Back in December 2023, I built an instant film camera out of gingerbread with a lens made of isomalt sugar. The fact that it worked felt miraculous — even though the images were super soft. This invention generated enough interest to get featured on PetaPixel, 35mmc, designboom, CBC News, and many others.
The camera still works today. Despite sitting on a shelf for over four months, it smells delightful, and the construction feels just as strong as it did on day one. And so in honour of Worldwide Pinhole Day and the DIY photography spirit, I decided to dust off the old bread and spend the last remaining frame that I kept there since December.
I was delighted to see that the camera remained light-tight and fully functional. The frame that remained inside all this time did not receive any light leaks. Unfortunately, the up-close photo of a garden flower I took (attached) is intensely soft — much softer than expected — which made me wonder if the isomalt sugar lens has degraded significantly enough to warrant a replacement.
Like many old film cameras, Gingerbread 2 appears capable of outlasting its intended lifespan. But it needs proper maintenance (in this case, it could use some lens polishing and/or replacement).
Dmitri Apr 29, ‘24