Pixels and Prisms

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Gaining Focus

3D Print a Canon Camera Lens for Just $15

by All3DP
Published Aug 30, 2022

A savvy photographer has released open source designs for a 163mm f/2.5 telephoto lens that can be used with Canon EF-mount cameras.

Photographers can 3D print a camera lens for Canon EF-mount cameras using this smart open source design. Created by Felix Steele, the lens is the debut project in Pixels and Prisms, Steele’s open-source project resource for photographers.

Steele has released designs for a 163mm f/2.5 telephoto lens with a customizable optical system. The lens has a manual focusing mechanism with a fully-adjustable twelve-blade aperture. The minimum aperture is f/11.

The lens includes 23 significant parts, as well as 15 pegs to facilitate movement (Source:Pixels and Prisms)

Steele wanted to circumvent the cost of various lenses. On the blog, they note that photographers have “different needs,” but a 3D printed customizable lens can be adjusted, saving photographers hundreds of dollars in multiple lenses.

There is a glass element to the lens which needs to be inserted into the 3D printed parts. The rest of the lens is fully 3D printed and assembled using glue. Steele said they spent just $13 on all the materials.

The instructions on the website look easy to follow, and the designs are available to download. Steele also offers some examples of photo quality.

License: The text of "3D Print a Canon Camera Lens for Just $15" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.