Awesome Cameras

Canon and Takara Tomy teamed up to create this special Nemesis Prime Transformer that turns from a Decepticon into a Canon EOS R5 camera. When in disguise, the 80% scale camera looks just like the real thing, though sadly, it doesn’t snap photos. Preorder by 4.6.2023 for 1.2024 shipping.

It’s not difficult to make your own pinhole camera. But we would have never thought to make one inside of an orange. While you could use any enclosed container, the idea of snapping pictures with citrus fruit is a novelty. We’re going to get to work on a canteloupe camera next.

Backup cameras have been a great addition to modern cars, improving rear visibility and reducing fender benders. But they don’t all do a good job telling you how far you are from objects. This guy came up with a clever hack to ensure he always parks just the right distance from the wall in his garage.

If you’ve ever wondered what it might be like to shrink down and drive inside of a slot car, this video is for you. Project Air teamed up with DIY Perks to create a 200 foot-long slot car track, then rigged the cars with tiny cameras and wireless transmitter, and wore video goggles for a first-person view while driving.

The guys from Corridor Crew are always on the hunt for new and unique camera perspectives. On a quest to shoot a scene from the point-of-view of a missile, they worked on rigging a powerful crossbow to fire an Insta360 X3 camera. The trick was to keep the camera’s weight from breaking the crossbow bolts mid-flight.

This punch-out metal kit lets you assemble a 3D replica of a camera inspired by the Canon EOS 5D Mk. IV DSLR. Expect a challenging build that requires patience, a good set of needle-nose pliers, and the occasional Band-Aid. As it’s clearly not an official Canon product, it says “anon,” which we find kind of amusing.

Thermal cameras can be useful for finding people in the dark and for conducting inspections, but would having heat vision as a full-time superpower be a blessing or a curse? Louis Weisz strapped on a thermal camera and head-mounted display and wore them for 50 hours to see what life would be like with thermal vision.

Sony’s compact pro-quality FX30 video camera has an APS-C sensor that shoots 4K video at up to 120 fps, image stabilization, S-Cinetone mode for a cinematic look without grading, 16-bit RAW output, and much more. It accepts E-mount lenses, has dual memory card slots, and an optional XLR handle for external audio.

One of the reasons that smartphones have been so popular for shooting video is their size. This viewfinder kind of defeats that, but it does provide pro-quality focus and framing tools, magnifying your screen, blocking out sunlight, and immersing you in your shoots. A hinged door on the bottom provides quick touchscreen access.

DJI latest drone is designed for first-person view flights. It captures 4K/60 fps video with a super-wide angle lens and works with DJI’s FPV Goggles 2 and a motion controller for pilot immersion and easy flying. A built-in propeller guard lets you safely fly in tight locations, and the drone self-corrects if it bumps into something.

Toymaker Takara Tomy teamed up with Canon to create two Transformers based on their cameras. The 80% scale EOS R5 comes in Optimus Prime and Reflector versions. They look awesome, but sadly they don’t shoot photos. The Autobot is available for pre-order from BBTS, while the Decepticon is a Takara Tomy Mall exclusive.

DIY Perks takes a break from building awesome computer and video game systems to focus on a photography project. At the core of his custom large-format camera is a lens from a vintage opaque projector. When used to capture images, it gulps in a huge amount of light, resulting in a dreamy depth-of-field bokeh effect.

With millions of packages nabbed annually by porch thieves, we dream of revenge with glitter bombs like Mark Rober makes. But it’s simpler (and less messy) to monitor deliveries and scare off thieves with the Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell’s motion detector, emergency siren, and instant video/audio alerts on your phone.

Cameras can create art but are rarely artful themselves. They occasionally come in colors, but that’s about it. Filmmaker Dave Knop decided to test out his drawing skills using a hand engraving tool on the body of a cheap camera, giving it more personality. Though it did nothing to improve the camera’s awful image quality.

This camera from Sionyx is engineered to improve nighttime safety for boaters. Its ultra-low-light BSI CMOS sensor reveals hidden obstacles even on a moonless night. Its waterproof enclosure can withstand heavy splashing, and it can output video to your boat’s multifunction display or wirelessly on your mobile device.

Learn Online Video shows off a neat rig that lets you shoot footage while circling a subject. Rather than using a dolly track, the Raubay Photography Spinner uses a counterweighted arm that smoothly rotates around a platform in its center. It can be used for shooting small items or even a person with its extension arm kit.

Get up close and personal with the birds that stop by your yard with the Birdbuddy. This modern bird feeder has a high-resolution camera that automatically captures photos and video of our fine feathered friends and alerts you to their visits on your smartphone. AI tech even identifies their species.

LEGO builder Minibrick Productions created this accurate replica of Polaroid’s iconic SX-70 instant camera. The 538-piece model features an opening front drawer, a mechanism that ejects a LEGO photograph, and a box of Time-Zero Supercolor film. It’s already hit 10,000 votes on LEGO Ideas, so it’s one step closer to production.

Hold on to your camera with a secure and stylish strap made from strong and versatile 550 paracord. Zander Creatives handmakes these straps in a variety of colors to suit your individual style. They’re fitted with heavy duty rings and lobster clips, and come in 38″ and 47″ lengths.

DanCreator builds all kinds of fun things out of cardboard. His latest creation is an oversize Polaroid 600 camera. After assembling the camera, he offers an imaginative look at how its instant photos are actually produced, with the help of a fellow artist.

The nature photographers at John Downer Productions are known for infiltrating animal communities by packing cameras into lifelike robots. In this clip from Spy in the Wild 2, one of their robots crab-walked with thousands of real-life crustaceans and played a crab version of Frogger crossing the roads on Christmas Island.

Grab a great deal on a duo of camera drones, each equipped with a 4K UHD camera. Both the Alpha Z PRO and Flying Fox have wide-angle cameras, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a 6-axis gyroscope for smooth flying. The Flying Fox offers a longer flying time and one-key return functionality.

TinyScope’s digital telescope can capture images of the stars, moon, and planets using periscopic telephoto optics. It has an 8.4 MP Sony low-light image sensor, pan and tilt motors, object tracking, auto-focus, and IR/ND/UHC filters. It can also capture nature photography at a distance and ultrawide panoramic photos.