Tag Archives: Cameras

Smile for the camer-androids!

A few days ago, Joey Klusnick staked his claim for NPU of the year with his LEGO camera robot. It’s certainly earned my vote, not least because now, it’s got a little sibling! Rather than a functional camera, the head of this one is a Duplo accessory. In fact that camera throws off the scale slightly – it’s not until you look at some of the parts used elsewhere, like the windscreen in the body, that you realise that this droid is actually pretty small.

This next shot gives you a better idea of that! The consistent colours make them both feel like part of the same family. There’s some more clever parts use in the tyre and rubber band for the camera lens, too. But the cleverest detail might be the names. The bigger bot is called Megapixel; so what’s the smaller version called? Why, Thumbnail, of course!

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An android endorsed by Spielberg himself

In the distant cyberpunk future, you might run into this LEGO android by Joey Klusnick! This build is a great example of using a highly unique LEGO piece to create something new. That camera that makes up the android’s head is the old USB camera sold in 1349-1 Steven Spielberg Moviemaker Set from the year 2000. The body of this robot is a wonderfully organic series of wrapped rubber. But here’s the thing: that’s still part of the camera! The USB cable of the camera is (apparently) ridiculously long, so Joey has used it to create all the muscle-y bits this android needs to run around. I also want to point out that the USB plug on the droid’s left arm fits perfectly into a pair of fences. One thing I know for certain is that this droid will always get its shot!

LEGO Ideas reveals their next set as 21345 Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera [News]

Hot on the heels of 21344 The Orient Express Train, LEGO Ideas has yet another offering for us, debuting in the new year. 21345 Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera marks the 53rd product in the Ideas line. The 516-piece model includes a viewfinder, dials, and a functioning shutter button that interacts with the included LEGO-themed “photos.” We haven’t seen many 1:1 scale sets from LEGO, with the most notable in this category being the LEGO Ideas 21327 Typewriter from 2021. For shutterbugs and LEGO enthusiasts looking to get their hands on the LEGO Ideas 21345 Polaroid OneStep SX-70 Camera, the set will be available from LEGO’s website on January 1, retailing for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99.

Take a better look at the camera below!

Continuing the LEGO Disney100 celebration, 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera now available for pre-order [News]

Hot on the heels of the new LEGO Disney Castle, the Disney100 sets just keep on coming with 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera. Constructed of 811 pieces, this tribute to Disney’s formative years includes a vintage film camera, strip of LEGO-ified Disney scenes, and a small vignette featuring four classic characters and Walt, himself. The camera is modeled to showcase the multiplane style used in classic animated Disney movies such as Bambi and Snow White. 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera is currently available for pre-order, and will be available from LEGO stores and their website on September 1, and retails for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.

Take a look at this great new set below!

A picture perfect LEGO camera

When it comes to recreating real-world objects out of LEGO, cameras are a popular subject. Ben Tritschler has created a great example that would feel at home at any high-end photography shop. There are plenty of clever part choices here including red rubber-band accents and a spider as a knob. But the thing that really “sells” this illusion for me is the string attaching the lens cap to the camera body.

This build also looks incredible from the back. Ben used a lot of printed elements from the 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) set to add plenty of realistic details.

Ben’s first version of this camera was self-limited to 101 parts as part of the RogueOlympics. If you’re interested in some great minimal-part-count creations, you should check out some of the other featured builds from that competition.

Everything an aspiring LEGO photographer needs

We’ve featured a number of great LEGO recreations of cameras over the years, but Milan Sekiz went the extra mile by recreating all the essential accessories, too. Along with the Nikon D7100 camera, there’s a Nikon SB600 flash, Sherpa 200R tripod, and a Phottix remote. Some standout details include the excellent use of angled slope tile to create the camera body, as well as the tread on a LEGO tire standing in on the texture on the lens housing. (But the best detail has to be the tiny bit of chain link in the dial.) I also like the use of quarter-circle tile to create smooth lines on the flash.

Even better, the various builds can be combined just like the real thing. This rear view of the camera with the flash attached also shows off a cool extra – a LEGO camera strap!

Want more like this? Check out those other LEGO camera recreations we mentioned earlier.

If it’ll please the court, Exhibit A...the wedding photos.

A photograph is a literal snapshot of a moment in time, but often so is the camera. This LEGO disposable camera by nobu_tary reminds us that the real sweet spot for these was from about the late eighties to the early oughts. The builder pretty well captured the sort of the throw away cheap quality these cameras possessed. The lenses were usually plastic, the photo quality questionable but they served in a pinch. One popular use of these was at weddings. A disposable camera was placed at each table and wedding guests were encouraged to snap impromptu pics of themselves. Then once the honeymoon was over, the newlyweds would then develop their photos only to find a record number of butts, boobies, and ding-dongs. It was immature and a complete waste of film if you ask me! Thankfully we all do the same now but on our smartphones like responsible adults.

Oh, shoot!

The Fujifilm X100 Series is an iconic camera line, and builder John Huang has given it an equally iconic LEGO treatment. Curved slope tiles in grey and black give the housing clean edges and lines. A minifigure frying pan makes a great stand-in for the viewfinder selector switch, and a Technic gear forms the shutter speed dial.

As nice as those details are, the viewfinder on this one is really a cut above. It’s also cool to see the lens housing rotated and sitting at a tilted angle; it makes this feel even more like a functional piece of camera equipment. I’m just loving all these 1:1 scale LEGO cameras lately, but this one makes me particularly happy.

LEGO photography in monochrome

LEGO and photography are core interests of most of the Brothers Brick staff – and when they combine we take notice. There’s been a recent trend of super-realistic LEGO camera recreations and today we’re sharing another stellar example. This Olympus OM-1 by David Hensel is just a joy to behold. Built for a contest where only one color was allowed, this monochromatic marvel is full of unusual parts and smart techniques. My favorite feature is the tank treads that form lens housing. Using a 4×4 dome as the lens itself is also unusual for these builds, but it adds just the right curvature to the product shot here. Other standout touches are the ribbed 1×2 brick in the case, the minifigure life preservers as cord straps, and the variety of tires that form the knobs.

You know you’ve nailed the appearance when you still have to take a second look when your model is grouped in with some examples of the actual camera.

I suppose over time this theme could even branch out into more smartphone builds. I’m guilty of using mine for most of my photos these days. Regardless, here’s to hoping that this isn’t the last camera we see, either from David or other builders.

Clicking together a snapshot

Is there a contest I’m missing or are cameras the popular true-to-life choice for LEGO artists right now? Lately we’ve had a few camera builds, and they’re all too awesome to pass up. This Nikon FG, built by Ming Jin is one that has caught our eye. There is something about the marriage of LEGO and a camera body that works so well. Just enough blockiness and curves at the same time.

You can check out those other cameras I mentioned by viewing our LEGO camera archives.

Say, “Cheese slope!”

It is an almost surreal experience for me to see a picture of a camera. My brain thinks, “But how did they take the picture if the camera is in the picture?” Of course, I eventually realize there is more than one camera in the world, but it takes my brain longer than it should to get to that conclusion. It’s a bit slow. To make matters worse, sometimes talented builders like Sheo. craft a detailed camera lookalike out of LEGO bricks. Then my brain has the extra step of realizing that it is not even a picture of a camera taken with another camera and that only one camera was involved in the production of the image. It’s hard being a brain sometimes. This Canon EOS 5D is a spot-on replica, lovingly crafted in 1:1 scale, complete with the image of the LEGO build that the camera just photographed on the screen on the back.

It’s got everything a camera could need, from a removable battery to the various SD cards, as well as the ports for your remote and the cable to upload pictures to your computer (it doesn’t include the remote or cables, sadly, but you can get those on Amazon, I’m sure). The only thing that is not LEGO is the strap, and I’m not sure how that could have been done in purist LEGO style short of braiding countless official strings together. And who has time for that? Custom stickers do wonders here, giving it the authentic Canon feel. Don’t miss the tire embedded in the back for some controls, and some rubber bits for tracks are perfect buttons. All things considered, it’s an amazing reproduction of a camera. Now I want to see a full-size picture of the MOC on the camera’s screen. I bet it’s cool, too. And less confusing for my brain.

A twist on deepfake images

More and more these days, I worry about the truth of what I see online. From deepfakes to bot accounts, it feels like nothing can really be trusted anymore. And then…and then…people like Joe Klang make me start doubting reality itself. I mean, look at this Leica M camera. Except it’s not a camera at all, is it? Of course not. It’s made out of LEGO bricks.

It’s the creative part usage that makes this model so realistic. Minifigure weapons connect a length of chain serving as a perfect camera strap, with small rubber tires cinching things up nicely. An X-Pod lid doubles as a lens cap, and a variety of 1×1 tiles mimic the camera housing with just the right level of texture.

At least I know I can take a break from this madness and go and play some classic Atari games. (Or maybe not…)