Olympus 3D Wooden Camera
The three dimensional designation of the stunningly beautiful Olympus 3D Wooden Camera, a prototype camera that Olympus is testing out, does not come from the fact that the object itself is three-dimensional. Instead, the name refers to the process used to mold and compress the single piece of Japanese cypress into the smoothly curving shape pictured, which applies pressure from all directions at once. The wood is some of the most desirable in Japan and is used to build Shinto temples. It is renowned for its beauty, quality and durability, which would make it last longer than a plastic-cased camera.
[via Gizmodo]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jonathan Sep 27th 2006 3:03PM
This is the sort of radical idea that needs to swiftly move from prototype to reality. Though the consumer-base is likely small, the attention to detail in such a piece makes it a very desirable camera to own.
As a large-format camera user myself, I can easily see why some fellow artists opt to pay the premium for the Deardorf and Wista wooden cameras for their asthetic beauty and durability. Kudos, Olympus.
-Jonathan Danforth, Daguerreotypist