In a world where Lego has already ventured into creating sets like the Lego NES and the Lego Pac-Man arcade cabinet, it’s surprising that a functional Lego film camera hasn’t yet been released. However, there’s a promising development on the horizon: the Lego ZH1. This innovative project is a fully operational 35mm point-and-shoot camera that uses real film and includes all the necessary controls for capturing and advancing shots. With its retro design featuring the black and white Lego logo from 1934, the ZH1 embodies a classic aesthetic that appeals to enthusiasts of vintage photography.
The ZH1 boasts a design reminiscent of the Fujifilm X100VI, a contemporary single-lens point-and-shoot camera. Its lens is ingeniously crafted from a Lego magnifying glass, and the camera’s back cover is hinged to facilitate the loading of a roll of film. The camera includes a winding knob, a rewind knob, a shutter button, and an accessory shoe. Project creator Zung Hoang has demonstrated the camera’s ease of use on his Instagram page, providing a glimpse into its functionality.
We first discovered the Lego ZH1 through Hackaday in 2023. Since then, Zung Hoang has been working to promote the project on Lego Ideas. At present, the project has just over 9,000 supporters and has 30 days left to reach the required 10,000 votes. If it meets this goal, Lego will review the proposal and decide whether to produce it as a full set. Currently, Lego offers a Retro Camera set with 261 pieces, which features a simulation film rather than actual film, priced at $20.
The ZH1’s design is notably large, measuring nearly 10 inches wide, making it significantly bigger than typical cameras from brands like Leica, Sony, or Fujifilm. This substantial size is a result of the nature of Lego construction, which, while offering a straightforward building experience for those familiar with Lego kits, results in a camera much larger than its analog or digital counterparts.
One crucial aspect to consider is the camera’s light-proof quality. Hoang revealed to Gizmodo via Instagram that early versions of the camera had issues with light leaks due to micro-cracks in the bricks. To address this, he switched to black bricks, which improved the design’s light-sealing capability. He tested the final design using a phone flashlight on the backplate and confirmed that it did not adversely affect the film.
The images produced by the ZH1 may not achieve the sharpness and detail of cameras with adjustable apertures and high-quality lenses. Hoang explained that the ZH1 uses a diffraction-based lens rather than a refraction or pinhole lens. Although he initially included a pinhole camera mod with an extra-small aperture, it was removed due to insufficient sharpness in the final images. Hoang indicated that he might reintroduce the mod in the future.
The photographs taken with the ZH1 feature various distortions, lens flares, and artistic effects, adding a unique character to each shot. The distinctiveness of these images makes them appealing for display. The idea of framing these developed snapshots with Lego bricks for a creative collage is particularly intriguing, blending the worlds of Lego and photography in a novel way.
