Imagine in the not-so-distant future, and by distant, we mean maybe a year or two, being able to build a custom cinema camera for your film project and spending under $100.

That’s the potential of the emerging Raspberry Pi-based cameras that can capture 4K stills and full 1080p video.

The camera is made by ArduCam, a Chinese startup that specializes in Arduino and Raspberry Pi-based applications. 

Their current project, which is featured on Kickstarter, is the $25 autofocus camera module for Raspberry Pi.

The module connects to a standard RP board and utilizes a Sony 16 MP image sensor capable of capturing at a resolution of 4656 x 3496, more than 40% sharper than the most popular Pi-based camera modules. Moreover, the chip in the ArduCam is capable of capturing video at 1080p full HD at up to 30 frames per second, 720p HD at up to 60fps.

The lens itself has a field of view of about 80 degrees and has autofocus with a 4.28mm focal length. The only thing missing is a lens mount in order to grab some delicious bokeh, and there are 3D printed lens mounts available for that on Amazon.

ArduCam says the camera module offers the best sharpness, saturation, and dynamic range of any Raspberry Pi-based camera module on the market, and is compatible with any Pi board that has a MIPI CSI interface.

Think about it. For under $100, here are the beginnings for a custom-built video camera to capture a custom camera angle, and no more destroying expensive cameras in order to grab a dangerous stunt on video. And they’re certainly cheaper than GoPros.

Now sure, no one is going to shoot their next Indy feature on it, but in a few years, who knows? There could be homebrew kits for a cinema camera that can rival the big boys.

It’s a great time for the tech-obsessed!

Check out weekly specials, deals, and rebates: Pro Video Gear, Pro Audio Gear, Lighting

Source: PetaPixel

arducamraspberry picameras
Cinematography & Cameras