When we reviewed the Konstruktor from Lomography, we thought this unique DIY toy camera was a fun way to learn the inner workings of an SLR film camera. Now a similar shooter from Japan called the LAST Camera takes the same DIY approach. Instead of shipping whole, all the plastic snap-off bits and pieces have to be put together like those model car and robot kits you used to assemble as a kid, although the LAST seems more involved than the Konstruktor.
The LAST Camera, when successfully constructed, is a black boxy 35mm SLR with two interchangeable lenses, a 25mm wide-angle and a 45mm. Like a film camera there’s a viewfinder, accessory shoe, shutter button, bulb level for long-exposure photography, tripod mount, and winding crank to advance the film. There’s also a door you can slide open to let in light intentionally, for artistic purposes. If you’re a savvy hobbyist, you can paint the parts before assembly to make it exclusively yours. And, there will be additional parts you can purchase to add onto the camera.
The camera is made by PowerShovel Ltd., which sells unique cameras under the Superheadz brand. It’s available stateside for $60. You wouldn’t buy this as your primary camera, naturally, but it makes a fun gift or a toy camera for shooting analog photos without the help of filters.
The LAST Camera website has some instructional videos, as well as fun videos of various people putting the camera together, like this one of Japanese pro wrestler Yoshihiro Takayama.
(Via Imaging Resource)
