Olympus Creates A Wooden Camera: Better Than Plastic?
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 02.16.07
Olympus has created a prototype of a unique digital camera with a casing made out of wood. To create the casing, the wood was compressed using special techniques, causing the natural resins in the wood come to the surface . The result is a material that is more durable than conventional polycarbonate resins. If the camera goes into production, each one would have its own one-of-a-kind look. The compression process is said to be "three-dimensional", because pressure is applied from all directions at once. The wood that was used was Japanese cypress, which is known for it durability and fragrance.
The prototype was first shown last year at Photokina.
The new process draws on Olympus expertise in precision metal-forming technologies. An Olympus spokesperson said:
One answer was to use wood - the natural color, patina, and grain of which are almost universally appreciated as things of beauty. We therefore focused on the idea of using a three-dimensional compression moulding process to produce a wood-based material thin enough and hard enough to be used to make the casings for electronic products. With the successful development of this process, it is our hope that consumers will enjoy greater aesthetic satisfaction and a sense of personal attachment with future products that are made from this new wood material.
:: Via Photokina
Is there any way to make a diy, eco-friendly, low-tech camera? i remember pinhole cameras, something along those lines.
This camera has the shape of the tip of a 'Boomerang', finish it out and if you get angry and throw it away, it will return by itself. Great concept.
sure -- pinhole cameras can be made from anything. old oatmeal cylinders are often used. go to your local public library and check out one of the many books on pinhole cameras or camera obscura. if you're looking for another low-tech but not build your own, buy an old Canon AE-1 manual camera on eBay. you can learn all about film photography that way, too.