Leica MPi Camera Uses Raspberry Pi Zero W with HQ Camera Module

of raspberry pi has a history of adding new features to old technology, and the world of photography is no stranger to our favorite SBC.Created by maker, photographer, musician, and full-stack roboticist Michael Suguitan Leica MPiIt uses a Leica M2 camera and embeds a Raspberry Pi Zero W (Zero 2 W also works) and a Raspberry Pi HQ camera inside it.
It costs less than $100 to build and is implemented by stacking a series of parts that match the camera. Suguitan emphasizes that the construction is non-destructive, saying, “The digital back replaces the existing film door and pressure plate, allowing for reversibility.” The Raspberry Pi Zero W uses a CSI cable to connect to the HQ camera and a 1.3 inch Waveshare LCD module provides video output.
A custom 3D printed enclosure was created to properly mount the Raspberry Pi Zero W inside the camera. Suguitan said it was designed using Fusion 360. Despite introducing new hardware to the camera, it manages to retain some of the original hardware features, including both the rangefinder system and the mechanical shutter that syncs to the electronic shutter used on the Pi. I was. A quick press of the shutter button triggers him a GPIO and a photo is taken.
The Waveshare screen has three buttons and a four-way directional pad. Input for adjusting the shutter speed in units of 1/1000, 1/250, 1/60, and 1/15. This camera is difficult to use without an outlet, so we used an Anker 511 mobile battery as the power supply and designed it with mobility in mind. It connects via micro USB and can be charged with a wall plug.
Suguitan created a robotics framework called Blossom as part of his doctoral program. In this project, I created the camera software based on this. You can read more about his Blossom framework here. GitHub. Suguitan described this derivative work as a refined version of the Blossom framework.
If you want to read more about this amazing artistry, raspberry pi projectCheck out the original project page on Leica MPi Follow Michael Suguitan for more cool projects.