantle the camera rather than an access door) common on older cameras? Seems like a very sensible solution.
posted by Mitheral at 1:32 PM on October 25, 2010
Incredible. Blows me away, but why did he have to go with that logo. He's taken so much from Leica for his design. He should have gone a little further and picked up their incredibly elegant script style too.
posted by JBennett at 1:48 PM on October 25, 2010
posted by JBennett at 1:48 PM on October 25, 2010
Beautiful. I would have liked to see the tools he used too, but it's cool anyhow.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 1:57 PM on October 25, 2010
posted by Salvor Hardin at 1:57 PM on October 25, 2010
Is his method of film loading (IE: half dismantle the camera rather than an access door) common on older cameras? Seems like a very sensible solution.
It seems to have been quite common: the Zeiss Contax I, for example, had the whole back part removable, while early Leicas (and Leica clones) had removable bottoms.
posted by daniel_charms at 1:58 PM on October 25, 2010
It seems to have been quite common: the Zeiss Contax I, for example, had the whole back part removable, while early Leicas (and Leica clones) had removable bottoms.
posted by daniel_charms at 1:58 PM on October 25, 2010
ITT: The epidemic of totally inappropriate and unjustified uses of the word "hipster" continues!
posted by nasreddin at 2:24 PM on October 25, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by nasreddin at 2:24 PM on October 25, 2010 [2 favorites]
Beautiful. I would have liked to see the tools he used too, but it's cool anyhow.
He most likely owns or has access to a knee style mill and a manual lathe. (These are from the actual shop that I learned in.)
He could also have used CNC equipment, which would be somewhat less impressive.
posted by TrialByMedia at 2:48 PM on October 25, 2010
He most likely owns or has access to a knee style mill and a manual lathe. (These are from the actual shop that I learned in.)
He could also have used CNC equipment, which would be somewhat less impressive.
posted by TrialByMedia at 2:48 PM on October 25, 2010
If you go back to page one, you can see the tools. Looks like he did it all manually.
posted by TrialByMedia at 3:17 PM on October 25, 2010
posted by TrialByMedia at 3:17 PM on October 25, 2010
daniel_charms, even new film Leicas (M6 and M7) as well as the digital ones (M8 and M9) have removeable bottoms.
One day I want to DIY myself a 6x9 rangefinder.
posted by Brian Puccio at 3:28 PM on October 25, 2010
One day I want to DIY myself a 6x9 rangefinder.
posted by Brian Puccio at 3:28 PM on October 25, 2010
My uncle Jesse was a tool and die maker in Detroit. He made a scale model steam train engine that worked and was accurate to the tiniest detail. He could do amazing stuff like this man. I have his lathe and some of the things that he made. I used to watch him, as a child, for hours.
I just bought a 50's camera yesterday, an Argus c4. Made right here in Ann Arbor.
posted by JohnR at 3:58 PM on October 25, 2010
I just bought a 50's camera yesterday, an Argus c4. Made right here in Ann Arbor.
posted by JohnR at 3:58 PM on October 25, 2010
nonetheless, i'm always in awe when anyone makes stuff out of metal
Exactly. If he'd made it out of lego it would have been another tedious pile of retro crap, but making it out of metal is always awesome, largely so I think because I just wouldn't know where to start.
posted by ciderwoman at 4:50 PM on October 25, 2010
Exactly. If he'd made it out of lego it would have been another tedious pile of retro crap, but making it out of metal is always awesome, largely so I think because I just wouldn't know where to start.
posted by ciderwoman at 4:50 PM on October 25, 2010
why are my fucking hobbies so pointless?
Spending 500 hours making something you could buy for $2 at any Salvation Army store might be interesting, but full of point it is not.
posted by aaronetc at 5:54 PM on October 25, 2010
Spending 500 hours making something you could buy for $2 at any Salvation Army store might be interesting, but full of point it is not.
posted by aaronetc at 5:54 PM on October 25, 2010
Well, strictly speaking, being completely pointless IS the point.
It moves it over from "ridiculous shop project" to "craft masterpiece"
That is: it's not just a camera - it's also a work of art.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:19 PM on October 25, 2010
It moves it over from "ridiculous shop project" to "craft masterpiece"
That is: it's not just a camera - it's also a work of art.
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 6:19 PM on October 25, 2010
> why are my fucking hobbies so pointless?
Spending 500 hours making something you could buy for $2 at any Salvation Army store might be interesting, but full of point it is not.
Dunno, for some people these kinds of projects are just a vehicle for learning. He probably improved his metalworking techniques, studied the inner workings of old-time cameras, read up on lens mounts, learned some mechanics he wouldn't have otherwise, etc.
posted by stp123 at 6:30 PM on October 25, 2010
Spending 500 hours making something you could buy for $2 at any Salvation Army store might be interesting, but full of point it is not.
Dunno, for some people these kinds of projects are just a vehicle for learning. He probably improved his metalworking techniques, studied the inner workings of old-time cameras, read up on lens mounts, learned some mechanics he wouldn't have otherwise, etc.
posted by stp123 at 6:30 PM on October 25, 2010
He could also have used CNC equipment, which would be somewhat less impressive
He even made the gears.
posted by ryanrs at 10:58 PM on October 25, 2010
He even made the gears.
posted by ryanrs at 10:58 PM on October 25, 2010
Awh. I was sooo hoping that he had ground and polished his own lenses too, but was otherwise wowed by the accomplishment. This is so neat!
posted by empatterson at 3:05 AM on October 26, 2010
posted by empatterson at 3:05 AM on October 26, 2010
Wow, this is great.
When I was growing up I was always fascinated by what people could make in their own shops. I had an uncle who made a scale replica steam locomotive with an actual working steam engine, although I don't think he used coal as a heat source. I am pretty sure it is in a museum now. It is good to see that people still practice such arts. (Along a similar vein see the homemade watch.)
posted by caddis at 6:33 AM on October 26, 2010
When I was growing up I was always fascinated by what people could make in their own shops. I had an uncle who made a scale replica steam locomotive with an actual working steam engine, although I don't think he used coal as a heat source. I am pretty sure it is in a museum now. It is good to see that people still practice such arts. (Along a similar vein see the homemade watch.)
posted by caddis at 6:33 AM on October 26, 2010
Gorgeous too.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 8:58 AM on October 26, 2010
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 8:58 AM on October 26, 2010
Spending 500 hours making something you could buy for $2 at any Salvation Army store might be interesting, but full of point it is not.
You fail at life.
posted by kjs3 at 8:54 PM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
You fail at life.
posted by kjs3 at 8:54 PM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
I have a number of older, insanely-expensive-at-the-time, SLR lenses. They're Cannon FD mount, which means they are at some level an evolutionary dead end in the world of DSLRs, kludgy adapters notwithstanding.
In particular, a certain Angenieux zoom makes me think, "I wonder if I could built a digital camera using one of these". It pleases me that while the answer is still probably "*I* can't", that this guy could, given a decent sensor.
posted by kjs3 at 9:08 PM on October 26, 2010
In particular, a certain Angenieux zoom makes me think, "I wonder if I could built a digital camera using one of these". It pleases me that while the answer is still probably "*I* can't", that this guy could, given a decent sensor.
posted by kjs3 at 9:08 PM on October 26, 2010
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posted by brundlefly at 1:05 PM on October 25, 2010