Do you want to build your own pinhole camera? Keep reading…
As you probably know, there are all kinds of cameras designed for different purposes these days. From digital and photography cameras to hidden or tiny spy cameras. There is one more type of cameras that has gained popularity over the years. It is called – a pinhole camera.
What is a pinhole camera?
A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens. It is a small box or tin with a small hole (usually 0.5mm or smaller) in one end and a piece of photographic paper in the other. The image is built by the light passing through the hole. Although in the early days, pinhole cameras did not have very clear image quality, nowadays there are pinhole cameras that come with micro lens and provide very good image quality.
The first pinhole camera was built in the 19th century. It gained some popularity and that time. Although cameras have advanced in size and quality, the principles remain the same.
Therefore, today there are many enthusiasts who prefer to build a pinhole camera themselves. This can be fun for hobbyist purposes, however, for more serious tasks like covert surveillance, a ready-built pinhole camera is a much better option.
How to build a pinhole camera?
If you still prefer to build a camera yourself, here are the basic steps you need to follow. First you will need a cardboard with a tape hinge, which can be used as a shutter. Second, you will need to make a pin hole. Just take a needle (small diameter, about 0.5mm) and pierce a piece of aluminum foil. Then, tape that piece to the inside of the box through a larger hole.
If you want to change the angle of the view, you might want to create a movable box. You can simply take a slider film holder so that the distance between the film and the pinhole can be changed.
If you move a film closer to the pinhole, you’ll get a wider angle of view, but a shorter exposure time. Moving a film further from the pinhole will result in a longer exposure time, but the angle of view will be narrow.
More serious use of pinhole cameras
Actually, pinhole cameras can be used not only for taking pictures. They can also be used to record videos. However, making such a pinhole video camera yourself would be very difficult if you don’t know the technical aspect involved.
However, today you can order small pinhole cameras for surveillance at very reasonable prices. In fact, you can order it online for less than $100.
These pinhole cameras can be used to track babysitters or your spouse, for example. You never know what these people are doing in your house. If you trust them, then you (probably) have nothing to worry about. But if you’re suspicious, then there’s nothing better than buying a wireless pinhole camera and putting it inside a furry bunny or behind some books on a book shelf.
