Worldwide Pinhole Camera Day!

[fast14riot]

Get back to the roots of photography, pinhole cameras! World Pinhole Day is April 28, 2013. This is great for kids, adults, artists or anyone.

http://www.pinholeday.org/


Lots of good links for building pinhole camera out of anything you can punch a tiny hole in and make light tight. There are some in the "resources" section in the above link andi found some here...

http://www.diyphotography.net/23-pinhole-cameras-that-you-can-build-at-home


So, who is going to try this out? I know I am, I have plenty of rolls of 35mm film to use up, and may even turn my new D200 into a pinhole camera!


If you build one, show it off here!


-Xander

 

[jiminyshiznit]

While I haven't built a pinhole camera, which is something I'd like to do, I have a Zero Image 6x9 that I've really been wanting to get back to. I kinda went into a photography hiatus shortly after I picked this up 18 months ago. Here's a few from my Zero 69 that were shot on Fuji Pro 400H film..

 

[fast14riot]

Nice images. I've been checking out the new Belair jet setter x 6 12 folding bellows MF, something like that might be easier than trying to spool 120 film on 620 rolls for my Kodak Tourist.

I have already set aside a couple of containers to make some pinhole cameras with, gonna fiddle around with that tonight and tomorrow. I have about a dozen rolls of cheap Kodak 100iso 35mm film that expired a few years ago to experiment wth, and at least a couple rolls of Velvia 50 stashed away still, but slide film isn't the easiest film for pinholes


-Xander

 

[jiminyshiznit]

Sounds awesome.. looking forward to seeing where you take it. I love playing with expired film. Always a surprise, even if it ends up looking fairly normal. This is the kind of nudge I need to rekindle my interest in building a camera. Have some sketches of ideas somewhere, along with a box of misc. parts.. in the meantime, I really should get the Zero Image loaded.

 

[fast14riot]

Nothing much is needed. Here is a fantastic calculator for pinhole cameras...

Pinhole Calculator

Basically, find a container, measure its focal length (where the pinhole will be to where the film will be) and the diagonal frame dimension (43mm/0.7in for 35mm film) and it will give you optimal pinhole diameter, optimal focal length, coverage circle, f/stop, sunny 16 rule, etc.

I'm going to try a snus tin, got plenty of those laying around. I have some tiny super strong magnets that will hold a single frame of film inplace without any work. .001" steel shim stock will be the material for the pinhole (the thinner the better) and a couple feet of electricians tape.


-Xander

 

[Vickers]

If you want to turn your D200 into a pinhole camera, send me your address and I'll send you a body cap. I have 5 sets of body/lens caps on the way, so I'll have plenty to spare

Here is the way I did it with a Sony body cap:



Here is a photo of my recently-departed puppy dog Gumbo (my avatar) taken with that:

 

[fast14riot]

Hey vickers, I'll take you up on that offer! PM incoming.

So I had to scrap my initial pinhole camera design due to a fatal calculation error, I designed it around the film loading upside down! D'oh! But today I did get a matchbox camera built and loaded with a roll of Kodak max 200 color film. My camera has an apeture of f/98 with a focal distance of 15mm and a pinhole of 0.006" in 0.0015" steel shim stock.

I will post pictures of the camera tonight after work.


-Xander

 

[fast14riot]

Finally got my pinhole camera finished! Now to burn some film with it.

I built this one, the matchbox pinhole HERE

And a chart I made for using my light meter to calculate exposure time. Its based on the specs at right, and the max apeture of the light meter at f/32. I set the iso in the light meter to what the chart says next to the film iso I am using. I add roughly 75% to the exposure time for lower light shots due to reciprocity failure of the film.

Hopefully I will have some film developed this week!


-Xander

 

[Vickers]

All B&Bers should submit shaving-related pinhole images.

Tradere OC, Nikon D70, Canada Dry aluminum lens in a generic body cap, 2'40" exposure

 

[fast14riot]

Very cool!


-Xander

 

[Vickers]

I've been looking at all the entries for last year (not done yet...there are 3865 entries), and while many of them are fascinating, the super-cool and totally unique ideas I've had have all been used.



So, I decided to combine the two things I've been dabbling in lately: pinhole AND infrared!



This is just a shot down my street with my D70, the Canada Dry lens, and a 720 nm filter. 25 seconds, then desaturated in GIMP. It is windy, so the palm trees are pretty blurry (even by pinhole standards).

 

[Edcculus]

I've been meaning to build a pinhole camera. My real goal would be to get hold of a 4X5 film back and build a camera around it. I really hate the idea of trying to figure out how to advance roll film. I may try to go the route of paper negative too. Without a back, I'd have to figure out a way to clip the paper in relatively flat to the back of the camera. Then, the camera would have 1 shot until I got back to the darkroom to unload the negative. I do like the idea of paper negative though, since I could load the camera under the safe light.

 

[fast14riot]

F295.org is another great resource for pinhole camera designs and information.


-X

 

[Edcculus]

I've been looking on there for ideas on my 8X10 camera. There are some really awesome camera builds there!

 

[Edcculus]

I got hold of some old fogged paper, so I'm going to go ahead with my 8X10 pinhole build based on this design. I'll scale it up to 8x10. Instead of foamcore, I'm probably going to draw up a box design in the CAD program at work and cut it from corrugated. That way there will just be scores/folds and I wont have to assemble the whole thing panel by panel witha bunch of tape. That also eliminates possible light leaks.

I'm going with a "focal length" of 300mm, which is the "normal" FL for the 8X10 format.

Now I'm contemplating on whether I should try to pick up some cheap beat up 8X10 backs, or just load the camera in the darkroom. It would be nice to have some 8X10 backs with a darkslide so I could make several exposures before having to return and unload in the darkroom.

 

[Vickers]

Well, did anyone else participate? Here is mine:

http://www.pinholeday.org/gallery/2013/index.php?f_action=refresh&id=872

Next year I'll build a proper film pinhole camera.

 

[Legion]

Got a pinhole body cap for my nikon.

 

[fast14riot]

I still hvent finished the roll in my matchbox camera, out of sight, out of mind kinda thing. I also seem to have misplaced the extra body cap Vickers sent me a while back, so I guess I should tear my bags apart to find it!

-Xander