Digital Pinhole Camera?

October 29, 2006 4:22 PM

Pinhole Camera Filter.

The more is awhile ago I had a friend that made a pinhole camera from one of those Land camera type thingies. I thought that was pretty cool, but I've not been able to find those instructions again. That led me to thinking about digital pinhole cameras. Has anyone here done something like that, and are there any good tutorials about making your own? Any and all pinhole camera links would be appreciated here, from photo galleries and photographers to instructions and tutorials. The more the merrier, and no construction techniques are too much, I have good skills, and access to those who have more.

posted by Eekacat to media & arts (7 comments total)

If you have a digital SLR this is simple, just remove the lens and put on a tube with a pinhole. If you have a lens extender (without optics) that fits the lens mount all the better. Then make your pinhole through a cap which fits the outer end of the lens extender.
posted by caddis at 4:51 PM on October 29, 2006

Yes
posted by chairface at 4:52 PM on October 29, 2006

For DIY solutions, I think putting a hole in a body cap is the most common. That is of course if you are using a dslr.

Also, here's a digital pinhole group on flickr.
posted by o0dano0o at 4:52 PM on October 29, 2006

OK, Google says this is common.
posted by caddis at 4:54 PM on October 29, 2006

The method I've seen is the body cap on a dSLR is converted it to a pinhole (another example)

Some more resources:

f295 - mostly film based pinholers there but is at least one member using a digital camera. Then there is the pinhole group on flickr, pinhole and pinhole resource.
posted by squeak at 4:58 PM on October 29, 2006

For those who are hardcore - put a digital back onto a Hassie and replace the $2,000 lens with a bit of foil having pinhole therethrough.
posted by caddis at 5:06 PM on October 29, 2006

OK, cool. Thanks. Since I have a dSLR coming soon I can try it out. And here I was thinking along the lines of hacking an old point and shoot camera for this. I think it's kind of silly that someone would take pinhole camera shots, and try to edit them to look like glass lens photos.

caddis, that Hasselblad is just a bit over the top! haha.
posted by Eekacat at 8:53 AM on October 30, 2006