Not exactly film, but there's no paper-negative forum

[David]

I decided to experiment with pinhole cameras this week. So for my proof-of-concept, I took a black 35mm film case, the plastic type that Kodak uses. With the smallest pin I could find, I punched a hole through the bottom where the plastic is injected. After making the camera, I researched similar contraptions and the one I saw had the hole in the side with a square of film on the back of the case. This uses a circle of paper inside the cap. So I made a crude shutter our of a small piece of black paper cut from 127 film backing and some electrician's tape. With an exacto knife, I cut circular-ish pieces of Kodak Velox F-2 paper and taped them into the cap. In bright sunlight, the proper exposure time was in the 105-second range. My light meter caps out at f32, which specified a 32-second exposure for 6 ISO film in bright light. At 105 seconds, that would indicate an aperture that's a lot smaller than 32. I made a bunch of these and here are some results. Thanks to Photoshop, I could reverse the image and display it as though it were a print.

1 Original

AT&T Park Promenade from the base of a statue (I forget who it portrays.)

1 Reversed


I'll just go with the reversed images from here out. That was to show you the original versus the reversed.

2

Looking upward at a tree

3

Palm trees, or at least the bases of them.

4

The back of AT&T Park facing the Marina.

Seven of the eight exposures returned images, but even pressing these against fences or signs left many of the shots blurry beyond recognition, what with the exposures being between 90 seconds and two minutes.

I'm going to make a YouTube video on how to make a similar camera and will share it when it's complete.

[iangreenhalgh1]

Interesting, I saw a very interesting blog a while back where they were doing the same but with coffee cans and 5x7 sheets.

[David]

My next experiment will be an Illy coffee can with a 60X60 sheet and a Kodak D-76 replenisher can with a similar sheet. Both are different lengths and will have different relative apertures. Another idea I'm going to try is 200-foot motion picture film can that I have where a strip of film goes along the back of the can, 180 degrees, to capture a long panorama.

[Orio]

OK, I know that I am being thick, and surely my poor English does not help, but what did you use as film? And how did you put it in place?
And, the camera was a film roll plastic can? Correct?

[iangreenhalgh1]

Your English is excellent.

It's a 35mm plastic film can with a piece of photographic paper as the film.

[Orio]

[iangreenhalgh1]

Yes, that would be easier, many sellers on ebay are offering pinhole and zone plate 'lenses' just as you describe a body cap with a metal plate sit in the middle and with a hole or series of holes in it to allow light through.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canon-EOS-Zone-Plate-Body-cap-camera-lens-Zone-Pinhole-Photography-lomo-/290678015775?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item43adc2871f#ht_500wt_1180

[David]

Moderately easier, sure. But this was fun to see if it could be done. Here's a link describing how I made it:

http://beyondbokeh.blogspot.com/2012/04/diy-pinhole-camera-in-10-steps.html

And here's a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbXyn3lymg4&list=UUrZlzcRfCKLngZnqNTmTQjw&index=1&feature=plcp

Basically, it's just an experiment for fun and to see what results could be had.

[Nesster]

Excellent, superb, I really get a kick out of this sort of experimenting. You've provided a real service. Nice images too