June 22, 2026
Say cheese... in 22 seconds
Optocam Zero: a Pi Zero based digital camera made using off the shelf components
Cute DIY pocket camera wins hearts, but fans roast its slow start and short battery
TLDR: Optocam Zero is a tiny build-it-yourself digital camera with a playful design, filters, and decent-looking photos. Commenters love the idea but are fiercely split over whether a camera that takes 22 seconds to start and lasts about 80 minutes is charmingly DIY or just too slow to trust.
A tiny homemade camera built from easy-to-buy parts should have been a wholesome maker story — and it mostly is — but the real action is in the crowd reaction. Optocam Zero is a Raspberry Pi Zero-powered pocket camera with a playful toy-camera vibe, photo filters, GIF recording, USB-C charging, and a custom wireless transfer system. It’s designed to be printable at home and simple enough for other people to build. Translation: a very cute camera for people who like making their own gadgets.
And yes, people are charmed. One commenter said they loved the project the first time around, while another admitted the sample shots were way better than expected and not at all the blurry potato quality they feared. That gave the project some real underdog energy: tiny camera, surprisingly decent pics, lots of maker appeal.
But then came the drag session. The biggest complaint? That 22-second boot time. One commenter absolutely unloaded, saying that in the time this thing wakes up, an iPhone — or even a film camera with the lens cap off — would already have captured the moment and moved on with life. Ouch. Battery life also got side-eye, with people questioning whether 70 to 80 minutes of use is enough for a camera meant to be carried everywhere. Another simmering gripe: if Raspberry Pi cameras are supposed to be good, why do some users still think they’re mostly useful for watching a 3D printer? In the comments, Optocam Zero is either a lovable DIY gem or an adorable little camera that misses the moment while booting up.
Key Points
- •Optocam Zero is a compact digital camera built on the Raspberry Pi Zero using off-the-shelf components and a fully 3D-printed case.
- •The project emphasizes portability, simple controls, and accessibility for makers who want to build the camera themselves.
- •Its listed features include an autofocus camera module, eight photo filters, custom hotspot-based image transfer, USB-C charging, interchangeable battery support, and GIF recording/playback.
- •The camera captures 2592x2592 JPEG images, uses a 1.4-inch 240x240 LCD, provides a 15-20 fps live preview, and has a stated 22-second boot time.
- •The repository includes hardware and software resources such as a bill of materials, build guide, printable files, CAD customization files, installer, and control documentation.