First Foray Into The Pinhole

[Christopher Walrath]

Well, this is my first thread in this category. I have always wanted to get started in pinhole photog but was never motivated enough until I read the July 2007 Black and White Photography. On one of the front pages was an article in which a gentleman had taken matchboxes and atached two rolls (one full and one empty) of 35mm film to either side and light tighted it with electrical tape. So, I spent $11.28 tonight and purchased enough supplies to make three cameras and have already taken the first picture. The pinhole is about .1mm and the matchbox is about 10mm deep. So I am guessing my aperture at f100. I will get more precise at work tomorrow. So an indoor self portrait under diffuse incandescant light using 400 speed film with an aperture of f100 I am thinking, allowing for reciprocity of an exposure time of 1 minute. Well not wanting to chance sitting still for a minute, I went for thirty seconds. I'll see how it and others go. I will post photos of the camera and also the images made with it, provided they are any good.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Added a reuseable bent paper clip handle for winding on.

 

[Rich Ullsmith]

You are industrious! Can't wait to see. What film are you using?

 

[Christopher Walrath]

For now, just cheapy color from Food Lion, but I will be switching gears to some B&W ISO100.

 

[clogz]

Could you post a picture of the camera? I am very interested.

Hans

 

[Rich Ullsmith]

Chris, something that's cheap and available is Tmax 100. No reciprocity correction for up to several minutes, more than I have ever needed. Fuji Acros too, but I think it's pricier.

 

[eddie gunks]

great work. i built one of those cameras. good fun. check out f295.org for more fun.

eddie

 

[Removed Account]

How does one make such a small pinhole? I am thinking of making one of these today!

- Justin

 

[DWThomas]

You will find a bunch of information through links here. I think one of the better descriptions of a method I've used is found on this page.

I use #400 or #600 wet-or-dry sandpaper wet for the final sanding. I wouldn't be surprised laser drilled commercial plates are better, but the homemade apertures certainly work.

DaveT

 

[Marv]

Just be careful, the lure of lensles imaging can be very.....seductive......but FUN. For sure let us see some images.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I used the tip of a small sewing needle. Aperture with the 11mm f/l is about f90 or so.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Oh, and to avoid tin foil rolling up inside the box as a result of the puncture, I rolled the needle back and forth in my fingers until it just finally pierced the foil.

I'll post a pic as soon as my husbandly/fatherly duties dictate the opportunity.

 

[eddie gunks]

How does one make such a small pinhole? I am thinking of making one of these today!

- Justin

you can use small hobby drill too. i began using them with great success. google up the sizes. i forget off the top of my head.

eddie

 

[Greg_E]

http://www.smallparts.com has number drills. The sizes are listed in a chart, and you will probably want a number higher than about #60. The higher the number, the smaller the hole.

 

[DWThomas]

The smallest drill you are likely to find is a number 80 which is 0.0135 inches/0.3429 mm in diameter -- and pretty scary to work with! The other problem with drills is they may not leave a clean edge, especially unless you have some sort of high speed precision drill press to use them in. Many normal sized drill chucks can't even grip drills that small. I have used a pin vise chucked in a larger drill press but there's little sensitivity to tell how hard it's being loaded.

In theory, pushing a bump into thin stock with a needle, then sanding in a circular pattern with extremely fine sandpaper can create a relatively clean hole with a knife edge, a sort of optimum optical situation. And of course, it is about as inexpensive as you can get.

I used to have some of those very small drills (some in solid carbide even) for use on circuit boards, but most long ago went the way of tiny fragile things spinning at high speeds under less than ideal conditions.

DaveT

 

[Greg_E]

Small parts has expensive stepped versions of the number drills with a much larger shank. But much smaller than a #80 would be really difficult.