11/01/2013

To Learn How Your Camera Works, Try Building One

16:57 minutes

Digital cameras are ubiquitous today—even $20 cell phones have them built in. But few people actually know how a digital camera works. Shree Nayar, a computer scientist at Columbia University, set out to change that with his Bigshot Do-It-Yourself Digital Camera kit, which gives tinkerers a view of a camera’s anatomy.

Segment Guests

Shree Nayar

Shree Nayar is a computer science professor at Columbia University in New York, New York.

Meet the Producer

About Christopher Intagliata

Christopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.