SUMMARY
An architecture student, Nikita Merkushin, has gone viral for building a functional digital instant camera from everyday objects. Using a magnifying glass as a lens, a mirror, cardboard, and a flatbed scanner, he constructed an oversized camera that projects images onto the scanner. This DIY project serves as a clear, albeit impractical, demonstration of fundamental camera principles, including how lenses project light onto a sensor and the concept of a rolling shutter.
TAKEAWAYS
A student built a digital camera using a magnifying glass, mirror, cardboard, and a flatbed scanner.
The camera projects images onto a scanner, demonstrating basic camera mechanics.
The design highlights the concept of a rolling shutter, common in digital cameras.
The resulting camera is oversized and impractical but educational.