Camera Lens Projection Microscope

Reuse old camera lenses to project microscope slides or 35mm film. Make one by 3D printing the parts and finding a light bulb!

Different camera lenses produce different effects

Sharper lenses project sharper images, and more magnification can be attained by using a wider lens, zoom lens, or simply by moving the projector further away.

Turn your shower into a giant microscope

My new favorite thing. It’s pretty fun as an ambient light and conversation starter.

Intuitive focusing

Focusing is just like focusing a camera. Lenses with manual focus and F-stop work best. Featured in these photos is a random 35mm F/1.7 EF Mount Lens. Wider angle lenses project larger images.

Also projects 35mm Film Strips

If you want to look at some old film camera negatives, there’s a slot for those too. Searching for film strips in antique stores is always a fun adventure. This behaves similar to a film enlarger.

An immersive microscope experience

Great for kids, the big projection fills the room and can be touched and explored.

Download v1

Currently this project supports these types of lenses:

Canon EF Mount
Canon RF Mount
Nikon F Mount
Sony E Mount

To build your own, you will need:

Four M3x12mm screws
A ceramic GU10 Light socket (such as this one)
An LED GU10 Bulb (such as this one) (LED! Otherwise you will melt the printed part)
Four M3x16mm screws
A 1/4-20 thumbscrew

This download includes a full set of files - the stand, the mounting point, Four lens mount options, and the illuminator which holds the GU10 bulb.

You can download for free with the link to the right, or from the page on the store.

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