{"id":483142,"date":"2026-02-16T06:43:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T06:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/483142\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T06:43:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T06:43:28","slug":"this-3d-printed-camera-can-make-you-fall-in-love-with-panoramic-analog-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/483142\/","title":{"rendered":"This 3D-Printed Camera Can Make You Fall in Love With Panoramic Analog Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

I love panoramic photography. There is just something special about a super-wide aspect ratio that flexes my creative muscles. I\u2019m far from the only one. Photographer Jace LeRoy, who goes by analog_astronaut<\/a> on social media, has also been bitten by the panorama bug. He recently showed off a camera he built, the Infidex 176<\/a>, which uses 35mm film to capture 72 x 24 millimeter frames, and it\u2019s awesome. <\/p>\n

The Infidex 176 V: A 3D-Printed 35mm Panoramic Camera <\/p>\n

The Infidex 176 V, a portmanteau of \u201cinfinity\u201d and \u201cdouble exposures,\u201d is an open-source, 3D-printable panoramic film camera project designed by Russian photographer Denis Aminev, who runs the website Time to Waste<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Looking first at high-level specifications, the camera takes 135 (35mm) film, and a standard 36-frame roll delivers 19 exposures. The 3D-printable camera is lightweight, uses zone focusing, has interchangeable lenses, built-in dovetail slots for a tripod mount, a carefully designed frame counter, winding shaft, film pressure plate, and more. The latest version, as the \u201cV\u201d in its name suggests, is Aminev\u2019s fifth revision. He has made many improvements to the design over the years. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fantastic project that has built up a passionate cult following among photographers online, including LeRoy. <\/p>\n

Aminev tells PetaPixel he was originally inspired to start the project because he loved the look of movies shot on film, including not only the overall aesthetic but the wider aspect ratio. He was a digital photographer at the time, but simply cropping his photos didn\u2019t scratch the itch. An anamorphic lens and adapter he bought didn\u2019t hit the spot, either. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw Jason Kummerfeldt\u2019s<\/a> video about X-Oan, and a feeling was overcoming me, and I realized I had basically everything I needed, so I began studying the basics of film,\u201d Aminev says. <\/p>\n

He started in February 2024 with a successful pinhole camera, which Aminev says \u201cblew my mind.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cApparently you can make images with such basic tools.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"ACredit: Jace LeRoy (analog_astronaut) <\/p>\n

He then moved on to a full-blown film camera, building it using a repurposed lens from a Lomo Lubitel 166. <\/p>\n

Coming to grips with 3D-printing technology was a significant challenge in the earliest days of the project, so he kept early prototypes very simple and worked to reverse engineer a Canon FP 35mm SLR, replacing parts piece by piece with 3D-printed ones. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo from the prototype to a working camera, let\u2019s call it the third model, it took about two to three months,\u201d Aminev says. \u201cThe fourth model was ready in August 2024, and it took another half a year to achieve the fifth version.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"VariousCredit: Jace LeRoy (analog_astronaut) <\/p>\n

The photographer says he \u201cwasn\u2019t in a hurry at all,\u201d but that\u2019s pretty swift work. <\/p>\n

Each revision has maintained the trademark simplicity of Aminev\u2019s earliest private prototypes, something he says he is very proud of.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther cameras from different creators are often too big or clumsy, or both at once. They are cool, don\u2019t get me wrong, they were inspiring, and they work in the right hands absolutely find. Also, some of them are very beautiful looking,\u201d Aminev says. But the Infidex 176 V, it\u2019s simple. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a light-tight box with some knobs,\u201d the creator says. <\/p>\n

\"ACredit: Jace LeRoy (analog_astronaut)<\/p>\n

Originally, Aminev just really wanted to make a camera for himself that captured the cinematic, ultra-wide photos he desired. But once realized it worked and it was actually fairly easy to make, he started sharing it with others. He wanted to maintain a small, tight-knit community of photographers who are really passionate about the camera, so he has never offered pre-built models for sale. It\u2019s a totally open-source camera project, so if others take his designs and make tweaks, that\u2019s great. But Aminev doesn\u2019t want to do it himself. <\/p>\n

\u201cI love panoramic photography and I want to share it with others,\u201d Aminev says. <\/p>\n

His love affair with photography has been long-standing. He picked up his first camera when he was just six, and his mother gave him an old point-and-shoot to play with. <\/p>\n

\u201cI made a few shots and it just stunned me,\u201d Aminev says. \u201cYou can press the button and make this?! Holy moly! Then I asked for a digicam, a small one with a retractable lens. It was so much fun to use.\u201d <\/p>\n

Eventually, the budding photographer put down the camera to focus on music, but in 2020 he started using a camera again as part of his job at a community center, and all the reasons why Aminev fell in love with photography as a child came rushing back. <\/p>\n

\"AKodak ColorPlus 200 | Credit: Denis Aminev \"AKodak Gold 200 | Credit: Denis Aminev
\n \"AKodak Vision2 500T | Credit: Denis Aminev <\/p>\n

\u201cI bought a Canon EOS M50 and spent a lot of my savings for lenses, then a Fujifilm X-T4 because I wanted to shoot some short films too. Somewhere at the end of 2022 I started to watch Jason [Kummerfeltd\u2019s] videos about road trips and I switched to film and started to travel. And here we are.\u201d <\/p>\n

As for panoramic photography, like what Kummerfeldt showcased with the XPan, Aminev says it helps him see the world differently, and the format has recreated the feeling he first had as a child when he picked up a camera for the first time. <\/p>\n

\"AKodak Gold 200 | Credit: Denis Aminev Kodak Vision2 500T | Credit: Denis Aminev \"AKentmere 400 | Credit: Denis Aminev Enter Jace LeRoy (Analog Astronaut), a Fellow Lover of Panoramic Photography <\/p>\n

Aminev\u2019s goal to share his Infidex 176 project with passionate photographers has been realized, and one such photographer, Jace LeRoy, has been having a blast building and using the Infidex 176 V. <\/p>\n

Like Aminev, his love of photography began at an early age. His parents bought him a Kodak Advantix 4100ix for his 12th birthday, and LeRoy says he immediately became obsessed. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have yet to be \u2018cured\u2019 of my affliction to this day,\u201d the photographer jokes. <\/p>\n

\"AKodak Portra 160 | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) \"AKodak Portra 160 | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) <\/p>\n

\"Close-upKodak Portra 160 | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut)
Like many other photographers, when the digital revolution arrived, LeRoy jumped ship. However, thankfully, as he says, film didn\u2019t die completely and has experienced something of a resurgence in recent years. <\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I graduated from Utah Valley University and jumped into the workforce I slowly became more jaded about my digital photography. I just felt more and more disconnected from it. It became a robotic process. On one hand it was putting food on the table but on the other it was starving me creatively,\u201d LeRoy tells PetaPixel. \u201cIn 2019 I began to fall down the rabbit hole of wet plate photography. I taught myself how to make the chemicals, how to pour the plates, develop, and varnish. This new understanding of how the photographic process was born completely reignited my love for the art and lit the fuse to my analog obsession. Currently I\u2019d estimate that 90% of my photography both personal and business wise is done using an analog process.\u201d <\/p>\n

Like Aminev, the XPan made an impression on LeRoy, too. A couple of years ago, LeRoy acquired one for himself, and as someone with a background in cinematography, the camera\u2019s 1:2.7 aspect ratio was a \u201cperfect fit.\u201d <\/p>\n

However, LeRoy knows that such a beautiful camera is outside the budget of many photographers. <\/p>\n

\"AKodak Portra 160 | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) \"AKodak Portra 160 | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) \"AKodak Portra 160 | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) \"ACineStill 800T | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) \"ACineStill 800T | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) \"ACineStill 800T | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut)<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I post images online from my XPan I get a flood of people asking what camera I used and then inevitably they return to my inbox frustrated when they see the listed prices on eBay. This happened frequently enough that I decided to venture online to see if anyone had designed a cheaper version of the XPan at some point in history,\u201d the photographer says. <\/p>\n

He found many different projects, but the Infidex 176 V caught his eye. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment I stumbled onto this project I knew I needed to immediately build one. From there I picked up an 80mm f\/2.8 from a Mamiya C330, printed out the parts, and followed the provided instructions to assemble the rig,\u201d LeRoy says. <\/p>\n

He was pleasantly surprised that he didn\u2019t run into any roadblocks during the build. <\/p>\n

\"Close-upCineStill 800T | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) \"ACineStill 800T | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) \"Close-upCineStill 800T | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut)
\n \"ACineStill 800T | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) \"ACineStill 800T | Credit: Jace LeRoy (@analog_astronaut) <\/p>\n

\u201cAs anyone who\u2019s into 3D printing knows, it\u2019s rare that you don\u2019t encounter problems with projects like these usually requiring reprints and a lot of trial and error. My two biggest concerns were light leaks and making the correct focal indexing on the focus ring. For light leaks I just made sure to use wood clamps when gluing the parts together to form a tight seal. The camera itself has built in light traps as well. In order to find the correct focus I decided to make a custom piece of ground glass made from a lab slide normally used for microscopes. Once I had that finished I simply taped the ground glass to the film plane and used a loupe to check all of my focal distances.\u201d <\/p>\n

While he was shooting his first test roll, LeRoy admits he remained skeptical. <\/p>\n

\u201cI kept thinking to myself, \u2018There\u2019s no way this is going to work.’\u201d <\/p>\n

But he shot the roll, and the results were excellent. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt performed beautifully!\u201d LeRoy says of the Infidex 176. <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously a 3D printable camera held together by glue and faith aren\u2019t here to replace a finely tuned machine like the XPan but it may be a glimpse for what we have waiting for us in the future. One day all the XPANS on the planet will break. Their electronics will fizzle out, mainboards will fry, and delicate parts will become ancient relics,\u201d the passionate photographer says. \u201cPerhaps 3D printed cameras will become a normal thing in the next 10 years allowing us to keep analog photography alive for the next century. Nobody can be sure, but what I do know is that I\u2019m here to support and nerd out on anything and everything that has the potential to keep this art form from dying.\u201d <\/p>\n

Build the Infidex 176 V for Yourself <\/p>\n

As Jace LeRoy discovered, the Infidex 176 V is a very well-designed, 3D-printable camera. It makes panoramic 35mm photography significantly more accessible, and anyone with access to a 3D printer can give it a try for themselves. All the necessary files, instructions, and a detailed assembly guide is available to download for free on Time to Waste<\/a>. The name is certainly something of a misnomer, though, as building the Infidex 176 will be anything but a waste of time. <\/p>\n

While Aminev doesn\u2019t sell pre-built Infidex 176 cameras, any photographers who run into issues building it for themselves are invited to contact him for help<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Image credits: Denis Aminev (Time to Waste) and Jace LeRoy (analog_astronaut). <\/p>\n