a Pinhole Camera

[YT2095]

here`s how:

 

you`ll need an empty Pringles tube, clear out the little bits you missed when you were eating them, and then cut a 1x1cm hole in the middle of the metal based (I used a Dremel).

then you need a can of Matt Black spray paint to paint the inside of the tube (it prevents unwanted internal reflections later).

while this is drying ( a good 12+ hours is best) you need to get some brass shim stock about 1 inch square and Flat, if you can`t get any of this then CAREFULLY cut the side out of an Aluminium soda/beer Can, this will work just as well.

next you need a sewing needle, I used one that was .5mm wide at it`s widest, although for the 23cm length of the tube, 0.7mm is the optimum width.

then you need to place your metal plate onto some soft wood, place the needle point in the center of this and gently tap the needle through the metal.

use some sand paper to go over the hole to make sure it`s all smoothed down again with no bulge in it, then insert the needle again so that it passes cleanly through (it can sometimes clog back up a little after sanding).

so now you have a thin metal plate with a very tiny hole through the middle of it and a tube that is painted Matt black inside.

 

get a black marker pen and color the one side of your metal plate, place this colored side nearest the tubes metal base (that you cut the hole in) and position it so your pinhole is central to the tubes base, and then tape it into place.

 

so Now you have a tube with a very tiny hole in the one end that lets in a very small amount of light, this should be the Only place light gets into the tube! (other than the end you`r looking into).

 

now we deal with the end cap, that clear plastic cap that seals the tube to keep your Pringles fresh.

you need to make That light-tight also, sadly spray paint doesn`t stick to it very well and will peel off and flake easily, so you need to use black card to block most of the light and electrical tape or Aluminium exhaust tape (that`s what I used) yo seal the remaining light leaks.

cut the black card to shape to fit inside the cap and glue it in place, do the same for the outside as well and then go around the rim with your tape.

 

when in place you should now have a tube that`s entirely blacked out inside with only a tiny pinhole to allow light in.

 

take the end cap off, and stick a small piece of photographic film or paper to it so that it`s central and doesn`t prevent you putting the cap back on (leave a a good 5mm border), I used blue-tack on the back of my film to secure it in place, all this MUST be done in either total darkness or with a safe-light on (I load mine up in the darkroom).

 

Now you have a working and Loaded camera!

 

with your finger (or some electrical tape) over the pinhole, you can now walk out into the light again.

 

place your camera in a position where it won`t get disturbed or the scene blocked that you wish to photography, free of vibration too, and then remove the tape (or your finger) and note the time.

I find that 30mins works quite well for a range of film or papers when taking outside pictures through a window, of course you will have to experiment yourself which is the best exposure time.

 

if the negative is too black/dark then use less time, if there`s little detail and it`s mostly clear then use a longer time.

 

this is the Bare-Bones-Basics of a pinhole camera (Camera Obscura).

there`s no real restriction of what size of Tube or Box you make one out of either, the only Real criterion is that box be light-tight and the pinhole (as the name suggests) not be Too big.

 

yes you can even black out a window in a room with some cardboard that has a hole in it, and use a sheet of film the size of the opposing wall! if you wanted to

 

Have Fun!

[Sayonara]

Slightly OT, but related: Pringles tubes can also be adapted into lens extenders for macro photography.

http://photocritic.org/macro-photography-on-a-budget/

[YT2095]

and 35mm film canisters can be used to mate a compact cameras lens to a telescope eyepiece too (I love Ghetto-Tech)

 

speaking of which, I just took some pictures of a pair of pinhole cams that I made, the 1`st one is the one I described with the pringles tube, it shows an example of the brass shim with a needle in it (bottom left), the Business end of the pringles cam (top left), the end cap with the Blue-tack to hold the film/paper in place (top right) and an example of a slightly underexposed paper negative that I took with the cam (bottom right), you can clearly see the blinds and the roof tops outline with some trees sticking up:

 

This pinhole cam is the 1`st one I ever made almost exactly a year ago, the principal is exactly the same and you should be able to see some light coming through the actual pinhole itself (I bounced the flash), inside the cam is the 1`st ever picture I took with it (just to show where it was placed and how it fits inside), and resting up against the cam is a Positive I made from that negative, and yes the window was dirty with Crayon and chocolate hand prints! (ya gotta love kids), this is what it looked like from my Daughters room that morning:

 

[Pantaz]

Pinhole camera info, exposure tables, image gallery:

http://www.pinhole.org/

[inuhbad]

I can't believe I missed this cool little thread... I've got plenty of the spare junk laying around to make one of these!

 

Gonna have to do it sometime soon!