Bigshot (digital camera)

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title: "Bigshot (digital camera)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["digital-cameras", "experiential-learning"] topic_path: "general/digital-cameras" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigshot_(digital_camera)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

| image1 = Bigshot_front_face.jpg | width1 = 240 | caption1 = The Bigshot camera incorporates human-generated power and a lens wheel that allows users to choose from three different lens settings: normal, panoramic, and stereo view. | image2 = Bigshot_back_face.jpg | width2 = 240 | caption2 = Bigshot's back face includes a label for each component.

Bigshot is a digital camera designed by Shree K. Nayar at Columbia University's Computer Vision Laboratory for experiential learning.{{cite news |title=Students Can Build Digital Cameras, Focus On Science Lessons |url=http://www.ny1.com/6-bronx-news-content/ny1_living/technology/112394/students-can-build-digital-cameras--focus-on-science-lessons/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130130072953/http://www.ny1.com/6-bronx-news-content/ny1_living/technology/112394/students-can-build-digital-cameras--focus-on-science-lessons/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-30 |publisher=NY1 |date=2010-01-21 |accessdate=2010-05-04 | title = Do It Yourself, or With the Help of Tinkerers Everywhere | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/business/24novel.html?_r=1& | work = The New York Times | date = 2011-04-23 | accessdate = 2014-10-10 | title = STEAM Blends Science and the Arts in Public Education | url = https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304747004579224003721262792 | publisher = The Wall Street Journal | date = 2013-12-02 | accessdate = 2014-10-10 | title = To Learn How Your Camera Works, Try Building One | url = http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/11/01/2013/to-learn-how-your-camera-works-try-building-one.html | publisher = NPR Science Friday | date = 2013-11-01 | accessdate = 2014-10-10

History

According to several interviews with Nayar, the idea of creating a camera for experiential learning stemmed from the 2004 film Born into Brothels, an Academy Award-winning documentary by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski that profiles several children living in the red light district of Kolkata.{{cite news |title=Bigshot Camera |url=http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=12147 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104141859/http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=12147 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-01-04 |publisher=Change Observer |date=2011-01-03 |accessdate=2010-05-04 | title = BigShot: Snap-together camera introduces kids to tech, and to their world | url = https://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Tech/2010/0106/BigShot-Snap-together-camera-introduces-kids-to-tech-and-to-their-world | publisher = Christian Science Monitor | date = 2010-01-06 | accessdate = 2010-05-04 | title = Born Into Brothels | url = http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/ | publisher = Kids With Cameras | accessdate = 2010-05-03 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100507104903/http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/ | archivedate = 7 May 2010 | url-status = live | last = Kelion | first = Leo | title = Bigshot DIY camera aims to teach kids tech basics | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23579866 | publisher = BBC News | date = 2013-08-05 | accessdate = 2013-09-01 | last = Hussain | first = Samira | title = Children's self-assembly camera launches in US | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-23897007 | publisher = BBC News | format = video | date = 2013-08-30 | access-date = 2013-09-01

Features

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/bigshot-kit-parts.jpg" caption="The kit of parts that students assemble in the Bigshot prototypes"] ::

| image1 = Bigshot_hand_crank.jpg | width1 = 200 | caption1 = The hand crank power generator as it appears in the Bigshot prototypes. | image2 = Bigshot_colors.jpg | width2 = 200 | caption2 = The Bigshot prototypes are produced in an array of fun candy-inspired colors, reminiscent of M&M's candies.

A build-it-yourself kit that students can use{{cite news | title = Big Shot camera kit could help turn your kid on to the dark world of the teardown | url = https://www.engadget.com/2009/11/11/bigshot-camera-kit-could-help-turn-your-kid-on-to-the-dark-world/ | publisher = Engadget | accessdate = 2010-05-04 | date = 2009-11-11
A transparent back cover with labels for each major component
A companion website with interactive demos that teach the science and engineering concepts behind each component
A normal lens with a 43° field of view
A panoramic lens with a 72° field of view
A stereo prism to take 3D anaglyph images
A polyoptic lens wheel to allow users to change lenses just by rotating the wheel{{cite news | title = BigShot Kit Camera, Like Crack for Kids | url = https://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/11/bigshot-kit-camera-like-crack-for-kids/ | publisher = Wired | accessdate = 2010-05-04 | date = 2009-11-13
A hand crank to power the camera without any batteries
Colors inspired by M&M's candies

Reception

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/india_bigshot_photo.jpg" caption="Students in [[Bangalore]], [[India]] during a pilot workshop"] ::

, a consumer-level version of Bigshot had not yet been made available for purchase, and thus had not been reviewed by camera and electronics professional reviewers.{{cite news | title = Bigshot: The Camera for Education | url = http://www.bigshotcamera.com/ | title = STEM Needs a New Letter | url = https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/01/stem-needs-a-new-letter/282973/?single_page=true | publisher = The Atlantic | date = 2014-01-13 | accessdate = 2014-10-10 |title = Little Camera, Big Idea |url = http://news.columbia.edu/record/1763 |publisher = Columbia Record |accessdate = 2010-05-03 |date = 2009-11-04 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100531021053/http://news.columbia.edu/record/1763 |archivedate = 31 May 2010 |url-status = dead |df = dmy-all

References

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::