This Insane 3D Printed Camera Features a Working Aperture and Shutter

The promise of distributed manufacturing—when consumer products can be downloaded and manufactured by consumers locally—was always one of the highest hopes for desktop 3D printing. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite pan out. However, that’s not to say that the occasional project comes through that keeps the hope of distributed manufacturing alive.

The SLO (Single Lens Objective) 3D printed camera from 23-year-old Digital Design student Amos Dudley is just one of those projects.

Starting with a camera body design that was optimized for printing speed and material usage, Dudley chose to break up the camera body into multiple modules that allowed him to prototype each component individually—a smart decision that enabled him to test various functions without having to reprint the entire camera.

Due to the widespread availability of 35mm film, Dudley chose to go with a 35mm camera and built the remainder of the body around a traditional back-loading 35mm film camera.

Included in the final 3D printed design are a working shutter, an adjustable aperture (!!) and even a shot count indicator that can keep track of 24 your favorite Kodak Moments.

As for the picture quality? Not too shabby!

Get the full rundown and downloadable 3D files over at Dudley’s website.