This is the first Blender build I attempted from scratch after a bit of online training. I wanted to make something with interesting details that I physically owned, so I could examine it up close without relying solely on images scoured from the web. I found my Samoca at a thrift shop during my early college days for a few dollars, and in pristine condition. I didn’t have plans to use it at the time, but I couldn’t resist its quirkiness and retro charm, and somehow I’ve managed to hold on to it all these years.

Samoca was a brand under Japanese camera maker Sanei Sangyō K.K., started around 1952. Their cameras and accessories were distributed until at least 1962, but not much is known about the company after that.

I set up template images by photographing my camera from the key angles: front, back, top, etc., and imported them into my Blender workspace, to ensure the relative proportions would be accurate. After roughing out the overall shape, I worked on on details like the lens aperture mechanism, knobs and levers. My textures are very basic – a combination of simple shaders, texture maps and hand-drawn decals (still much to learn here!).

All in all I’m pleased with how it turned out. Next steps: I have an old Wollensak 3-lens turrent Super 8 camera from the 1950s that I’m interested in buiding as well – stay tuned!