Photographer Gives Camp Snap ‘Kids’ Camera a 3D-Printed Upgrade
Photographer James Warner recently created a clever $10 do-it-yourself waist-level viewfinder that works with any camera. Now the builder, who goes by Snappiness on YouTube, is back with another fantastic project, this time turning a digital camera made for kids into a twin-lens reflex-style creation.
Spotted by Hackaday, Warner’s DIY camera project relies upon the Camp Snap digital camera. This $40 point-and-shoot camera, released in June 2023, ditches the screen to help kids “live in the moment” and delivers a streamlined, simplistic camera experience.
It sports a bare-bones yellow and black design, a USB-C for charging, a memory card slot (locked behind a screw, by the way, so kids don’t lose or maybe even eat the card), a viewfinder, and a shutter release. That’s it- this 8-megapixel camera is genuinely designed for point-and-click photography adventures.
“This is a camera that was made for kids, and surprising it’s been a big hit even among adults as a sort of lo-fi digital, screen-free shooting experience,” Warner explains. “But I think it could be even better as a camera, so I’m going to go all-out and upgrade it into a totally new camera.”
Warner explains that, like his waist-level viewfinder project, the Camp Snap overhaul is part of building the knowledge and experience he needs to create a totally new camera by himself by the end of the year.
The Camp Snap is a great candidate for tinkering since it is simple and easy to take apart. Its simplicity carries over to its viewfinder, a cheap, small, and not very good optical pass-through slot.
“I think this could be a way cooler experience,” Warner says of the Camp Snap’s viewfinder. His mind immediately went to a waist-level viewfinder on a twin-lens reflex camera. Given that Warner recently did another waist-level viewfinder project, it’s safe to say he likes them.
“I’m obsessed with these things,” Warner says.
To achieve a superior Camp Snap experience, Warmer removed the guts and put them into an entirely new body, which he designed and 3D printed, providing him with great hands-on experience designing a camera.
As Warner shows in the video above, there is a lot to consider when designing a camera body, and while not everything is perfect, his camera came out pretty darn good. The “Snappiflex” entirely transforms and improves the experience of using the Camp Snap.
Photographers can follow along with more of Warner’s projects as he continues to work toward his goal of building a camera from scratch on his YouTube channel, Snappiness.
Image credits: Snappiness / James Warner
