Two novelty cameras unearthed at Photokina

A wooden model and a tiny Leica

29 September 2006 14:40 GMT / By Amber Maitland

Our woman on the ground at Photokina in Cologne, Germany, has dug up two interesting little numbers, one of which maz never go into production.

The first device is an Olympus digital camera in Mju form encased in wood. The prototype that we were shown looked like a functional camera, complete with LCD panel on the rear, but the spokeswoman was quick to emphasise that it is just a prototype and there aren't any plans to produce it in the immediate future.

The display documented the casing's journey from tree to camera in a process that involves compressing the wood with heat and water to make it stronger and more resilient.

The other device is a teeny tiny Minox-made camera with a Leica label that is supposedly a fully-functioning 4MP compact. It looks much more sophisticated than it is, and the knobs and dials are mostly for show it's a point and shoot through and through. But it does come with its own super-retro, 40s-style flash.