Canadian musician turned photographer Malcolm-Jay Wilson is back with another awesome camera conversion project. In 2023, Wilson converted a broken Yashica Electro 35mm film camera into a Raspberry Pi-powered digital camera. Now he has returned with an infrared camera sensor to create a compact IR point-and-shoot camera.
However, there are some differences between Wilson’s last camera conversion project and the new one, aside from the use of an infrared image sensor. While his 2023 project gutted the Yashica and replaced the insides with a. bunch of digital components, including a rear touchscreen, the new infrared camera ditches the display — “just optical composition and digital capture,” Wilson explains on Substack.
“I’ve always wanted a practical infrared camera but the only options were expensive conversions of existing cameras or infrared film,” the photographer tells PetaPixel. “This project gave me the best of both worlds where I could have a film-like experience without a screen and the affordable convenience of shooting digital.”
He was happy to work with a Yashica Electro 35 for his new project, as he says his first ever camera was a Yashica.
“I have a bit of an attachment to the brand,” he says. And because of his last film-to-digital camera conversion project, Wilson was also very familiar with the Yashica 35mm camera’s design and how to disassemble it.
“This model is also prone to having a lot of electrical issues, so I was able to easily source broken cameras,” the photographer adds.
He says the project still had its challenges, which were fun to overcome.
“The most difficult part was trying to make enough room in the body to house the sensor, Raspberry Pi, and battery,” Wilson explains. “This required using a hacksaw to cut away all of the non-structural material.”
The rest of the project was “straightforward 3D printing” and writing a Python script to control the image sensor.
Wilson says he loves the look of infrared.
“I love the amount of contrast it creates in black and white and how it can look otherworldly at times,” the photographer remarks. He used the NOIR version of the Raspberry Pi camera module and a 720nm lens filter to bring the project across the finish line.
All the files are saved as DNG RAW files, which are ideal for post-processing. The camera’s new internal battery recharges via a USB-C port that Wilson added to the Yashica’s body.
“Out-of-camera, the black-and-white infrared images already have a ton of character. But with a bit of editing, the contrast and surreal tones really come to life,” he says. “I love the stark, otherworldly vibe this setup creates.”
Other photographers can get in on the fun for themselves. Malcolm says would-be DIY’ers need to be comfortable taking apart a film camera, cutting metal, soldering, 3D printing, and writing and editing Python code. However, he has also shared his personal parts list, the 3D printing files he made, and his Python code, so if photographers use the same camera bits as he did, they will have a much easier path to success. All this information is available on Malcolm’s Substack. He will also be converting a small batch of cameras for sale, which he will announce on his Substack in the near future.
Image credits: Malcolm-Jay Wilson (website, TikTok, Substack)