With all the talk about 3D printing, you may have wondered what direct, practical use you could have for the technology. Once you are able to acquire a 3D printer of your own, Saint–Éttiene School of Art and Design graduate Leo Marius has shared an open source set of instructions on how to build and assemble your own low-cost single-lens reflex film camera at home. Marius presents the opportunity to move away from big-name manufacturers and take photographs with something that is made by you.
The OpenReflex camera can be 3D printed and assembled within 16 hours, which is shorter than any next-day shipping option available when purchasing a fancy camera online. While the cost of building the entire camera is estimated to be under $30, the unit features three main parts, the film receiver, shutter, and viewfinder, and additionally requires only a lens and film to begin shooting. Marius provides detailed step-by-step instructions and makes it clear that his work is 100% open source, and is made to be shared with everyone.
Describing the vision behind his project Marius says, "With the digital revolution, everyone now owns a camera, but we completely lost the control of its guts! The idea here was to take over a popular technology and give back the keys to the users in order for them to understand it again."
[via PSFK]
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