novelty

Doughnut Camera Brings Instagram-Like Photos to the World of Pastries

If you often find yourself dreaming of photography while eating pastries, or (more likely) visa versa, then this is the camera for you. In all seriousness though, here's a fun little novelty product that made its way across our desk, which combines a 3MP camera and a fattening favorite, the doughnut.

Promo Idea: Use Tiny DSLR USB Drives to Make Sure Your Photos Are Seen

To promote this year's edition of its sports photography competition, Red Bull Illume is sending out a pretty slick promo. It's simply a USB drive loaded with a press media kit, but the presentation is so clever that we thought we'd share it with you (perhaps you can do something similar to promote your own photography business).

A Lens-Shaped Humidifier For Those Dry Winter Months

After all of those serious news reports and lens announcements, we thought it would be fun to share something on the whimsical side. You've seen camera lens mugs, now we give you a lens-shaped humidifier that'll keep the dry skin away over the next few months.

Nothing Says ‘I Love You’ to Photo Geeks Like This Chocolate DSLR

You've probably seen chocolate-colored DSLR cameras before, but have you ever seen DSLR-shaped chocolate? The camera above was created by San Francisco-based Etsy seller Hans Chung as a gift for his friends and family. It's a highly detailed solid chocolate replica of a Canon 60D that has a battery grip attached.

Leica Officially Jumping Onto the Lens Mug Train, Two Models Arriving Soon

Lens-shaped coffee mugs and vacuum flasks (the proper name for the Thermos) have become a hot novelty item in the world of photography over the past couple of years, and Leica wants a piece of the action. Two weeks ago, a Leica-branded coffee mug was spotted on eBay, and now it appears that the strange product will be hitting store shelves at brick-and-mortar Leica retail locations.

Polaroid Jacket Lets You Wear What the Company’s Factory Workers Wore

After Polaroid film died off, the The Impossible Project spent years rebooting the factories and breathing new life into old lines of instant film. However, the white-bordered film isn't the only thing Impossible has brought back from the dead. The company has also recreated Polaroid fashion from decades ago, launching the Polaroid Classic Factory Jacket.

Spotted: A Leica-Branded Pen and Coffee Cup, and a Pentax Q10 Watch

Canon started quite a fad back in 2010 by handing out novelty lens mugs at the Vancouver Olympic games. Within two years, it seems like everyone is making and selling lens-shaped coffee mugs now. If you thought Leica had stayed out of the craze, think again. Leica Rumors spotted the pen and coffee cup above being sold on eBay last week. The luxury Caran d'Ache pen carries the familiar red dot, while the cup features Noctilux lens markings.

Portable Vacuum Cleaner in the Shape of a Nikon 70-200mm Lens

Of all the photography-related novelty products we've seen so far, this one has to be one of the most bizarre. It's a hand-held vacuum cleaner designed to look just like a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR lens. The device can draw its power from either the cigarette lighter socker in your car or the USB port on your computer.

Projecteo: A Thumb-Sized Carousel Slide Projector That Uses 35mm Film Wheels

Projecteo is what you would get if you crossed a View-Master with a carousel slide projector and then miniaturized the love child using a shrink ray. It's a tiny LED-illuminated, battery-powered projector that takes in wheels created from 35mm slide film. Each wheel holds 9 photographs, and focusing the resulting image is done by twisting the lens barrel on the tiny gadget.

A Remote Shutter Release for iOS Devices That Masquerades as a Roll of Film

Ever since the launch of iOS 5 in mid-2011, iPhones, iPads, and iPods have accepted the "volume up" signal as a "take a picture" command, allowing Apple's headphones to double as handy remote shutter releases. If triggering your camera's shutter with a pair of earbuds in your hand isn't "hip" enough for you, check out this new iCA Remote Shutter by Japanese novelty photo company Gizmon. It's a dedicated shutter release for your iOS device that's designed to look like a roll of film.

How to Make a DIY Polaroid Pop-Up Card

As you already know, we're pretty obsessed with Polaroids, and all the creative photography we can get our hands on. This tutorial will teach you how to make a pop-up Polaroid camera card that "prints" out a miniature Polaroid picture.

The pieces of card stock for this project are about 7-1/2 inches long by 4-1/2 inches wide. To create a mini Polaroid you can print, we recommend using the Shake It Photo iPhone app. Send the image from your phone to your email, drop it into Preview, Photoshop or Word to resize, and you're good to go.

Photo Frame in the Shape of Sunglasses

Check out this unique picture frame by Urban Outfitters. The Sunglasses Photo Frame is a "kooky oversized sunglasses picture frame" that shows your 3.5x2.75 photos through the two lenses. The temple arms work as a stand for the frame.

Miniature DSLR Earphone Jack Plugs

Etsy shop Tyndall's Polymerclay sells earphone jack accessories shaped like tiny DSLRs. The plugs are based on popular camera models (e.g. Canon 5D, Nikon D90, Nikon D3), and are created from polymer clay for the body and resin for the lens.

Fancy New “Pro Series” Lens Bracelets

Back in 2010, San Diego-based photographer Adam Elmakias launched a geeky fashionable line of gel bracelets based on various lenses. The Lens Bracelets took the web by storm, and now Elmakias is back with a new and improved "pro series" lineup of bracelets that are much more faithful representations of actual lenses by Canon, Nikon, Leica, and Zeiss. The new bracelets are based off $25K+ worth of popular cameras lenses, and are more detailed and more durable than the previous version.

This Extremely Detailed Olympus Trip 35 Pendant Actually “Works”

Bellamy Hunt of Japan Camera Hunter recently got his hands on this amazing handmade camera pendant by jeweller Luke Satoru. The attention to detail is amazing: it's a tiny Olympus Trip 35 camera crafted from multiple pieces of brass, and the various components actually work! You can open up the back to look at the film plane, turn the rewind knob, move the advance winder, and the whole shebang.

Introducing the Instant Photo Pendant Necklace!

Say hello to the latest item in the PetaPixel Store: the Instant Photo Pendant Necklace! This beautiful pendant is designed to look exactly like a 1-inch tall Polaroid picture. Insert your favorite 0.8-inch square photos through a slot in the side, and keep it safe and snug with a clear plastic square (included). The copper and iron pendant is coated with white and comes with a silver-colored 18-inch chain. Buy one while supplies last for just $10 from our store (shipping is free for US residents).