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Posts Tagged ‘Functional’

Film Fridays: pushing the functional limits of a cheap point and shoot

03 Apr
Photo: 35mmc.com

The Olympus AF-10 Super is by all stretches of the imagination, a very basic film point and shoot. Features are limited to a flash (with three settings) and a self-timer… and that’s about it. But limitations can inspire creative workarounds, and creative workarounds can lead to really satisfying photos, something 35mmc.com’s Hamish Gill found to be true. Read about his experience with the Olympus AF-10 Super, below.

Read: Olympus AF-10 Super – Pushing the functional limits of a
cheap point and shoot

About Film Fridays: We recently launched an analog forum and in a continuing effort to promote the fun of the medium, we’ll be sharing film-related content on Fridays, including articles from our friends at 35mmc.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photographer turns old computer parts into functional large format ‘Frankenstein’ camera

07 Aug

Iranian photographer Alireza Rostami has introduced the world to his ‘Frankenstein’ camera, a functional product handmade from old and broken computer components. According to Rostami, who recently spoke with DPReview, he purchased his first computer in 1999, a moment he said he’ll ‘never forget.’

Rostami explains that as he upgraded the computer over the years, he saved the older hardware, including the motherboard. ‘One day I thought, I can turn my old computer into a device that works again!’ Rostami said. ‘And I thought, well, why not make a camera?’

Rostami crunched the numbers and developed a design for his large format camera, which features a Linhof large format lens and film back, as well as a low-power battery that powers the camera’s computers fans, adding to the overall aesthetic. Rostami says his computer camera is suitable for landscape photography without adjusting the focus but can be readjusted for other uses by utilizing a universal lens ring and changing the lens.

Below is a video walkthrough of the camera, shared with DPReview by Rostami:

‘Unfortunately, I don’t have access to high-end technology,’ Rostami notes on Instagram, explaining that he’d like to make a different model that functions as both a computer and camera. Despite that, Rostami is pleased with the current version, saying, ‘I find the camera very exciting and beautiful, like something out of science fiction. I have a very unique camera now.’

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Part 3 … video This is my Frankenstein camera . I make it with my broken Camputer . #apple #technology #camera #largeformatcamera #Instagram #newyork #usa #windows #google #yahoo #news #microsoft

A post shared by Alireza Rostami (@alirizarostami) on

Selfies captured with the Frankenstein camera are available on Rostami’s Instagram account. The photographer has shared a number of other DIY photography projects, including a camera transformed into a watch and a modified lens that produces dreamy, otherworldly images.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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This dead Polaroid SX-70 was rebuilt as a fully functional digital camera

27 Jun

Josh Gross, a managing partner at design and development studio Planetary, has published a writeup detailing the conversion of an old defunct Polaroid SX-70 into a fully functional digital camera. The finished product retains the same external design as the original, but the innards have been heavily modified to include a Raspberry Pi Zero W and CCD sensor.

Gross details the rebuild in a blog post on his website, where he explains the project’s trickiest aspect was fitting the CCD and lens camera assembly into the Polaroid’s head. The original focus wheel and exposure wheels stayed intact, as well as most external components.

Moving on from the lens assembly, Gross says he removed the Polaroid camera’s Fresnel mirror and replaced it with a small 6.3cm (2.5in) screen in order to provide a live image preview. The screen assembly and battery were mounted within the camera’s film storage area, and the rest of the components were added.

One of the final images captured with the finished product.

Gross used OpenCV and Python on the software side for processing and displaying images. Size constraints required the use of a fisheye lens, so Gross used software to remove the fisheye effect for more authentic final images. Overall, he explains the project took 8 months of ‘on-and-off’ work to complete. Below is a full gallery of images shared with permission from Gross:

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‘Was there a point to it? Absolutely not,’ Gross says in his writeup. ‘Was it fun? Hell yeah.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Cellular Urbanism: Analyzing the Anatomy of Functional City Block Designs

30 Aug

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

We all understand intuitively that different urban layouts lead to different kinds of cities, but a new book analyzes these on a block-to-block basis to illustrate how this civic anatomy works on a cellular level. In Urban Being: Anatomy & Identity of the City, Robin Renner uses anatomical-style classifications to look at urban landscapes through a kind of giant microscope.

Overlaying use patterns and transit networks, the reader begins to understand what types of urban “cells” make for functional built environments. Think of it like genome sequencing: through it, planners and architects can learn how to identify problems and, in some cases, address them or head them off in advance.

A combination of topography, transportation networks and design ambitions go a long way toward shaping cells in global cities, forming grids and networks familiar from satellite views of cities. All this in turn shapes the kinds of buildings and functions one finds within a given city.

At the most basic level there are “block cells” made up of arterial routes — these tend to be packed with activity, though specific functions vary on long and short sides of a block (shorter are often busier). These are often found in financial centers of major metropolitan areas.

There are also “linear cells” where two single-direction roads pass one another, which can form the basis of walkable commercial hubs.

Inside “central cells,” where traffic is pushed to the periphery, pedestrians can dominate, generating demand for things like stores and restaurants. Barcelona, for instance, has been implementing a plan to turn sets of blocks into single superblocks, leaving central zones free of cars.

In the process of analyzing all of these types and how they work together in neighborhoods, Renner has devised some rules of thumb, like: residential cells should be between 1200 and 2400 feet across. Industrial cells, which often grow up around transit routes (railroads, rivers and lakes) can grow too big and isolated unless located close to worker housing or connected via public transit. These kinds of decisions, says Renner, can help cities keep a healthy balance of livability and functionality.

“There is a long tradition of comparing cities with organisms as they have similarities in their anatomy, explains the author. “But since cities are brought into life by the presence of people, they are less living beings than urban beings with their own identity. This is based on the behaviors, needs and requirements of the residents. In other words, the anatomy of the city informs its identity.”

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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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‘The Darkroom’ bar for photographers to offer a photo studio, functional darkroom… and booze

27 Aug
via Google Street View

A new bar called ‘The Darkroom’ is planned for construction on Florida Ave. in Washington D.C., according to a local news report, and it’ll cater specifically to photographers. The bar’s nature was revealed in a liquor license application submitted to the Alcoholic Beverage Administration in D.C.

According to the application, ‘The Darkroom’ will include a functional darkroom, photo studio, bar, and art gallery. The application also indicates the bar would be used to host classes, lectures, screenings and art shows. Those classes would be ‘designed to preserve the history and explore the future of the medium.’ The individual who filed the application, however, hasn’t issued any comments on the plan.

Via: PetaPixel

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Caricature as Furniture: Pop Culture in Functional 3D Form

08 Jan

[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

caricature chairs 1

The Simpsons and other characters and pop culture figures are translated into minimalist chair designs in this eclectic collection from 56th Studio. Can you guess who the rest are supposed to be? The designers took the most recognizable features of each and distilled them to their most basic forms. Naturally, the exaggerated hairstyles of Bart, Marge and Lisa make them easy to spot, while the others are subtler.

caricature chairs 3

caricature chairs 2

“At the beginning, this project is an exploration of minimal illustration that has eventually expanded into pieces of furniture,” say the esigners. “We believe that objects possess power of communication, therefore, we decide to take a tongue-in-cheek look at investigating Pop and Hollywood Culture in tangible forms, in hoping that it would make the line that separates Graphic from Furniture become thinner.”

caricature chairs 4

caricature chairs 5

caricature chairs 6

Inspired in part by the ‘cubical appearance’ of iconic singer Grace Jones, the project definitely blurs the lines between art objects and functional furniture. Jones is represented by one big pair of lips, and you might be able to spot Harry Potter and his owl, too.

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[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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