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Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

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Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#1

Post by jcun4128 »

This is the third camera I've designed/made around the raspberry pi parts/ecosystem.

The repo has all the STL files, parts list, most wiring diagrams. The first one was the custom Pi Zero HQ cam which was featured on a Hackaday article/podcast.

The modular version (aside from being able to swap cameras) mostly has the latest software. Recently I added the ability to process videos in the background (ffmpeg merges wav/mp4 files together).

The camera uses crop-zoom-panning for dialing in shots with manual lenses. The menu is created by layering images/text with PIL. Live preview is a little slow as it's SPI based.

If anybody is a pro at python I'd appreciate insight on better code. I've mostly just followed a context-based folder layout regarding where everything is.

I have not added custom/manual settings yet, it uses auto settings for the most part except for when you use a V3 camera module (which has electronic aperture) then it uses the d-pad to set the focus/diopter value.

I have another camera in mind/future build although it's more tailored for videos.

Some sample video I've shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkjXkQD0j9w

Assembly video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXG-MoIw93Q

At some point I will rewrite the code for a new general purpose DIY camera software from what I've learned, that'll be an undertaking.

Show HN: Modular Pi Cam
github.com

Re: Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#2

Post by dheera »

I just really wish Raspberry Pi would come out with a truly HQ camera with a full frame 35mm sensor, or at least an APS-C sensor. I'd pay $1000-1500 for it, just to have something as good as a full frame camera but programmable and hackable.

I would love to build a full frame mirrorless camera that runs my own UI. I'm pretty sure I could code a much more advanced UI than Sony or Canon.

Their current HQ camera is more like an LQ camera and there is not a huge variety of high quality photographic lenses available for it.

Re: Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#3

Post by jcun4128 »

dheera wrote: post #2

I just really wish Raspberry Pi would come out with a truly HQ camera with a full frame 35mm sensor, or at least an APS-C sensor. I'd pay $1000-1500 for it, just to have something as good as a full frame camera but programmable and hackable. I would love to build a full frame mirrorless camera that runs my own UI. I'm pretty sure I could code a much more advanced UI than Sony or Canon. Their current HQ camera is more…

I have seen some people work on a Kodak sensor and also Cine Pi's latest work with the IMX585 sensor is really amazing (4K/8K upscaled). The IMX585 sensor is expensive though compared to the HQ Cam IMX477. Here I'm using the Pi Zero 2 here so can't do 4K I believe (data lanes limit or something, also writing to SD card).

Kodak sensor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma9FrN5COIo

Recent CinePi work https://youtu.be/tI7hIKG1v40?si=BUvOOGutQJDnv09q&t=177

I'm not affiliated with CinePi I'm just amazed what you can do when you know what you're doing ha (eg. color grading)

Re: Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#4

Post by buildbot »

jcun4128 wrote: post #3
dheera wrote: post #2

I just really wish Raspberry Pi would come out with a truly HQ camera with a full frame 35mm sensor, or at least an APS-C sensor. I'd pay $1000-1500 for it, just to have something as good as a full frame camera but programmable and hackable. I would love to build a full frame mirrorless camera that runs my own UI. I'm pretty sure I could code a much more advanced UI than Sony or Canon. Their current HQ camera is more…

I have seen some people work on a Kodak sensor and also Cine Pi's latest work with the IMX585 sensor is really amazing (4K/8K upscaled). The IMX585 sensor is expensive though compared to the HQ Cam IMX477. Here I'm using the Pi Zero 2 here so can't do 4K I believe (data lanes limit or something, also writing to SD card). Kodak sensor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma9FrN5COIo Recent CinePi work https://youtu.be/tI7h…

Thanks for the link to the Kodak sensor - that's awesome, because those sensors have a fairly common interface across all the other Kodak sensors like the 48x36mm Medium format 22MP sensors... It would be pretty easy to adapt this project to make your own CCD medium format camera!

Re: Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#5

Post by ipsum2 »

jcun4128 wrote: post #3
dheera wrote: post #2

I just really wish Raspberry Pi would come out with a truly HQ camera with a full frame 35mm sensor, or at least an APS-C sensor. I'd pay $1000-1500 for it, just to have something as good as a full frame camera but programmable and hackable. I would love to build a full frame mirrorless camera that runs my own UI. I'm pretty sure I could code a much more advanced UI than Sony or Canon. Their current HQ camera is more…

I have seen some people work on a Kodak sensor and also Cine Pi's latest work with the IMX585 sensor is really amazing (4K/8K upscaled). The IMX585 sensor is expensive though compared to the HQ Cam IMX477. Here I'm using the Pi Zero 2 here so can't do 4K I believe (data lanes limit or something, also writing to SD card). Kodak sensor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma9FrN5COIo Recent CinePi work https://youtu.be/tI7h…

CinePi didn't develop the hardware, that's Will Whang's (https://www.willwhang.dev/OneInchEye/) work.

Re: Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#6

Post by jcun4128 »

buildbot wrote: post #4
jcun4128 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have seen some people work on a Kodak sensor and also Cine Pi's latest work with the IMX585 sensor is really amazing (4K/8K upscaled). The IMX585 sensor is expensive though compared to the HQ Cam IMX477. Here I'm using the Pi Zero 2 here so can't do 4K I believe (data lanes limit or something, also writing to SD card). Kodak sensor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma9FrN5COIo Recent CinePi work https://youtu.be/tI7h…

Thanks for the link to the Kodak sensor - that's awesome, because those sensors have a fairly common interface across all the other Kodak sensors like the 48x36mm Medium format 22MP sensors... It would be pretty easy to adapt this project to make your own CCD medium format camera!

Another good link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QQx0G5MR3k

Trying to find this one where a guy made a sensor stack from scratch it wasn't great like 1 MP but still amazing

This one open source USB 3 camera damn!

https://www.circuitvalley.com/2022/06/pensource-usb-c-indust...

Re: Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#7

Post by jcun4128 »

ipsum2 wrote: post #5
jcun4128 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have seen some people work on a Kodak sensor and also Cine Pi's latest work with the IMX585 sensor is really amazing (4K/8K upscaled). The IMX585 sensor is expensive though compared to the HQ Cam IMX477. Here I'm using the Pi Zero 2 here so can't do 4K I believe (data lanes limit or something, also writing to SD card). Kodak sensor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma9FrN5COIo Recent CinePi work https://youtu.be/tI7h…

CinePi didn't develop the hardware, that's Will Whang's ( https://www.willwhang.dev/OneInchEye/ ) work.

Ah I did not know that, thanks

Re: Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#8

Post by jcun4128 »

Here is a write up on topics covered by these camera iterations

https://medium.com/@jdc-cunningham/making-a-user-interface-f...

A lot of pictures and full menu map

And MS paint wiring diagrams

(1st camera) https://github.com/jdc-cunningham/pi-zero-hq-cam/tree/master...

(2nd camera orange) https://github.com/jdc-cunningham/modular-pi-cam/blob/master...

Re: Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#9

Post by geerlingguy »

dheera wrote: post #2

I just really wish Raspberry Pi would come out with a truly HQ camera with a full frame 35mm sensor, or at least an APS-C sensor. I'd pay $1000-1500 for it, just to have something as good as a full frame camera but programmable and hackable. I would love to build a full frame mirrorless camera that runs my own UI. I'm pretty sure I could code a much more advanced UI than Sony or Canon. Their current HQ camera is more…

Check out Will Whang's work: https://www.willwhang.dev

He and the developer of the Pieca camera (https://teaandtechtime.com/pieca-a-raspberry-pi-camera-syste...) have both been tinkering with 1" sensors, which seems to be the current limit for what kind of sensor works okay with the Pi's CSI interface.

I haven't found a larger sensor that is available to mere mortals yet, but it would be neat to get to 35mm someday.

Re: Show HN: Modular Pi Cam

#10

Post by inhumantsar »

jcun4128 wrote: post #6
buildbot wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the link to the Kodak sensor - that's awesome, because those sensors have a fairly common interface across all the other Kodak sensors like the 48x36mm Medium format 22MP sensors... It would be pretty easy to adapt this project to make your own CCD medium format camera!

Another good link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QQx0G5MR3k Trying to find this one where a guy made a sensor stack from scratch it wasn't great like 1 MP but still amazing This one open source USB 3 camera damn! https://www.circuitvalley.com/2022/06/pensource-usb-c-indust...

Breaking Taps had a video not long ago covering his efforts to design and fab his own image sensor, though it didn't work and it wouldn't have been anywhere near 1MP even if it had.
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