How to Make a Pinhole Camera
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- Take authentic vintage-style photos with a camera you can make yourself. In a world saturated with selfies and instant effects layered over endless phone photos, take a step back and experience the science of the spiritual home of photography.
Learn how to develop the photos using a homemade solution: bit.ly/1UpDlX5
To make this homemade DIY pinhole camera, you’ll need the following items:
• Stiff black card
• Paper templates www.rigb.org/do...
• Glue and black tape
• Scissors, craft knife and metal ruler
• Aluminium can
• Needle or pin
• Cork and a pair of pliers
• Fine emery or sandpaper
• Velcro strips
Cut the template out of the black card and fold it into shape, and cut a small space for the pinhole shutter. The pinhole itself is made from a small strip from a drinks can. Poke a hole with your needle, and then slot this into a shutter made of black card. You can attach a removable lid on your box with some strips of Velcro, and fix the shutter in place with glue. With the photographic film safely in the sealed box, you’re ready to take photos.
Making pinhole cameras is an excellent educational activity to do at school or at home. It can introduce children to the art and science of analogue photography, and also help instil a deeper understanding of the digital technology so prevalent today.
This film was created as part of a workshop for the L'Oréal Young Scientist Centre at the Royal Institution in March 2015, generously supported by L'Oréal.
Full instructions: www.rigb.org/ed...
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Imagine taking a normal photo with this camera and tell your friends that this photo is 100 years ago
They would believe if they where dumb.
Yeah
It worked for me
the first part is clear, but the secound one is unclear, "friends"? what does that mean
I made pinhole cameras like this from shoeboxes way back in the 1970s. I also made very small boxes that attached to rolls of 110 film cartridges too. There are so many variations that pinholes are some of my favorite experiments.
I thought the images at the beginning of the video was taken with the pinhole camera. I was like WOW LOL. Anyway, really helpful tutorial for a very fun project. Thanks!
20 odd years later, I'm still amazed this works and can't really get my head around it
I never even heard of these cameras before. I am going to make one as I'm an artist and always looking for interesting images for my work. It will be great fun to explore this type of photography!
@@dobby6841 nio
I live in Corpus Christi Texas and an Annular Solar Eclipse is coming directly overhead this Saturday October 14, 2023 just before noon. Can is use the pinhole camera to take a picture? What about using my iPhone? I know we are not supposed to look directly at the eclipse so the public library is giving us free eclipse viewing glasses. Thank you. Linda
i tried it out, it definitely works! it is just that my pinhole was way too small so it took about 4 mins of exposure time to get a picture with a good amount of contrast. the amount of sharpness on the image was INSANE. I would suggest you to take pictures of still objects rather than humans.
so if the hole is slightly bigger the faster the time exposure to get a picture?
I did similar with my DSLR, I took off the lens and replaced it with a piece of card with a pin hole in it. Make sure no light gets in with black tape and put the camera on the B setting and play around with exposure times.
Simples.
Cool idea
Best ever pinhole camera design, for 8-80 alike, if you ask this artist inventor, kudos
CONGRATULATIONS FOR 1M SUBSCRIBERS
you can also make a pretty easy camera using the container for oatmeal. just spray paint the plastic lid. I point this out only to say that there is lots of ways to make a pinhole camera so why not try variations?!
Thank you so much 👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏it helped me a lot in my school project 👍👍👍👍👏👏👍👏
I think the shutter at first was just the black lens cap being placed back on over the lens. The pin hole needs to be small, about just the tip of a needle, perhaps just 1/4 of a millimeter or so, too big and the image gets blurred, not sharp anymore. I made one once with a regular 35mm cam. Used tinfoil and a needle, taped onto the lens area (lens first taken off the camera). Pinhole cams are great for still objects/subjects, not moving much, and the depth of (focus) field (the distance that all objects will be in focus) is better than most modern cameras; objects both close and far away will be in focus.
Very nice Dave thank you. Gonna build mine
hey man howd it go?
@@nysom3356 it’s been 5 years, I don’t think he remembers 😂😂
In winter I had to sit still for 10 minutes
What is the size of the photo paper that can fit in the pinhole camera you made?
I can't wait until i take pictures
the link of the paper template is not available already :'(
Will this really work
So cool!
Really good ！
Thankyou
Template
www.rigb.org/docs/camera_cutouts_v1_0.pdf
you god
THANK YOU
Thanks
where would you get the film for a diy camera like this?
I have a question. after the light through a small hole, the image will be produced on paper. I want to know, what paper you use for the resulting image?
I think a lot of people use ilford film paper. It is also possible to use fujifilm Instax film if you keep it in the dark and pressure roll the chemical up out of the pouch before allowing light to tough it again.
sensitive light photo paper
you can use watercolor paper sensitized with salt solution and silver nitrate, look up on the internet on how to make a salted paper.
guys is the photo paper different from paper you use to print photos on? thanks xx
Brilliant liked and subbed cheers 📷❤️📷
I cannot find the beforementioned recipe on the RI website on how to develop the photographs. Can anyone post a link?
Where did his beard go?
Troll!
It is his old photos lol
I guess the same place your hair went
Lol
Ha got messed up
Very good guide. If there is anyone in the Netherlands that needs help or tips with making something like this, let me know. Maybe I can help out.
Are you using a film roll to take the image or developing paper??
What kind of film did you use? Is it Polaroid 600 film?
Does anyone have the .pdf template for this video? The link doesn’t seem to work
Question question, you guys what type of fotographic paper have you used? 'cause I can't find the right one
Love from India 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳
Hi me indian ☑️ 🟠⚪️🟢
Ok
@@barotmamta4845 ok
Y’all , is there an alternative for photopaper??
this is magic
amazing
From where can we see see and set the camera at the best place ? or we have to just guess set the camera from our ourselves ???? 🧐🧐
I heard you need lemon juice for this. What if you want to make your room into a pinhole camera? That's gonna be a lot of lemon juice...
No lemon juice needed for the camera itself, but you do need some to develop the photos if you're going down the fully-DIY route. Full instructions here: www.rigb.org/education/loreal-young-scientist-centre/activities-to-try/pinhole-cameras
what kind paper did you used in camera in last
I like your design, Koolness!
What size photographic paper is he using
Super leuk filmpje! Love naar Jos
Hii, if I'm going to use a film of 35mm, where do I put it in the box (which distance), what will be the distance of the object I'm suppose to take the photo. Also, because I'm using a film does someone knows what will be the time of exposure will be & time in the substance ? Thank you this look really cool :)
Use photographic paper. They come in single strips that can be held in place with masking tape
@@barbaraf750where can I buy it, I can't seem to find it except if I pay 60$
Do you need regular paper or something else to put into the camera?
You need a light sensitive film to be able to take shots.
Photographic paper comes in fixed 5x7 size, how to cut to size so it fits in camera in complete darkness?
do it with a red colour light on as this doesnt affect the photosensitive paper
do you have a link to where i can buy some photographic paper
IM Faith please this is for a school project 😩
nail polish remover (acetone) will remove the paint off can (tin).
I really wish this video was longer
That's very sweet of you to say. We do have a follow up - ruclips.net/video/O4bf2IO3-Wg/видео.html
I have Fuji Instax instant film. Can I use this film for this camera? I have actually never used Polaroid film or camera before. On the packaging it says that the film contains high-alkaline caustic paste which can burn our skin. It seems very tricky to have to install the film in the complete darkness while trying to avoid skin contact. How can I install the film onto the pinhole camera like yours? Should I install just one film, or an entire cartridge? Thanks for sharing. Your camera seems really cool and I can feel your passion!!
All of the chemicals are contained pretty safely in the film usually unless it gets damaged so don't worry about that. Just be careful not to burst the pouches of chemicals at the ends of the instax film the wrong way. You can put it in any camera it will fit in really. You just have to load, unload, and process the film in darkness. You can use a dark bag for that. You process the instax film with a little rolling pin rolling from the thick boarder up to carry the chemicals up between the layers of film and then when that's done its fine to be in light again.
Thank you for replying. I have since safely used the film and made several shots. Though all overexposed, the results still look enigmatically cool and provide clues to betterment. Thank you again!
Wenchuan Ni ooooo
Shreyanyou
That would be perfect for baseball photos!
how to take a picture ? do u just slide that thing in a dark room??I really wanna build this...
Once you've built the box, you can follow the instructions in this video! - ruclips.net/video/O4bf2IO3-Wg/видео.html
What size is the stiff black card?
is that photopaper which you print in printer and get your photo or is it the actual paper for the pin hole camera??
i went to my photo studio and they asked me this.plz help me!!
We used Ilford Multigrade IV but any resin coated B/W photographic paper will work. You can read about the entire process in this worksheet: www.rigb.org/docs/retro_workshop_1__developing_film_0.pdf
Is it looking inverted
that can take a picture?
Can you plz tell me where you can get photographic film in India?
We just had a quick Google and there seem to be various types of photo paper for sale on the Indian Amazon.
why could the pinhole not simply be a hiole in the box? why does it have to be from an aluminium can?
It can be, but the aluminum gives I've the chance to make a more accurate hole and it can be changed out with other sized holes.
Very cool!
I'd like to know how to have the imagem fixed on paper, or at least, if there are something diferent to do to save the imagem... An scanner, maybe? Have you another movie with answers?
We did make a video on how to develop your own pinhole photos with household ingredients - ruclips.net/video/O4bf2IO3-Wg/видео.html We haven't so far found a working solution for the final step - fixing - so you can either use a store bought solution or scan in the final image to keep it for longer.
How still do u have to be to avoid blur
Depends on how bright it is outside and how long you leave the shutter open. Try to stand as still as possible, but it's quite forgiving.
From where should I see
What size film is the best
It depends on the size of the camera. We used A5 size which we then cut to exactly fit the box.
@@TheRoyalInstitution Why isn't the template for the camera made to the size of the film? I've just made a camera using your template and I have 5x7 film and now need to cut the film. Is there another template out there for 5x7?
How length of photo paper to the camera ?
You can cut the paper to size in a dark room in the light of a red light. We used a bike light.
What size of photo paper to this camera?
Would love to take this on a trip. But I’m afraid airport security wouldn’t like it.
Plot twist: "I´ve recorded this whole video with this camera (stop motion)"
Nice
So what kind of paper we used to expose
I think you just use photo paper.
it would be cool if your done with it you break it up and take the pictures out then rebuild the same camera
everybody shows the camera but nobody shows the film. why why why?
What s the use for though
It's used for taking pinhole photographs. People do this for various reasons. It's very cheap and easy. The photos are beautiful and unique. We even run a workshop at the Ri, where we take photos, develop them ourselves, and learn a whole lot of science while doing so!
I just confused ! .. what is photo paper actually ?? if someone can give me online shop link i can use it for reference ! ( i searched i have doubt on it )
Photographic Film is different from Photographic Paper, Film will shorten your exposure time by a lot, but if you want to develop it your self its better Paper.
I leave you a link if you want to read more about it.
www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Pinhole_Camera.htm
Tried making the shutter for the camera and honestly thought there should have been more info especially with measurements. Everything else was explained and well thought out but the instructions for the shutter were horrible. I've been replaying that part for over 10 minutes just trying to gauge measurements. Especially when folding over areas. This part was not well thought out at all. If anyone else finds a better video explaining that part please tag me.
We're sorry to hear that you're having trouble. Have you had a look at the accompanying info sheets here - www.rigb.org/education/loreal-young-scientist-centre/activities-to-try/pinhole-cameras ? There's templates and written instructions that will hopefully help. Let us know how you get on!
Thank you very much! I actually didn't realize there was a cut out template. My apologies. I actually was trying to make myself and was able to. Not as perfect as the template but close enough. I already was using a cigar box for the main box and wanted to make the shutter via your video instructions. I have a slight light leak but not bad enough that it would be noticeable during an exposure. Thank you again for your assistance.
Is it take photo
How do i make it so the paper remains still?
RoyalCommander put it on a cardboard that is not too thick........
tape it to the inside.
Thick cardboard is harder to cut, i used regular cardboard so i can cut it easily
we have a project in science to make a pinhole camera but theres a clear lamp we need.. to make it, but i dont know why are we going to need it... can somebody please help me?
no
I like the work that's gone into this box camera, but why not just use a shoe box?
You definitely can! You'd have to cover the inside with dark paper and make sure all gaps are closed, but it should definitely work.
We make these boxes in our study lab at the Ri as the first part of our pinhole camera workshop. Having them all the same size ensures that we have consistent exposure, and can pre-cut the photographic paper and so on.
Good
what are the measurements of the box i need to know them and it doesnt say how to cut it in the vid please help me SOS
Hmm, there does seem to be a broken link in the description, it should lead you here - www.rigb.org/education/loreal-young-scientist-centre/activities-to-try/pinhole-cameras
It has links to all the relevant templates and tips.
Can I just get a black shoebox, poke a hole in it, then put a piece of paper on the inside?
I guess so. I guess the distance from the film surface to the hole is forgiving because of the super small aperture hole.
Instead of playing music it should been narrated instead of the subtitles because one has look at subtitles and camera making.
Если что, это спасибо с другого континента))
Google translate this and it will be funny. };< )
@@sg27182Its not funny -_- its just nice
I suppose it useless to make photography of night sky?
Maybe with some very low ISO film or photo paper as suggested by the other commenter. Try looking up pinhole star photography and see what ISO they used.
Not getting paper templets
i built one for my science fair project
The template download link is not working :(
Oh no? Let's see what we can do
The link to the website seems to be working for us: www.rigb.org/education/loreal-young-scientist-centre/activities-to-try/pinhole-cameras
But just in case, here's the direct download link to the pdf: www.rigb.org/docs/camera_template_0.pdf
The second one did work. Thank you!
What is the expected focal length on this camera?
how do you take photos??
open the thing...
Yup, open the shutter and expose it and close the shutter for 9 seconds, and you can get photo, it work as good
where can I purchase the photo film
Photo shops or online. Ilford makes photo paper you can use. It is also possible to use fujifilm Instax film if you keep it in the dark and pressure roll the chemical up out of the pouch before allowing light to tough it again.
Reply
Maria Pack contains
I can't hear what he's saying for that bloody music.
i put 3 images together and now its coloured
"food, pets, a babies"
The background music is so loud i can hardly hear the narrators voice. Pity.
can i use the same procedure for a same camera just with lens?
its so hard
damn right
That's what she said.
30G 😂
4:53
Nice, cheap ass science project. Better than the old done that volcano. I would make one that lasts longer though. All that work and it falls apart if it gets wet.
try making it out of a plastic folder. harder to fold but won't get easily destroyed like paper does.
Could someone explain why do I need to use the can/aluminum foil? What happens if I make the hole in the box without using the can?
Poor quality photo would result.You must have a very precise hole
Achchha hai to yar
sorry man, i stopped watching bc the music s way too loud
Hi
gotta build mine now
its too lovely camera
turn music of