Four things happened at once

Hey,

Life’s been pretty hectic lately and I had to put a pause on camera work for the past few weeks due to personal issues. Although I haven’t spent a ton of time in the lab, there were several things in motion that I’d like to update you on!

The short version: cameras are back in stock, software V3 shipped, the Phoblographer reviewed the WLV-01 and the camera is now officially Powered by Raspberry Pi. The website also got a full redesign to match where the project is now.

The Phoblographer review

A couple of months ago, the Phoblographer reached out to me to do a review of the camera. As a photographer, I’ve followed their page for awhile and was ecstatic that they wanted to check out my home made camera.

Alberto Lima at the Phoblographer spent three weeks with the WLV-01 — took it to the New York International Auto Show and documented his daily life.

And then he gave it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote this:

The WLV-01 is the closest thing to a true digital film experience that I’ve ever had, so much so that it made me pine for the days I’d walk the streets with my Bronica ETR-S. While there are plenty of caveats to the WLV-01 as a system, I think the price, experience, and potential to grow with you make it one best cameras we’ve ever reviewed. It’s unflinching photography-first ethos is something that all camera manufacturers should take note of.

I’m still in shock with how positive this review was and greatly appreciate all of the feedback. It’s inspired me to keep improving and modifying this build.

The full review is here: [link to the Phoblographer review]

Officially Powered by Raspberry Pi

Shortly before the Phoblographer piece went up, I got a different kind of email: from the Raspberry Pi team, letting me know the WLV-01 had been approved to be “Powered by Raspberry Pi”.

For those who don’t know, “Powered by Raspberry Pi” isn’t a sticker you can just slap on a product. You have to apply for the designation. Raspberry Pi reviews the architecture and whether it meaningfully extends the platform. If it clears their review, you get the official designation and a listing on their site.

The WLV-01 cleared it!

I’ve been a Raspberry Pi fan boy since 2014 so this is honestly a dream come true for me and my happiest accomplishment to do date on this journey.

Software V3

If you’ve been with me since V1, you remember the shutter lag, the performance issues, the basic UI and unexpected system crashes due to Raspberry Pi Updates. V3 finally addresses all of those issues and I believe it’s in a very stable spot.

What else is new in V3:

New focus modes, including a focus box mode that mimics object detection.

Video support. Not going to pretend this is a video camera but if you want to capture a few seconds of something, V3 handles it cleanly.

Custom icon support via usb.

If you already own a WLV-01, you can update through the usual process. If you’re buying a new one, V3 ships on every unit going forward.

The redesign

The website also got a full redesign. New layout, new typography, new photography, and a new layout.

Have a look when you have a minute - I’ve been trying my best to make both the product and online presence more polished:

https://camerahacksbymalcolmjay.com/

Finally, I wanted to get your thoughts on building community. I’ve been thinking of starting a Discord for all of my fellow hackers and makers that want to share their builds and ideas. If that’s something you’d be interested in, let me know in the comments and I’ll start one if there’s enough interest.

Thank you sticking around and will chat soon!

Cheers,

Malcolm