How to use your DSLR for pinhole photography.
To experiment with how to take photos without a glass lens, try pinhole photography. Turn your DSLR into a pinhole camera for unique effects.
If you’ve always wanted to experiment with the old-fashioned technique called pinhole photography but were put off by the prospect of handling and developing film, here’s your chance. This article will explain how to use your DSLR to attempt those pinhole experiments you’ve always wanted to try.
How to build a pinhole lens.
For pinhole photography, you use a very tiny hole to let a small amount of light strike your DSLR’s electronic photodetectors. To get the hole the right size is the trick, which is where the experimentation comes in. When you use a DSLR for pinhole photography it allows you to try different pinhole sizes and observe the effects without developing film for each shot. Set up your shot, try one hole size, and immediately see the result on your LCD screen.
The best way to control the amount of light entering your camera is to use an old body cap. The body cap will end up with a hole in it, so better not to use your everyday cap. Follow these steps to modify the body cap.
- Drill a 1/8” hole in the center of the cap.
- Cut a few 1/2” square pieces of aluminum from a soda can.
- Tape one of the square aluminum pieces over the hole cut in the body cap.
- Use a small pin to slightly pierce the aluminum directly over the hole in the body cap.
What you have done is created a very tiny hole directly in front of the camera’s photosensor. This small beam of light will create an image that you should see on the LCD screen. Try larger and smaller holes in the other aluminum pieces to get a clear image or experiment with different effects. Now that you’ve mastered pinhole photography, get even more creative using lighting presets and filters.
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