Has the search for new digital-camera designs inspired manufacturers to start climbing trees? This exquisite camera prototype is made out of compressed wood and has a microscopic lens, but the creator, Olympus, is being pretty stubborn about releasing any information about its inner workings. While we wait for them to open up a little, let's sit quietly with our legs crossed, listening to our wood-protected iPods, and meditate on this camera's outward beauty. After all, you're looking at a very tiny chunk of the most desirable lumber on the island of Japan. The Japanese cypress is an evergreen that can grow to 130 feet tall with a trunk that gets as thick as 5 feet. The wood, which is delicate, durable, and fragrant, is traditionally used as a choice construction material for Shinto Shrines and Buddhist temples. I'm impressed — this time, it's what's outside that counts.
— Elliot Black

FarEastGizmos, via Gizmodo