Background
I've been using iPhoto a lot, but was always a little dissatisfied that the camera it displays on import didn't look like my camera. So I've found a hack that will replace this image with one that you have created, presumably that looks like your own camera!

Note
Make sure you have a good 72dpi photo of your camera. I suggest visiting your manufacturer's web site or a site with a detailed review of your camera.

Essentially in this hack we are opening up the iPhoto package and replacing two resource images with ones we will make featuring a real camera.

Create The Large Image
1. Make photo background white.
2. Resize your photo to 59 pixels wide.
3. Pad photo with white space to 59x58.
4. Set white background to be transparent.
5. Save as "camera.tif": (LZW TIFF, with alpha channel to preserve transparency).

Create The Small Image
1. Use camera.tif as source image.
2. Resize to 20x20 pixels.
3. Save as "camera_small.tif" (same settings as above). I'm currently unsure if/where this image is used, but it's not much more work after you've done the large image.

Note
I used Graphic Converter which makes all this very simple indeed - even the alpha channel gubbins which is done when you try to save a TIF with transparency selected (using the Transparency tool, press T). Though I am sure if you're proficient with Photoshop you could do it all there too. I could do everything bar the Alpha channel, and I consider myself an intermediate Photoshop user.

Install New Images
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Make a backup of iPhoto (always!).
3. View contents of package (use context menu).
4. Copy images to Contents/Resources folder.
5. Confirm replacement of the two files.

Check Your Work
1. Launch iPhoto.
2. Click the import tab.
3. See your cool new camera icon!

Here are some quickly produced sample files for my camera, the Pentax Optio S4.

Room for improvement?
Perhaps sizes other than the defaut 59x58 pixel image can be used? I have
not checked. If you create images suitable for your camera, email them to
me along with a screen grab of it working and I will host them here.