Pinhole Camera Parts List & Instructions

STUFF:
1. Digital camera with detachable lens.
2. Body cap for your digital camera.
3. Xacto knives, black marker, and black electrical tape.
4. Small drill bit, 1/8" (3-4mm) is about the right size.
5. Sewing needle.
6. Fine wet/dry sand paper, 400 grit is about right. Available at automotive and DIY shops
7. Thin sheet metal. 0.002" (0.05mm) soft brass, available from automotive and craft shops. The bottom of a metal pie plate is a little thick but will work.

This is a really good book about pinholes! "Pinhole Photography" by Eric Renner Google Books link to newest edition. Lots of great info also at: Pinhole Resource Web Site including pinhole body caps to buy if you really don't want to make one of your own. (We're not connected with www.pinholeresource.com we just think they have a cool site.)

Everything you need to make your own pinhole lens from a body cap. Any digital SLR with interchangeable lenses will work. Unlike film, you don't have to rush back to the darkroom just to adjust your exposure. In bright sunlight at ISO 650, a shutter speed of 1/4sec will be about right. A tripod and a cable release are a big help!

Drill a small hole in the center of the body cap and carefully smooth the edges with an xacto knife. The hole size in the cap is not critical it just serves as a place to locate the pinhole in the center of the lens.

Make the pinhole by gently twisting a sewing needle to punch a very small hole in the thin brass sheet. The type of card board found on the back of writing pads makes a good backing for the metal. Insert the needle only 1/16" (1-2mm) through the metal. Make a number of holes so you will have a choice for your final pick.

Cut around the hole and sand the underside with fine wet/dry sand paper. Punching the holes bends the metal downward around the pin. It is important to sand this ridge off as much as possible. Sanding in a "figure 8" pattern will help keep the hole round and smooth.

Examine the holes through out these steps with a magnifying glass.You can use a 50mm camera lens as a great magnifier by looking through the front of the lens with the aperture set wide open. You want the holes to have smooth edges and be uniformly round. The optimal diameter should be about 0.01" (0.26mm) which should give you an aperture size of about f200.

Tape the brass plate with the hole to the back side of the cap with black tape. Make sure the hole in the metal plate is centered and darken it with ink to reduce reflection.

Here's the finished cap ready to use! Check out the video above for examples of photos we took with our pinhole lenses!