camerakit

Panasonic Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 Vario in the field

Best Kit Lenses of All Time: My Five Favorites

We all have to start somewhere. For most of us, that means a basic DSLR or mirrorless camera kit with a compact, handy general-purpose zoom lens. Undoubtedly, we can't wait to ditch our basic kit lens for something faster or more versatile. A kit lens is something we feel we need to graduate from to call ourselves an accomplished photographer. But is that really the case? Maybe the humble kit lens has more to offer than we think, so today we will look at our five favorite kit lenses of all time.

The Best Camera Kit You Can Get with a $500 Budget

Finding a $500 camera setup that can deliver stunning portraits as well as a wide range of other types of photography was a challenge, to say the least! First and foremost I had to put together some bare minimum requirements/standards.

Kickstarter Brings Interchangeable Lenses to the Raspberry Pi Camera with Fun DIY Kit

The Raspberry Pi Camera module is a favorite of photography tinkerers. We've seen it used to create everything from GIF cameras to a balloon-powered, aerial picture-taking replica of the house from the Pixar movie UP. But through all this, one limitation has stayed true for the Pi camera module: you can't swap out lenses.

Well, no more. A new Kickstarter campaign is bringing interchangeable lenses and much more to the Raspberry Pi computer board/camera module in the form of a fun DIY camera kits.

Original Pin: A Customizable Wood Pinhole Camera You Build Like a 3D Jigsaw Puzzle

Build-it-yourself cameras can be both fun and educational. For photography types, a camera like the Konstructor or the Last camera makes for a fun weekend project that you can then take out on occasion when your inner hipster is calling, or give as a gift to a budding photo enthusiast.

Similarly, there's a large community of people who love pinhole cameras, which they've made using everything from LEGOs to dumpsters. So what happens when those two worlds collide? You get the Original Pin.

Videre: A Medium-Format Pinhole Camera with a Twin-Lens Reflex Design

London-based photographer Kelly Angood has had quite a tumultuous year so far in 2013. Last month she announced that she would be turning her popular cardboard medium format camera design into a proper do-it-yourself kit. After launching a Kickstarter campaign to take preorders, she quickly raised over £23,000 (~$34,000) from over 600 supporters.

However, the fact that her camera was based on Hasselblad's famous design turned out to be a dealbreaker. After being informed that she was putting herself at risk of a lawsuit, Angood decided to cancel the project and turn her back on the money. Now, one month later, she's at it again with a different (original) camera design and a new camera kit Kickstarter campaign.

Cardboard Hasselblad Medium Format Pinhole Camera to Be Sold as a Kit [Updated]

Remember that beautiful cardboard Hasselblad created by designer Kelly Angood a couple of years ago and released as a PDF template? If you'd like to build your own but don't want to go through the trouble of printing the design onto cardboard and cutting out the pieces, you'll be glad to know that Angood is working on launching a do-it-yourself kit for the camera.