Camera Hacks by Malcolm-Jay

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camera hacks by malcolm-jay<br>winnipeg, ca · est. 2025<br>model no. wlv-01

a camera that<br>grows<br>with you.

a digital camera built by hand, made to shoot from the waist, with a true monochrome sensor. modular, upgradable, and made one at a time. slow down and shoot a little differently.

explore the camera →

monochrome

m42 lens w/ mamiya finder

sensor<br>imx585 mono

mount<br>sony e mount

core<br>raspberry pi 5

film sims<br>tri-x · hp5 · delta

★★★★☆ — the phoblographer<br>“the closest thing to a true digital film experience that i've ever had — one of the best cameras we've ever reviewed.”

alberto lima · the phoblographer<br>read the full review →

featured inthe phoblographer+petapixel+raspberry pi partner

01two ways in

buy it built — or build it yourself.

path aassembled

the finished wlv-01

i assemble, calibrate, and shoot a few test frames with every camera before it ships. you get a working monochrome camera and direct support from the person who built it.

built and signed off by hand<br>film sims loaded, calibrated, ready<br>lifetime software updates<br>see the camera →

path bmaker kit

the diy sensor kit

print your own body from the stl files, build up the sensor kit, and make the camera truly yours. stuck? join an online workshop and i'll walk you through it.

editable stl files you can print and remix<br>diy monochrome sensor kit<br>live online build workshops<br>inside the build →

02shot on wlv-01 · straight out of camera

what digital film actually looks like.

fujinon 25mm 1.4Fujinon 9mm 1.450mm f2fujinon 9mm 1.450mm f250mm f2<br>see the full gallery →

&times;

03why it's different

a camera that grows with you, not against you.

01true monochrome<br>no colour filter array means sharper detail and cleaner high iso. black & white as a medium, not a filter.

02modern ui<br>streamlined ui with multiple aspect ratios, advanced focus modes, multiple exposure modes, web interface, exposure control and more.

03modular & upgradable<br>lens mount, body, sensor and finder all swap out. designed from the start to evolve over years.

04yours to fix<br>every part is swappable and serviceable. no locked firmware, no service contracts. if it breaks, all components to fix are readily available.

04the build · anatomy

nothing sealed. everything is yours to open.

amonochrome sensor

full spectrum imx585 with no colour filter array, so you get sharper detail, more texture, and cleaner high iso.

be mount, manual

adapts c, m, m42, f and fd mounts. basically any manual lens ever made.

cmodular firmware

based on raspberry pi 5 architecture with new features released on a monthly basis

full user guide →

05full camera walkthrough

malcolm wilson · founder

hi — i'm malcolm. i didn't set out to start a camera company; i set out to build the camera i couldn't buy off the shelf. then a few other people wanted one too.

my main goal for this camera was to build a camera that was equally advanced, challenging and fun to use. it's geared towards photographers that are tired of cameras that do everything for them automatically.<br>the secondary goal was to design a camera that could be easily modified and upgraded. since it's based on the raspberry pi 5, new features can be quickly developed and rolled out on regular basis. i'm always taking feedback from users and incorporating it into the design.

cheers, — malcolm wilson · founder & designer, winnipeg

06the community

from the people building it.

max wendt · voigtländer 40mm

customer spotlight — max wendt, madison wi<br>“the immediacy of digital with the look of film. i haven't picked the sony up once since i finished building it.”

max is a software dev who's shot black & white for 25 years. he printed his own body, modded the mount for leica m glass, and edited the firmware for one-second exposures. that mount mod? i adopted it into my own build. this is how the camera grows.

read max's spotlight →

felipespotlight vol.1<br>max<br>max

07the build community

join 500+ readers getting the build logs first.

build logs from the workshop<br>customer spotlights & shot galleries<br>software update notes & tutorials<br>early access to new drops

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s — substack500+ readers

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