Now, nothing can stop girls from taking selfies.
This is similar to a statement mentioned by iFanr when interpreting humanity’s understanding of artificial intelligence:
Just like 100 years ago when people said cameras would steal a person’s soul, now girls feel lost without taking selfies.
Girls who love taking selfies will document their lives through selfies in various situations.
Illustration from: DIYphotography
Besides using their phones and boyfriends who can take photos, they also use instant cameras like the “Polaroid” that print photos instantly.
Author Phillip Burgess from Adafruit Learning discovered that instant cameras can also be DIYed like the “cardboard VR headset” Google Cardboard.
So today, iFanr will follow this tutorial to teach you step by step how to create a vintage black and white instant camera.
First, you need to prepare the following items:
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Small thermal receipt printer and special thermal printing paper
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Raspberry Pi board computer and its camera module
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Micro SD card
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Four AA batteries and a battery case
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Two buttons of different colors with connecting wires
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Utility knife or craft knife, ruler, pencil
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Folding cardboard storage box for packaging
These tools can actually be found on “some treasure” in China, so I won’t elaborate further.
However, two points must be emphasized: the “Raspberry Pi” computer does not come with a camera module, so users must pay attention when purchasing.
Additionally, the creator must control the size of the storage box. Besides being able to fully accommodate the above accessories and ensure space for wiring, the position of the fixed components must also be found. If the box is too large, it will waste space and cause components to loosen, which should be anticipated before installation.
Once all the preparations are ready, you can start working.
The first step is to make the appropriate openings, setting them according to the viewfinder, lens, and thermal printer output position, and marking them with a pen.
After confirming everything is correct, use the utility knife to cut out the corresponding parts to form the openings.
Next, it’s time to install the mechanical parts. The creator needs to write relevant programs for the Raspberry Pi computer according to the tutorial to complete the assembly of the micro SD card, camera module, and battery module.
If necessary, you can connect all major components first before installing them in the cardboard box.
After all, completing the wiring work in a small cardboard box is quite difficult.
Finally, embed all the assembled module parts into the cardboard box, and the entire process is complete.
To showcase the imaging and usage effects of this “DIY vintage black and white instant camera”, Phillip Burgess shot a short video. From this video, it can be seen that the imaging speed of this DIY instant camera is quite acceptable, and it can achieve instant printing without any problem.
As for the imaging quality, while it cannot be compared to portable printers specifically designed for photo printing, it is still sufficient to see the picture clearly.
It is similar to the recently popular “Gugu Machine” thermal printer, which can handle selfies with a significant contrast to the background, this DIY instant camera performs well.
If there are limitations, they would be black and white imaging and production costs.
Illustration from: instagramarchive
While black and white imaging is a fundamental limitation, it is actually acceptable for modern Chinese girls. They do not have that kind of resistance to “black and white photos” and often consider artistic photos as another form of expression.
Nowadays, many girls use high-quality black and white filters to process their selfies, such as VSCO’s B1-B5 filters. After adding low contrast and high fade, this is also a common combination for girls.
So, the black and white aspect is actually not a big deal. If there is a limitation, it should stay at the point of “monotonous imaging” rather than “obstacles from traditional concepts”.
Fujifilm’s entry-level instant camera
More limitations should be the production costs.
Currently, some entry-level instant cameras are around 400 yuan. According to the material costs published by Adafruit and related observations from iFanr, this DIY instant camera might even cost more than buying an entry-level instant camera.
Adding to the complex programming and assembly work, I believe these two points are the reasons many people refuse it.
However, since it is DIY, the fun lies in creativity and tinkering.
If you want to test your hands-on skills or give your partner a surprise on the upcoming 520 digital holiday, why not try this solution?
Cover image from: Mashable
