3DP Applications

3D-Printable SLR Camera

Single Lens Reflex (SLR) based cameras are familiar to many for being the type that students, for decades, would learn photography on. The space race and American Indo-Chinese wars such as Vietnam were cataloged by this classic device. Léo Marius, maker, was unsatisfied with the state of play of, and rate of progress of, 3D printed cameras. Now it is available to print at home…

These camera’s work by utilizing a sole lens to reflect light, freeing the design for a straight ‘What You See Is What You Get’ viewfinder experience. The term SLR perhaps describes the premise of that which is required to understand it’s basis in simple optical mechanics, but for more information, please follow the useful link here:

Parts 3D Printed SLR Camera open reflex

Project Description

The OpenReflex is an Open-Source analogue camera with a mirror Viewfinder and an awesome finger activated mechanic shutter (running ~ 1/60°s). What’s more, it’s compatible with any photographic lens by the use of standardized sizes and fitting mechanisms.

All the pieces easily printable on an recent RepRap-like ABS 3D-printer without using support material! Everything should print in less than 15 hours and anyone should be able to assemble it within 1 hour.

All parts are separate (film receiver, Shutter and Viewfinder) to simplify builds and modifications.

The source files are available under the CreativeCommon By-Sa license, feel free to modify them if you want a new feature, and don’t forget to share your improvements on the web!

The camera is every bit of an SLR as you’d imagine featuring everything you need, including a mirrored viewfinder. Operation is still a bit cumbersome, but this will probably improve now that the camera is in the wild. Currently it works with a hand activated sliding window.’

INSTRUCTABLE / images | Léo Marius

3D Printed SLR Camera open reflex 3D Printed SLR Camera open reflex