My 3D Printed Pinhole Camera

schlem · Aug 23, 2013

Hello all

After some time away from my film cameras, I returned to pinhole photography with a 35mm camera that I designed, 3D printed, and shoot. This is my 4th pinhole, dubbed the PINHE4D. No, it's not dovetailed oak and polished brass, but it is easy to modify to your needs. For instance, doubling the frame width is a relatively trivial scaling operation in a CAD program. One of the many goals for this project is to create a library of 3D printable parts that people can use to build cameras from scratch: spools, rollers, winding mechanisms, shutters, etc. I also plan to develop a large format camera in the future.

I got my first roll back today (drugstore developing, couldn't wait for the lab), Kodak Ektar 100, but stay tuned for the B&W:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theschlem/sets/72157635189094287/

Of course, you can print and build your own:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:132517

Thanks for looking
schlem

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Aug 23, 2013

Its seem to me a camera from 1920s with beaten leather. I visited few big 3d print factories and I did see White semi transparent ABS , no black ABS. Is it rare ? How much does it cost to you ? I wanted a print of Leica S2 body without mechanism and they wanted 300 euros. I think making small female molds from few pieces of aluminum and filling them with polymer to set is a cheap operation.
But I liked the viewfinder very much.
Why tripod is sea creature blue ?

Umut

AgX · Aug 23, 2013

Why print a 35mm pinhole camera and not just modify a simple plastic point-and-shoot camera into a pinhole camera?

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Aug 23, 2013

I think there is no better pinhole camera than anamorphic 617 pinhole camera. I think if it would cost less than 50 dıollars to print it , its viable option. I dont see any reason to print above camera also. I think printing is a investment to hand craft like pieces , may be an gaudi handle and
3d printed acrylic anamorphic lens. Otherwise , that cant compete with any camera present.

I agree with AgX.

darkosaric · Aug 23, 2013

Hi Schlem,

welcome to APUG . Sometimes people do stuff because it is fun to do it - I never done 3D printing, but I guess it is fun .

cheers,

DWThomas · Aug 23, 2013

Yes! Sometimes it's the journey, not the destination that's important!

AgX · Aug 23, 2013

I admit I expected to get this answer.
And you are right.

schlem · Aug 24, 2013

Pretty hard crowd.

I read the posts about another 3D printed camera, and I was surprised at the vitriol being dished out. APUG guys don't seem to get it. Obviously, there is a fundamental lack of understanding in this forum about 3D printing. It's a hard concept to get your head around sometimes.

This is NOT expensive - like $3 US in materials
This is not exotic technology
It's not any more fragile than a Holga (but don't drop either of them, please)
It really is as simple as downloading the CAD files and printing your own.

I guarantee you, this is not the last 3D printed camera you will see. Do you like large format? Anamorphic? shooting paper? They're coming and they're going to be awesome.

If you have questions, please ask me.

AND - Did anyone even bother to look at the photographs? This camera shoots better than some of the precious, polished, wooden 4x6 pinholes I have built.

VPooler · Aug 24, 2013

Honestly, the pictures could be a bit sharper. I don't much care about the technology, you know, whatever works for you. For example, if I ever were to construct a pinhole, I would use a box and some gaffer tape most likely to keep it simple and disposable in case I hate it.

AgX · Aug 24, 2013

schlem said:
Pretty hard crowd.

I read the posts about another 3D printed camera, and I was surprised at the vitriol being dished out. APUG guys don't seem to get it. Obviously, there is a fundamental lack of understanding in this forum about 3D printing. It's a hard concept to get your head around sometimes.

This is NOT expensive - like $3 US in materials
This is not exotic technology
It's not any more fragile than a Holga (but don't drop either of them, please)
It really is as simple as downloading the CAD files and printing your own.

I don't have such printer. And I do not expect it to be in the same price range as that material you refer to.
Lately in some large cities in Europe public 3D Printers have been installed. Nowhere next to me.
Downloading a file from the net and sending it to some on-line printing service to get a ready-made camera does not seem a intriguing way to go for me. Then I rather modify myself a camera as indicated above and even gain more features on the film transport side.
Or building a camera totally from scrap.

Do you have a printer of your own?

ozphoto · Aug 24, 2013

If 3D printing encourages people to enter the world of film photography - that's great, I'm certainly *not* going to knock it.

Everyone likes to tinker, so I see this type of thing being no different, to somebody building an (yet another) f-stop timer. It's great that you can do these types of things, and Umat's question about the possibility of printing long lost parts for a camera, opens the door for another line of business.

Costs are obviously the biggest thing that may stop people from embracing this quickly, but given time, if it does indeed become as popular as it is being heralded to, the possibilities are endless.

Ghostman · Aug 24, 2013

Very fucking cool dude, your camera and the photos are amazing! Never mind this turgid bunch of old farts, keep on creating and sharing.

Loulou · Aug 24, 2013

Very cool! Love the idea and the photos.

AgX · Aug 24, 2013

Ghostman said:
Never mind this turgid bunch of old farts, keep on creating and sharing.

Please keep in mind:
Without those turgid old farts there would not be a single meter of film coming out of the plants.

VPooler · Aug 24, 2013

AgX said:
Please keep in mind:
Without those turgid old farts there would not be a single meter of film coming out of the plants.

Amen, brother.

schlem · Jul 25, 2014

Just an update for the curmudgeons out there:

This is a selection of my favorite photos I have made with my 120 film 3D printed pinhole camera, the P6*6, in the last year:
Dead Link Removed

If you're curious, you can see every photo I have made with this camera here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/theschlem/sets/72157636632862045/

I was in Amsterdam for WPPD2014 and in our group there were three of us, from different cities around the world, shooting this camera.

Hundreds of people all over the world have downloaded the files and are making photos with my cameras. I have an article coming out in the next MAKE: magazine (issue 41) that details how to assemble the P6*6 from 15 printed parts.

The files are open source and freely downloadable. You can 3D print your own: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:157844
If you look at my Thingiverse designs, you will find a variety of options and accessories for the cameras also.

But, if you don't have access to a 3D printer, I sell kits and assembled cameras here:
https://www.tindie.com/products/schlem/the-p66-a-3d-printed-pinhole-camera-for-120-film/

I have also designed a 4x5 in a couple of focal lengths, and the ugly 35mm I shared previously. I am working on an adjustable anamorphic and a 6x4.5, in addition to a 6x12 and just refining and updating the existing designs.

Thanks to the supporters and nuts to the haters (Sorry you don't get it).

schlem

paul_c5x4 · Jul 26, 2014

I missed this thread first time round - An interesting little project. if it gets more people using film, then it is a good thing.

Only one gripe: Estimated shipping charges from tindle.com is coming in at $60 to the UK. If that is a genuine cost, I would envisage most potential overseas customers would pass.

rdg · Jul 26, 2014

Although I am hearing of more libraries having 3D printers available to their patrons another source for getting 3D printing done is at a local Hacker/Maker space that has a 3D Printer. They are becoming more and more common and one fundamental, it seems, tool that every one has to have is a 3D printer. To find a hacker/maker space close to you look in http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_ALL_hackerspaces.

It is likely that you will have less issues going to a Hacker/Maker space to get someone to print the parts than using a public library due to the time constraints in printing the parts. And of course there are a selection of colours to try to print with if you want.

Richard

Mark Fisher · Jul 27, 2014

I'm impressed. I thought that you'd have a problem with it being light tight, but clearly those images say otherwise. It is way easier to design and 3D print a camera than designing and fabricating one. The thing I like it that you can make several generations and improve them along the way. If you don't like the 3D printed aesthetic, you can make a finely crafted camera after you've refined it with the 3D printer. Very nice. Onto lens mounts and shutters!

schlem · Jul 27, 2014

paul_c5x4 said:
...Only one gripe: Estimated shipping charges from tindle.com is coming in at $60 to the UK. ...

Personally,I have mixed feeling about that. I really want it to be affordable for people who can't find a local 3D printer, but I don't really want to be in the business of 3D printing my cameras for people. I sell a few here and there (including several to Europe), but I'd rather people 3D print their own. I am not in this for the money; the project started as a personal 3D printing design challenge (and now consumes vast quantities of my time and cognition). I was inspired by the Dirkon paper pinhole camera which could be easily duplicated and distributed http://www.pinhole.cz/en/pinholecameras/dirkon_01.html 3D printing is a natural evolution of this model.

There are people who are [film] photographers, a subset of whom are [potential] pinhole photographers, and a vastly smaller subset of those have [access to] a 3D printer. That works the other way around too. I would roughly divide the people with my cameras in their hands as 50/50 3D printer people and film photo people. I (or someone) else can 3D print a camera for a photographer - and they will make great photos, but 3D printing and assembling a pinhole camera won't suddenly make you into a film pinhole photographer without some investment in knowledge and technique. It's not difficult, and it will make you a better photographer, regardless of your photo technique and medium.

3D printing is a handy tool for creating that one-off widget that solves a problem, and Thingiverse.com is full of adapters and gadgets that photography/3D printer people have shared: http://www.thingiverse.com/tag:photography [edit] the smiley is unexpected, but the link works.

The advice about finding a local hackerspace/makerspace is good, and I expect that well before 3D printers become household appliances, these kinds of relationships will satisfy general rapid prototyping needs.

Thanks for the interest, and let me know if you have any questions
Todd

ME Super · Jul 27, 2014

Medical uses for 3D printing

Diss the 3D printing all you want, but a local cardiologist has started using 3D printing for some amazing stuff. http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/local-doctor-hoping-build-library-hearts If they can model a human heart, surely we can 3D print almost anything once the technology improves to give better than 0.1mm resolution. Seems to me that 3D printing is great for one-off stuff. Maybe not for making hundreds or thousands of camera parts, but for a one-off job, sure why not!

wblynch · Jul 29, 2014

This is how things get started.

Pretty soon we might be 3D printing washing machines and PV Solar panels.

I joked once (oh, maybe 20 years ago) about faxing a coffee pot to my brother across country. Maybe it isn't a joke now.

Without these fun little projects, that big stuff won't come later.

ME Super · Aug 3, 2014

wblynch said:
This is how things get started.

Pretty soon we might be 3D printing washing machines and PV Solar panels.

I joked once (oh, maybe 20 years ago) about faxing a coffee pot to my brother across country. Maybe it isn't a joke now.

Without these fun little projects, that big stuff won't come later.

They're actually working on technology for inkjet printing solar cells now. They seem to be quite durable, too, as they are able to withstand multiple folding and unfolding cycles with little effect on performance. Sorry don't have the link in front of me right now.

snapguy · Aug 3, 2014

fine

I think it is a fine little project. The point, it seems to me, is if you can 3-d print a pinhole camera you can do the same with a Hasselblad or other fine film camera. I would love a "new" Nikon F or a Leica M2R.

My 3D Printed Pinhole Camera

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