This Camera Made From a Potato Actually Works
If you are an internet nerd, you would be familiar with the jab, “what did you shoot that with, a potato?” But one super geek wanted to be able to answer - YES! - and so built a real working camera made from a potato.
The engineering and technical challenges were immense but they were overcome with some 3D printing, quick thinking and a whole lot of luck. The first clever decision made by the Corridor Team, the production company that made the potato camera and accompanying video was to try and attempt a film camera rather than a digital setup.
This made the process a lot more low tech. The basic idea was to hollow out a camera for a spool of film, attach a lens and voila.
While simple, in theory, the actual production process was slightly more difficult. The problem with old-school film is its sensitivity to light.
If you have ever cut a potato in half and put a light source behind it you’ll see quite a lot of light passes through. To overcome this the team designed and 3D printed a small container for the film to sit inside.
Because the film was going to be in strips rather than on a roll, it needed to be fitted into the container in total darkness.
Instead of a shutter, the camera captured an image by opening and closing the lens cap. The team gathered for a photo and test the potato, they sent the exposed film away for processing. The results are pretty good considering the image is made with a potato.
Watch the whole video to see what the potato could do.
Via: Corridor Crew