MAKING A DIGITAL PINHOLE CAMERA

Make a digital pinhole camera

Transform your DSLR into a pinhole camera in less than 5 minutes for hours of fun shooting in a new way. Here’s a simple guide to turning a camera body cap into a pinhole lens for your DSLR or CSC.

To get started with pinhole shooting, drill a hole that’s at least 8mm wide through a body cap for your DSLR. You can buy them on eBay if you don’t want to use the one that came with your camera. Try to get it as centrally as possible, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect because that can be fixed later.

Next cut a square of metal from a drinks can and make a pinhole by gently hammering the tip of a pin through it then sanding off the rough part on the back of the hole with fine sandpaper. This is the aperture and needs to be positioned in the centre of the body cap. Use duct tape to attach it to the back of a body cap, making sure the sanded side is facing the sensor. Seal all edges of the metal with tape and cut an extra piece of tape for covering the front of the pinhole when not in use.

With your new lens created, it’s time to get out and experiment. Set your DSLR to ISO 100 in shutter-priority mode so you can control the shutter. The absence of a lens means aperture shows up as 0, but that’s not a problem. You’ll need a tripod because exposures will be slow – begin with 5 seconds and increase or decrease as required. Pinhole photography is all about trial and error, so be prepared to experiment with exposure and composition

How to make your pinhole lens

Step 1. Drill a hole in the centre of a body cap. Make sure the diameter of the hole is at least 8mm.

Step 2. Take a fizzy drink can and cut a square from the metal that’s roughly 2cm long on each side.

Step 3. Make a hole in the square of metal by gently hammering the only the very tip of a pin through it.

Step 4. Using fine sandpaper, sand off the lip created on the back of the metal when the pin pierced through it.

Step 5. Use duct tape to attach the piece of metal to the back of a body cap. Make sure the sanded side is facing the sensor. Seal all edges of the metal with tape and cut an extra piece for covering the front of the pinhole when not in use.

What you’ll need
Camera body cap
Drill
Drink can
Pin
Hammer
Duct tape
A piece of cardboard

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