Home-made photo capturing device

I've recently come across this video showing what probably is - apart those that were made, twenty years ago, in the early days of photonics - the simplest implementation ever conceived of the mechanism laying behind modern digital photo capturing. Looking at the way it works, I would rather call it a "binary" camera. Each photo element is either black or white, no grey levels allowed.





As an electronic engineer, I'm amused at looking at these examples of home-made photo capturing devices. The result is absolutely not comparable with those achieved with pinhole photography. Yet, I'm amused at thinking that it doesn't necessarily boils down to expensive devices and instant hi-quality images.

Look at the patience the sitter has to wage. At the end of the process, the fragile piece of paper he brings in the hands is just the receipt of his expectations. No more.



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