Making a pinhole from a folder

Ben johns

Ben johns

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I have managed to take the lens off of an older folding camera I have. I want to mount a pinhole lens to the front, anyone have any suggestions as to the best way? I was hoping to be able to screw a filter to the front and attatch the pinhole to that but the lens board isnt threaded. I could just glue something to the front that has the pinhole on but as I didnt damage the lens or the camera I was hoping for something less...destructive!
Untitled by benjohns4 johns, on Flickr
 
Can't you just remove the lens and keep the shutter mechanism and fit the pinhole that way?
 
I adapted a few cameras in this way. It was good fun. I left the shutter assembly in place and glued a plate over the outside with a hole in it.
This way, I was able to use the B setting with a cable release for my timing. But, in my case, the lenses were not worth keeping anyway.
I have a box camera adapted in this way, as a coincidence, I only just found it a couple of days ago.
 
Making a plate with a hole (graticule?) in it is a critical job. I bought some removable electron microscope graticules/apertures which are small (3-4mm) copper discs with an accurate laser cut hole in it. In the end, it didn't seem much better than my piece of alluminium beer can with a hole pierced in it.
I found a nice, strong, round needle and punched a hole in the foil/alloy whilst it was flat on a good, smooth hard piece of wood. The idea being to make a hole only at the tip of the needle.
I could measure the diameter of the hole and check its "roundness" by scanning it next to a ruler. The size & shape of the hole will have an effect on the sharpness of the image.... no doubt there will be an optimum size for the size of the film used. IIRC they will be around 0.3mm for a 6x6 camera body. It's easy to buy drill bits this size.
 
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Cluster said:
I adapted a few cameras in this way. It was good fun. I left the shutter assembly in place and glued a plate over the outside with a hole in it.
This way, I was able to use the B setting with a cable release for my timing. But, in my case, the lenses were not worth keeping anyway.
I have a box camera adapted in this way, as a coincidence, I only just found it a couple of days ago.
Click to expand...
Ive never taken a lens apart before, apart from an old m39 lens to grease it. Is it hard to take the lens elements out and mount a pinhole? My plan was to use a step up adaptor with the same filter thread as the lens that would mount in the same way using the rear retaining nut. Then I could glue the pinhole to the step up adaptor so it could be taken off if i ever wanted to. I would prefer to have a shutter but as I said I've never taken a lens apart really
 
Cluster said:
Making a plate with a hole (graticule?) in it is a critical job. I bought some removable electron microscope graticules/apertures which are small (3-4mm) copper discs with an accurate laser cut hole in it. In the end, it didn't seem much better than my piece of alluminium beer can with a hole pierced in it.
I found a nice, strong, round needle and punched a hole in the foil/alloy whilst it was flat on a good, smooth hard piece of wood. The idea being to make a hole only at the tip of the needle.
I could measure the diameter of the hole and check its "roundness" by scanning it next to a ruler. The size & shape of the hole will have an effect on the sharpness of the image.... no doubt there will be an optimum size for the size of the film used. IIRC they will be around 0.3mm for a 6x6 camera body.
Click to expand...
I was going to measure the flange distance and buy a pinhole from reality so subtle. I did it once before to make a pinhole body cap for a mamiya 645 and it worked well
 
Oh, it's easy, the front elements are usually all on the threaded mount (the focussing) and the rear element will unscrew from the rear.
 
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Cluster said:
Oh, it's easy, the front elements are usually all on the threaded mount (the focussing) and the rear element will unscrew easily from the rear.
Click to expand...
oh cool I'll have a look. I saw a few lens cleaning guides so they should be of help
 
Years ago, when I was having a go at vintage roll film cameras and pin-hole work, I wanted to have a go with photographic paper instead of film.
That would need a bigger camera body, maybe like a biscuit tin and some way to manage the paper. It got too involved. But, as I look in corner of my workshop/spare room, I see my 3D printer... maybe that will help provide easy solutions to my big bodied camera needs!
 
Cluster said:
Years ago, when I was having a go at vintage roll film cameras and pin-hole work, I wanted to have a go with photographic paper instead of film.
That would need a bigger camera body, maybe like a biscuit tin and some way to manage the paper. It got too involved. But, as I look in corner of my workshop/spare room, I see my 3D printer... maybe that will help provide easy solutions to my big bodied camera needs!
Click to expand...
Should have a look at that https://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/pinh...LhS69r0an_xy3lHLBPzHalLw5qTY2tM8aAmZCEALw_wcB
Its just 2 boxes, 1 slides into the other. Because it slides inside the 2nd it holds the paper flat against the bottom around the edges. Shouldnt be too hard to knock something like it up
 
Cluster said:
Oh, it's easy, the front elements are usually all on the threaded mount (the focussing) and the rear element will unscrew from the rear.
Click to expand...
What size screw driver is needed to take apart the lens? The screw next to the infinity marker is tiny!
 
Cluster said:
Oh, it's easy, the front elements are usually all on the threaded mount (the focussing) and the rear element will unscrew from the rear.
Click to expand...
Would you mount the pinhole at the front or the rear of the shutter mechanism once the lens elements have been removed?
 
I would put it at the front, but no so far forward as to affect the "line of view" from the subject to the film plane.
 
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