The questions that reach us again and again.

A camera without a lens. Instead of glass, a tiny 0.3 mm hole focuses light onto the photo paper. It is the oldest form of photography. It needs only light, time, and patience. No power, no electronics, nothing that can break.

From four seconds, depending on the light. Bright sun is quick; indoors or at dusk takes longer, and in very low light it can run to hours. A tripod or a steady surface helps, because the camera does not forgive a shaky hand. Our exposure helper does the maths for you.

A developer made from instant coffee, vitamin C, and baking soda: ingredients from the supermarket and drugstore, under €5 together. The coffee develops the image, vitamin C speeds it up, the soda makes the solution alkaline. No special lab, no toxic drain. The recipe is in the online guide; you buy the ingredients yourself.

Black-and-white, but not neutral grey: the negative comes out of the Caffenol in a warm sepia tone, soft and painterly, like the example pictures on this page. You photograph it and turn it into a positive with the negative-positive helper — which gives it the cool, indigo-blue tone. In the end you have two things: the original negative on an A5 sheet of photo paper, and the positive as a digital image you can share or print.

Yes, completely dark. The red light does not replace the darkness: it is only the one light allowed to be on in the dark room, because photo paper responds to blue and green and is nearly blind to red. Wait for night, tape over the windows, or use a room without windows, such as a bathroom or cellar. Only once it is truly dark do you switch on the red lamp and open the camera. The red foil for it comes with every camera.

Every camera is made by hand in Stuttgart, to order rather than from stock. As soon as your payment arrives we start building: 5 working days of hand work. The camera is then in transit 2–5 working days within Germany, 4–9 to Switzerland. That is 7–10 working days in Germany and 9–14 to Switzerland. We currently deliver within Germany and to selected countries outside the EU; the list is shown during checkout.

Yes, you have a 14-day right of withdrawal, and it applies even once the camera has been opened. Unused and still sealed, you get the full amount back. If the camera was opened, light has reached the photo paper and exposed it: we then deduct compensation for that loss of value, which can amount to the full purchase price. So only open the camera if you intend to keep it. You pay the return shipping unless the camera is faulty.

As long as the hole is taped shut and no light reaches the paper, an exposed half waits weeks or months without trouble. Stored dry and dark, or closed with the seal sticker and marked with a date, years are possible too. That is exactly what the camera is built for: some develop after a few weeks, some wait on purpose until the next milestone.

Yes. In Stuttgart we walk through the whole practice in one afternoon: understand the camera, expose together, develop in Caffenol. Six seats per date. You will find the next dates under Workshops.

Yes, from six cameras for teams, events, or farewells. The price stays at €79 per camera, we invoice and ship to one address. On request, we hand-letter each camera individually. Get in touch via the For Businesses page.