While the recently released Lego Polaroid camera was cool, it didn't actually take photos. Now, however, we have a camera made out of Lego that produces real photographs – and it's large format, too.
Earlier this month, Alternative Process Photography reposted the result of a passion project made by Cary Norton – a self-described “photographer, tinkerer, and general dweeberist.”
Back in 2009, Norton created the Legotron Mark I, a fully working 4x5 camera constructed almost entirely from Lego bricks. After realizing he wasn’t getting on with the Lego Builder app, he borrowed a ton of Lego bricks from his friend Gregory and set to work building the Legotron.
After rebuilding the main body to accommodate a film holder – “a part I’d forgotten to plan for,” Norton says on his website – his dedication resulted in a fully functioning camera, complete with a 127mm f/4.7 lens purchased on eBay for $40.
Despite not knowing how many bricks he used, the Legotron’s dimensions are roughly 7 x 6.5 x7 inches and consists of a main box, internal box, film holder and ground glass slot, lens board and lens. The camera is focused by sliding the internal box back and forth.
With a focus range of three feet to eighteen inches, Norton explains on his website that his homemade camera is good for portraits “but certainly can’t focus to infinity.”
The ground glass is plexi sanded down, and is held in place with a film holder with the aluminum center cut out. It’s a tight fit with a line of liquid nails along it.
The Legotron was made in six or seven days over the course of about a year, as Norton spent time in the evening “tinkering” on his creation that he insists was just for fun. And plans for a Legotron Mark II are (or at least, were) in the works.
“I have a lot more knowledge now and can probably design more accurately in the LEGO app. I'm also going to do a lot of measuring to make sure I have a better focus range (on this version, I just started building on a whim).
“I'm sure lots of other little tweaks will find their way into the Mark II, but for now, I've got to shoot this guy as much as I can! I'm working on a cohesive project theme to shoot around. I'm open to suggestions too.”
If you're a Lego fan, you might be interested in the best Lego minifigs with cameras. And if you love shooting large, take a look at the best medium format cameras.
