Homemade camera by Denis MO (amazing)

trythis · Feb 23, 2014

I hope this isn't a repost, I searched, so forgive if I missed it:
http://www.collection-appareils.fr/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=8822&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Its a French site, but the post is translated to English. The thread is 4 years old, but I am impressed by his success.

If you tinker with cameras at all, you will like this.

TheToadMen · Feb 23, 2014

Just "WOW"

Regular Rod · Feb 23, 2014

I wish he'd make a whole plate camera and bring out some perfect Kodak compatible film holders we can all buy at sensible money...

RR

AgX · Feb 23, 2014

He went so far as making his own sprocket-cutting tool.

Newt_on_Swings · Feb 23, 2014

Truly impressive! Thanks for sharing it with us.

effae · Feb 23, 2014

That is so.. unbelievably cool. Hats off!

Molli · Feb 23, 2014

To think back on how pleased I was with my five minute effort turning an empty tealight box into a pinhole camera!
A homemade SLR is incredibly impressive and, just to be a bit girly about it, I really love that green leatherette

James in GA · Feb 23, 2014

Ok I am looking at my Zenit in a new way.

fotch · Feb 23, 2014

This is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I have been in classes where the project is making a clock, and that is cool, this is just off the charts. WOW.

Dan Fromm · Feb 23, 2014

Denis' first camera was a rangefinder. See http://www.collection-appareils.fr/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=9185

stormpetrel · Feb 23, 2014

Holy cow!

fotch · Feb 23, 2014

Unbelievable although I believe it. Triple WOW.

trythis · Feb 23, 2014

Dan Fromm said:
Denis' first camera was a rangefinder. See http://www.collection-appareils.fr/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=9185

Thanks for the link, I just stumbled on the original during an image search.

Lee Rust · Feb 23, 2014

I am awed by things like this. Pretty sure the SLR was his first effort. The rangefinder came later and used the same shutter mechanism and body style. The rangefinder itself seemed to be the most difficult part. He even ground the internal RF lenses himself.

Very similar to the guy who manufactures his own glass vacuum tubes. If I remember correctly, he is also a Frenchman.

benjiboy · Feb 23, 2014

I was trained as a precision engineer and can appreciate the machining skills involved, but it seems like a hell of lot of trouble to go to when you can buy a better S.L.R on EBay with far less effort cheap.

Newt_on_Swings · Feb 23, 2014

Lee Rust said:
I am awed by things like this. Pretty sure the SLR was his first effort. The rangefinder came later and used the same shutter mechanism and body style. The rangefinder itself seemed to be the most difficult part. He even ground the internal RF lenses himself.

Very similar to the guy who manufactures his own glass vacuum tubes. If I remember correctly, he is also a Frenchman.

In his pictures you can see his finished slr alongside the rangefinder in progress. The are also named 1(slr) and 2(rf).

trythis · Feb 23, 2014

benjiboy said:
I was trained as a precision engineer and can appreciate the machining skills involved, but it seems like a hell of lot of trouble to go to when you can buy a better S.L.R on EBay with far less effort cheap.

Well, yeah, but that is what makes it so amazing. So many people think of doing something so amazing, so few of us do.
When one is examining what one has accomplished in life, one hopefully has more to think upon than a few well chosen ebay purchases. I believe that I would be more excited and proud of accomplishing modestly ugly photos from a camera I built than even the most expensive diamond plated camera I was able to purchase.

David A. Goldfarb · Feb 23, 2014

Impressive, indeed!

benjiboy · Feb 24, 2014

trythis said:
Well, yeah, but that is what makes it so amazing. So many people think of doing something so amazing, so few of us do.
When one is examining what one has accomplished in life, one hopefully has more to think upon than a few well chosen ebay purchases. I believe that I would be more excited and proud of accomplishing modestly ugly photos from a camera I built than even the most expensive diamond plated camera I was able to purchase.

The expression that springs to mind is "using your head to save your legs", why expend so much time and effort to produce an object that can be obtained in more highly developed form cheaper ?.

TheToadMen · Feb 24, 2014

Just because one can ....

benjiboy said:
The expression that springs to mind is "using your head to save your legs", why expend so much time and effort to produce an object that can be obtained in more highly developed form cheaper ?.

Roger Cole · Feb 24, 2014

He probably enjoys it. Why shoot film and do darkroom work when there's digital and PS?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

benjiboy · Feb 24, 2014

One of the first principals of engineering is not to spend time and effort manufacturing components that you can buy in cheaper.

Roger Cole · Feb 24, 2014

That makes plenty of sense if you're a business, or for a job.

It doesn't apply to people doing things themselves for the joy of it. What's so hard to understand about that??

benjiboy · Feb 24, 2014

Roger Cole said:
That makes plenty of sense if you're a business, or for a job.

It doesn't apply to people doing things themselves for the joy of it. What's so hard to understand about that??

Nothing I guess Roger it's just me, it goes against my aircraft industry engineering training as a professional in a commercial environment, if people want to spend their time and effort making things for their own edification It's up to them.

Dan Fromm · Feb 24, 2014

Ben, de gustibus non est disputandum. Don't be such a utilitarian.

I followed Denis' posts when he was making his cameras. He got great pleasure and satisfaction from learning how things had to be and from solving problems as they arose. He didn't make commercially viable products -- all that hand work! -- or cameras with novel features, but those weren't his goals.

Homemade camera by Denis MO (amazing)

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